How WSOP 2022 Main Event Runner-Up Adrian Attenborough Stays Focused at the Poker Tables

Article sponsored by Natural8

During the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in July, talented Aussie Adrian Attenborough created quite a stir with his boldness during the Main Event. Dubbed by Pokernews as having made “two of the gutsiest plays of the 2022 WSOP”, the talented Aussie eventually emerged as the Main Event runner-up.

Although he would eventually lose to champion Espen Jorstad , Adrian gained the latter’s respect, with Jorstad calling him “a really tough opponent, (who) plays aggressively and finds good hero calls.”

Natural8 recently sat down with Adrian – who recently joined their team of ambassadors (all consisting of professional poker players) – and spoke to him about his tips on staying focused while at the poker tables.

For Adrian, focus is incredibly important for a game like poker, where any slip in mental acuity will result in a loss of performance and consequently a loss of money.

As a professional player, Adrian sees poker as a job, and generally doesn’t find it difficult to keep his focus at the tables – especially due to the nature of cash games where he is free to get up and leave whenever he is not “feeling it”.

For live events however, one big factor he avoids is lack of sleep. “I don’t play well when I’m sleep-deprived, so getting a good night’s sleep is important for me. Despite what some people say, I think it’s hard to play at your best when you need sleep, so I’d always recommend being well-rested before you play,” he said.

“For many regulars, there seems to be a competition about who grinds the hardest and who’s played the longest sessions – as if playing long sessions is the mark of a true poker player. I don’t buy into that,” he added. “I’ve never played for longer than a day because I just quit if I get too tired. I’d rather leave early and play well tomorrow than keep playing just a bit longer because of a particular whale in the game. “

One of Adrian’s biggest motivations for keeping his focus at the tables is that he knows his goal is to win.

“I really hate losing, and I know that I need to stay focused to be able to win, so while I’m playing, I put 100% of my energy into concentrating on the game and playing my best. Winning sessions are the most fun anyway, and part of why we play poker is to have fun!”

To read the rest of the article and find out more about Adrian Attenborough (including how he approaches online poker and his top seven tips for staying focused), visit the Natural8 blog.

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