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.