Mental bandwidth and how it affects players

How mental bandwidth may restrict gamers

A player’s mental capacity for poker may be further restricted due to a shortage of resources.

The same way that the bandwidth of an Internet connection might restrict online engagement, there is a mental equivalent that can lead a player to make less progress in his game.

Maslow’s pyramid explains quite effectively how humans continually attempt to fulfill fundamental needs before moving on to more specialized and complicated ones; the fact is that if the base of the pyramid is not met, it is very difficult to concentrate on other activities.

At the level of poker game psychology, the idea of mental bandwidth has started to be used to explain a process involving a scarcity environment and how it influences decision making both at and away from the tables.

Lack of resources, such as money, time, or energy, is one of the most common causes of productivity loss. For example, being obsessed with debt repayment might cognitively reduce this bandwidth, leaving little room to prepare for other concerns in the future.

Those who are most impacted by mental bandwidth

Barry Carter, who is also persuaded that players who confront the lowest limits of poker are the most impacted, is one of many who has articulated this view.

“If you’re a low-level player, you almost always have a day job or are a student.” This is a literal illustration of bandwidth, since your priority will always be paying the bills before poker.”

Although the micro levels in online poker are typically the simplest to overcome in general, the hefty rake that most rooms charge on these betting limits may also be a consideration to consider in the so-called mental bandwidth. 

To reduce this psychological element, whether you are just starting out in poker or want to make it your primary pastime, make sure you have your fundamental requirements met for a long time and that they are not dependent on the game.