Just about every poker book will tell you avoid playing when you are not feeling your best unless you can find a weak game and this is of course good and sound advice.

Putting this into practice though is not always so straightforward, for a lot of players the only opportunity you get to play is for an hour or two in the evening, maybe you're tired after a long day in the office, but poker is your hobby and you may still wish to play, after all there are only so many hours in the week, or maybe you've had a glass of wine or a couple of beers, maybe you are not feeling your best but you have the house to yourself and wish to take advantage, these kind of circumstances are common for the amateur player who wishes to play though they may know full well that on another day their game may be sharper.

So what is to be done, do you simply say to yourself resolutely ‘No I am not going to play tonight’ or do you say ‘To hell with it, I’m playing anyway.’ Well what I would say is if you can find something else to do that interests you maybe you should consider this but if you are still determined to play I spell it out clearly you have put yourself at a disadvantage, nonetheless there are certain things that you can do that just may enable you to still come out a winner. Let’s look at what you should and should not do…

What to avoid

Shorthanded Play
I strongly recommend avoiding shorthanded play particularly if you have had several beers or feeling more than just a little tired. In shorthanded play you have less time to think. You are in a lot more pots and the pressure on your is much more intense. If you are not feeling you're best in this you need to have very weak opposition indeed.

SNGs
Avoid Sng no limit tournaments where just one mistake and you can be eliminated.

Multi-Table Tournaments
Multi-table tournaments are even more demanding than Sngs, even at times when feeling sharp near the end of these tournaments we have been playing for a long time and it can be difficult to maintain concentration, should be obvious that multi-table tournaments should only be played when we are at our best.

Multi-Tabling
Multi-Tabling is a great way of increasing your earnings but you need to be playing you’re A-Game, don’t even think about it however if you are not feeling sharp.

What kind of games to look for when not at your best?

Full Ring Game
It is best to find a full ring game with at least 7 opponents and preferably the full 9 opponents giving you more time to consider your decisions and less intensity than the turbulent short handed tables.

Fixed Limit
If you play both fixed limit and no limit poker, then it may be for the best to play your fixed limit game at this time, if you bring an adequate amount of money to the table one mistake in a fixed limit game cannot lose you your stack.

Find a weak table
Choose a table where you recognize at least 2 or 3 weak players.

Play relatively small stakes
Try to play in a table where the stakes are at the low end of what you normally play for. Not only will this be a game where you are more likely to be a more regular winner, you are going to feel more at ease and also obviously less damage can be done.

Bluff Less
If you have had a drink or two, though I think you should aim to play your usual kind of game, if in doubt whether to run a bluff or not, tend to side with not doing so, you already will be loosened up by alcohol so this needs to be counteracted somehow.

When you should absolutely definitely not play?

Emotionally Upset
The worst time of all to play is when you are emotionally upset, your thought processes can be horrendously affected. When things then go disastrously wrong at the poker table too, what a sickener that can be.

Full-time professional
If you are a full-time professional there is of course even less reason to play when not at your best, you can pick your own hours to a certain degree at least so it makes sense to reserve time for poker when you are at your sharpest, why not spend time with friends and family or on some other hobby when you feel you can’t give 100% to the game.

Alcohol or Drugs
Hard drugs are an obvious no-no period. Alcohol also does not go with poker. You may be a solid enough player to get away with 1 or 2 drinks but playing when you have had enough alcohol to make you merry is never a good idea.

Tired
Struggling to keep your eyes open even after several cups of coffee etc., clearly time to switch off the computer and go to bed.

Overall I don’t endorse playing in less than optimal circumstances but I have outlined in this article what I believe you should be looking to do when you are going to do so regardless, also I absolutely urge you to never play when outside influences are too much of a distraction.