In chapter 19 of A-Game Poker, Elliot Roe provides an in-depth breakdown of what the Performance Phase entails and how players can maximize the quality of their decisions during real poker sessions. Below is a more detailed summary with expanded explanations and bullet-point structure where helpful.
What Performance Really Means
Roe redefines performance as more than simply acting at the table. It involves the quality of those actions relative to your own maximum capability.
Key ideas include:
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Performance should be evaluated relative to your personal skill ceiling, not other players.
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Your play can generally be categorized into:
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A-Game (90–100%) – near your peak capabilities
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B-Game (75–89%) – functional but below optimum
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C-Game (50–74%) – heavily compromised decision making
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These percentages are conceptual tools—not literal measurements—to help you recognize where your current performance sits.
Efficiency: How Often You Access Your Best Play
Roe revisits the concept of efficiency: the percentage of time you’re actually operating at or near your potential.
Efficiency depends on:
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Maintaining emotional stability
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Sustaining high energy levels
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Recognizing and correcting performance drops quickly
The core challenge becomes: How often are you truly playing at your potential versus falling short?
Bridging the Gap Between Potential and Applied Skill
Roe identifies two major forces that determine how closely your in-game decisions match your highest-level thinking:
1. Emotions
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Emotional reactions can distort logic.
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Tilt is one of the largest threats to performance (expanded in later chapters).
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Emotional management determines how much of your skill you can actually use.
2. Energy
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Cognitive performance is tightly linked to physical well-being.
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Poker demands extended mental stamina, so the following are emphasized:
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Adequate sleep
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Supportive nutrition
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Consistent exercise
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Proper recovery habits
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The A-Game Audit is introduced as a practical tool for monitoring your energy levels during sessions.
The Role of Information Gathering
Because poker is built around incomplete information, performance fundamentally depends on how much useful data you can observe and absorb.
Roe highlights:
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Every poker decision is essentially a math problem influenced by available information.
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More information = better problem-solving accuracy.
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Historical examples of extreme information advantages (such as past superuser scandals) show how decisive information can be.
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Conversely, artificially restricting information—like limiting vision or hearing—illustrates how handicapped decision making becomes.
Attention and Focus as the Gatekeepers of Information
Roe describes attention as the mechanism by which you collect information, and focus as the ability to direct that attention effectively.
Important points:
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Without focus, even accessible information goes unnoticed.
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Modern technology creates constant opportunities for distraction—notifications, multitasking, background noise, etc.
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Focus is a trainable skill, not an innate trait.
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Roe devotes substantial training to focus-building exercises in his masterclass, underscoring its significance for serious players.
Looking Ahead: Preparing the Mind Before Play
The chapter concludes with a transition to the next major tool in the system:
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Roe introduces that the following chapter will cover the A.G.A.M.E. Pre-Session Protocol, a structured routine designed to anchor attention, stabilize emotions, and elevate energy before a poker session begins.