And so we come to another important learning idea: repetition. Specifically, detailed, complex repetition. This concept suggests that when you learn something new, you not only have to try it out in practice, but you have to try it out in as many ways as possible, linking it to what you already know. The detail of the rehearsals will consolidate the new material in your memory as much as possible.
For example, you are trying to remember a sequence of six words: "cat, farm, blue, scheme, paved, tree". If you try to learn this sequence using superficial repetition, then you will simply repeat this list to yourself until you can say it by heart. This will probably take some time and will not be very effective.
What if instead you created a story or a picture in your mind by connecting the details, e.g. "Once upon a time there was a cat farm lined with blue diagrams and paved with trees". By combining all the information in detail and combining the constructs of meaning, you would learn the information faster and retain it longer. So, instead of a list of unrelated words, we now have a detailed multi-dimensional picture that is much easier to remember. Maybe instead of learning it all in your head, you can write it down or create a melody to accompany the words. The more creative and detailed the learning approach, the more effective it will be.
By putting this information into practice, you will create stronger connections between the networks that already exist in your brain. Instead of creating a completely new network (an auditory list of unconnected words), you can use your existing knowledge to reinforce and better retain the new information.
You probably want to make your learning as effective and engaging as possible. This is an important principle for balancing your learning process. Let's say you're reviewing your hands in PokerTracker or Holdem Manager. Probably the most common method is to find your biggest losing hands, look at them, decide mentally whether you made a mistake or not and move on. This is a very superficial, limited approach. It would be much more efficient if you did something like this:
- write down what you think your mistake was,
- replay your hand in the replayer,
- imagine yourself playing it.
Simply visualising the hand will trigger many more neural networks (ideally even the one that is activated by actually playing), so the information will be more deeply engraved in memory.
It's also worth mentioning, although it's obvious, that reviewing what you've learnt in the past is essential to keep in good shape. From time to time, go back to the hands you marked a month or even three months ago and review them again to remind yourself of what you have learned. Occasionally read the notes on your main opponent, even if you feel you know him like the back of your hand. Review is essential to consolidate your knowledge, don't limit yourself to short-term changes, even if you have full confidence in yourself and your readings.
There is another important principle for reaping the benefits of detailed repetition. It is about practice. So, the rehearsal should be as close as possible to a real performance.
For example, you will try to check your ability to write down the list of words discussed earlier. According to this new rule, you shouldn't have to read and repeat these words over and over again, or even try to remember them verbally in any way. The best way to see how you will perform in the test is to simulate the conditions under which you will have to demonstrate your knowledge. Tests have shown that if you practise questioning yourself over and over again as you would in real life, it will significantly improve your test results compared to any other learning method.
So this insight certainly carries over to poker. After all, what do we learn in poker? What is that final performance? Well, the actual game. This means two things: firstly, we should consciously apply our skills to playing poker, and secondly, we should make our practice as close as possible to the real game.
Haseeb Qureshi
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