In chapter 24 of A-Game Poker, Elliot Roe explains how a structured Post-Session Routine (PSR) helps you gently transition from intense performance into true recovery, so you don’t drag emotional baggage, open loops, and poker thoughts into the rest of your life.
1. Why You Need a Post-Session Routine
Roe uses the rubber band metaphor:
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Performance = the rubber band fully stretched—maximum focus, energy, and engagement.
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Most players:
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Finish a session and snap straight back into normal life.
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This sudden release:
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Leaves emotions unresolved.
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Keeps the mind buzzing and replaying hands.
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Bleeds into personal life and sometimes sleep.
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Consequences:
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You keep thinking about:
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Big pots.
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Uncertain decisions.
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Results and mistakes.
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It becomes hard to:
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Be present with family and friends.
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Switch off.
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Begin genuine recovery.
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The PSR is about slowly releasing the tension—moving from performance into recovery in a controlled way.
2. Open Loops and the Zeigarnik Effect
Roe brings in the Zeigarnik Effect:
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The mind naturally prioritizes unfinished tasks over finished ones.
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In poker:
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Many hands end without full closure (you don’t see villain’s cards, or you’re unsure if your line was optimal).
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These create open loops:
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Unanswered questions.
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Unresolved feelings.
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Lingering mental tension.
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Open loops can be:
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Positive/useful:
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They highlight hands worth studying.
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They show where your uncertainty is.
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Problematic when:
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They remain open for too long.
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They block you from entering recovery.
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They keep you emotionally and cognitively “stretched,” even when you’re away from the table.
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The PSR’s purpose:
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Either close loops directly,
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Or schedule a time to close them later—telling your brain “this will be handled,” so you can let go for now.
3. The Structure of the Post-Session Routine
Roe breaks the PSR into three steps:
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Review
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Analyze
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Detach
You can run it:
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After your last session of the day (ideal).
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In a shortened version after early sessions.
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In written form (best), or mentally if needed.
4. Step 1 – Review: The Quick Debrief
This step is inspired by the military “After Action Review”: compare intention vs outcome and pull out lessons.
Roe’s five review questions:
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What happened during the session?
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Write a short, objective summary:
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No drama.
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No self-judgment.
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Just factual notes (stakes, length, general flow, big events).
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Did you accomplish your pre-session goals? If not, why?
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Compare:
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Your pre-session A.G.A.M.E. intentions (focus areas, mindset targets).
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What actually happened.
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You’re not tracking wins/losses here, but:
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How well you stuck to your mental and strategic intentions.
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What went well?
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Identify successes:
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Good decisions.
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Strong emotional control.
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Times you handled adversity like an A-Game Player.
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Reinforce effective behaviors so you repeat them.
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What roadblocks did you encounter?
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Look for:
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Tilt moments.
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Detrimental Mental Programs showing up.
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Situations where you felt lost.
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Focus drops you struggled to fix.
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Repeated patterns signal priority areas for future work.
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What can you do to address those roadblocks in the future?
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Turn observations into action:
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Spots to study.
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Mindset habits to train.
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Adjustments to pre-session goals.
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You don’t need the full solution immediately—just a plan:
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“Review X board texture tomorrow.”
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“Work on aggression vs 3-bets.”
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“Do mindset work on perfectionism.”
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Benefits of the Review step:
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Closes many mental loops by:
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Acknowledging what happened.
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Assigning a future place to work on it.
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Builds a feedback cycle between:
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Pre-session goals
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In-session performance
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Post-session learning
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5. Step 2 – Analyze: Closing Technical Loops
After Review comes a short, focused analysis block.
Purpose:
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Address hands or situations that are still “itchy” in your mind.
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Either:
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Clear them up now, or
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Officially schedule when you’ll solve them.
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Possible formats:
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5–10 minutes:
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Go over one or two hands that bothered you.
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20–30 minutes:
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Review marked hands from your tracker.
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Look at notes from a live session.
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Longer session (60–90 minutes):
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If this is where more substantial study fits in your schedule.
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Important point:
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You don’t have to fully solve everything right away.
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Writing down:
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“Review this hand with solver tomorrow.”
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“Ask my coach about this spot.”
often closes the loop as effectively as solving it on the spot.
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The Analyze step:
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Extends the final Review question (roadblocks and actions).
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Turns vague discomfort into concrete next steps.
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Reduces lingering rumination about “Was that hand a huge punt?”
6. Step 3 – Detach: Fully Leaving the Session Behind
This is the final transition into recovery.
6.1 Change Your Environment
First move:
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Physically leave your poker environment if possible:
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Log off and walk away from your grind setup.
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Leave the poker room or tournament area.
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A change in surroundings helps signal:
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“The session is over.”
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“I’m now in a different phase (Recovery).”
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It’s not mandatory to move, but it makes detachment easier and deeper.
6.2 Do a Low-Attention, Enjoyable Activity
Next, use a short, light activity to let your brain unwind.
Options include:
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Roe’s Post-Session Cool-Down audios (guided detachment/relaxation).
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Meditation or breathing exercises.
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Simple “guilty pleasures” that are:
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Fun
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Low-stress
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Non-poker-related
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Examples:
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Casual video games.
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Watching YouTube or a TV show.
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Scrolling social media or group chats (as long as it doesn’t stress you).
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Building Lego, drawing, or light hobbies.
Guidelines:
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Keep it short: roughly 10–20 minutes.
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Do it immediately after Analyze, before:
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Gym
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Errands
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Social plans
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Reason:
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You want to “cut the cord” to the session right away, rather than:
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Carrying poker thoughts into the next activity.
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Letting the rubber band stay half-stretched.
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Note:
Something like going to the gym can count as detachment only if you can get into it very quickly (e.g., home gym right after session). If there’s a long delay, use a short PSR-style detachment first.
7. Why Most Players Skip This (and Why You Won’t)
Roe points out:
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Because PSR happens after the “main work” (the session), many players:
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Skip it.
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Consider it optional or unnecessary.
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But for an A-Game Player:
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The Post-Session Routine is as important as the Pre-Session Protocol.
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It protects:
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Your emotional state.
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Your long-term energy.
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Your ability to show up fresh and focused next time.
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The PSR:
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Closes emotional and cognitive loops.
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Smoothly transitions you into Recovery Phase.
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Prevents poker from invading the rest of your life and sleep.
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Sets up a clean slate for your next Preparation and Performance phases.
8. A-Game Exercise: Implement P.S.R.
Roe gives a practical assignment:
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Don’t stack habits too quickly:
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First implement the Pre-Session Protocol and the A-Game Audit.
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Then add the PSR.
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Once ready:
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Commit to doing a proper PSR for three sessions.
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Write your Review answers and notes in a notebook or digital document.
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After three uses:
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Reflect on how it affected:
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Your mental state after sessions.
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Your ability to switch off.
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Your focus and performance in the next sessions.
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