Marathon Poker Sessions

By Phil Laak

There is a huge buzz about marathon poker sessions after Phil
Laak set a new World Record for playing 115 hours of poker.  Around the poker world, there are loads of
war stories of players clocking 24 hour sessions regularly in casinos and many
times even longer. 

Many poker players are known for their addiction to the game
and their degenerate nature keeps them playing for hours on end.  An example of such a degenerate would be
Isildur1 – the Swedish online sensation that is widely speculated to be the
youngster Viktor Blom.  He is known for
playing thousands of hands in one sitting online against many opponents and is
often criticized for playing too long.

Degenerates aside, is there any reason for the average poker
player to clock a marathon session?

If you ask the average player that has clocked one of these
sessions you will quickly find out the major reason that they stayed in the
game is that the action was good and the players were fishy.  Most players dream of finding a really great game,
so if they happen to stumble upon a real action table, they have the
possibility of earning a week or month’s worth of winnings in one really good
session.  Good action is often a reason
to push your limits and stay in the game despite fatigue.

Another reason may be a player stretching his rush to the
limit.  If things are going well, and the
player is in the zone, making great reads on the other players at the table, he
will want to keep playing for as long as possible.  Some big hands that go your way can really
help you hammer your opponents into submission and get inside their head.  As long as these players are at the table and
on the defensive, you need to hang around to continue to exploit your edge.

Great table image may be another good reason to keep
playing.  If you have created a good
image in the game as being a loose player, then players may now be willing to
pay you off more often.  With this image,
you need to stay in the game as you will be paid off handsomely when you hold a
monster hand. 

Marathon poker sessions
usually come out of a situation where the game is going your way.  At this point, you will want to remain at the
table to maximize profits.  On the other
hand, if you are stuck, making poor decisions and tilting, you need to get out
of the game as you are no longer playing under optimal circumstances.