Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

I've played for about 13 months, and even though my winrate hasn't been fantastic I've consistently been winning. I played my first year almost only at Prima, starting out at 10NL and making my way up to 50NL and almost 5k hands @ 100NL. Then they capped the rakeback and I switched to Crypto, starting out at $100NL and £50NL.

I've played here for about a month now, and this month has been such a pain. I've played 93 hours, a little above 23k hands, and I have won close to nothing. I know I played bad in the beginning, a bit too aggressive when I wasn't able to handle such a playing style. It also have a feeling I took beat after beat and there was no way I could win, flopping sets against flopped straights etc etc. I'm pretty confident I should be able to beat this level and these opponents. The thing is, I'm not winning. I feel like it's bad luck mostly, but I'm starting to wonder.

The last four days I've dropped 10 buyins, and I'm really wondering whether I'm able to beat this level or not. I will try my hand at it again tomorrow, or possibly in a couple of days, but right now I'm not feeling overly confident.

I know I'm not a great player, but at least I've put in quite some effort, reading a few books, reading and posting a bit here on 2+2 and generally thought about the game, I also consider myself to be fairly intelligent. I've even been trying to workout somewhat regularly, eat decent food, and sleep somewhat normal hours just to be able to handle poker in a better way. I know I'm not the best when it comes to handling losses in poker, but I'm actually quite happy with how I've handled the last few days. I've played a bit more than usual, which could have made me play worse than I usually do.

If someone knows of any good readings about control, variance, tilt control etc it would be great. Also, it would be great if someone could just briefly comment on situations I encounter that I'm unsure about during my play, because there's been a lot of those lately. I really understand if no one wants to, but if there's any interest I'd greatly appreciate it, and I'd return the favor whenever you want.

And is there some way to see how how often I hit the flop with certain hands, because I feel like I hit like 10% or something during the last session. What about other way to measure "bad luck"?

That's all I can think of now, words of encouragement are welcome. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

You might want to take a break for a few days, or move down limits and build your confidence back up. Poker is gambling, there are going to be downswings.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

i'd recomend take a day off and play a different game or something.

i just went through something similar where i ran disgustingly gross.

just look at your play, and figure out if you think that you're a winner in the game. if so, stick it out, and eventually the cards will work themselves out. make sure that you're in the right state of mind when you play though.

if you're not confident that you're a winner, then move down or change games/site.

jeff

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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[Then they capped the rakeback and I switched to Crypto,

[/ QUOTE ]

There is your problem mate. Crypto is known as the Shark-Tank these days. This is because strong players up top have dropped down a few levels due to lack of fish, but also that experienced bonus whores from elsewhere have all swam into crypto thinking their bonus structure is a bargain. It seems like an ok RB deal and reload to many at first, until you factor in how rough and tuff it will be to get ahead there. Things aren't like the old days anymore.

You don't have to take my word for it, but I suggest going to a non bonus-whoring site. It may seem like you are getting less ROI, until you realize you got many LIVE ones at the table again.

I understand many find this hard to do. It hurts their pride and they feel that they will just stick it out and things will improve. I'm not saying you are a BAD PLAYER, it's just that when you're on a site with very hard competition, even if you are slightly better than them the rake will most likely be the only winner in the end.

God knows I went through my own mass downswings, and I've done my own bitching about it around here too in the past.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

Yooooo

battle through it homey. i've seen some of your posts in small stakes and can tell you're approaching the game in an honest and straightforward way, trying to become the best player you can be. what more can you do?

when going through a downswing, it's hard to find the difference between bad luck and bad play, but it is what you need to keep looking for. since you can do nothing about bad luck, it is actually insane to worry about it, or to let it get you off your game.

now that you're going through a big downswing, you see another aspect to the game, you see that you can be in a bunch of crappy situations you can't do much about, and have them happen in a row. now take that insight you've gained, and move on.

there are lots of things you can control even though right now it seems like things are out of control.

one thing to remember is that your style is flexible. you don't have to raise every normal (for you) raising hand when you sit down at a table. there's no time limit. you can sit down and fold a lot just watching other players to get really nice reads while you wait for the nuts. then maybe start working some more hands in and see how people react. are they aware of your image. do they change their game now that you're raising more hands. if you can see these more subtle dynamics then you have an advantage over people that aren't paying attention. maybe you're at a table where it's good to play super tight because they aren't paying attention and will pay you off with a pfraise% of 8 or whatever. or maybe the blinds are supertight and you can steal a lot.

try to find things that are going on that other people aren't aware of. look at the patterns of how people bet. are they on autopilot playing eight tables? if so then maybe they're c-betting a lot of hands they'd fold to a flop raise, or maybe you could float the flop w/ air and bet when they give up on the turn. get creative. when you start to think of how you can win the pot while still playing good fundamentals then you start to create your own luck, but really you're just playing good poker.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

http://cardplayer.com/magazine/article/16573

I think that I read this a couple weeks ago.
Might help.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

Will it comfort you to know that you can run a lot worse than breaking even for 23K? Probably not, so I'll shut up now.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

lol, anyone else think OP was talking about bleeding out of vagina?

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

I dropped 16 buy-ins at 1/2 NL (-3.2K) between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. By Sunday afternoon I felt like I had just finished a crack binge (guilty, ashamed, and desperate).

Solution: I took 2 Vicodin (to come down and even out) and fired up the tables. It helped my play tremendously. I actually managed to finish slightly up for the weekend on the basis of Sunday nights success (and success on Saturday before the tilt started).

Lucky

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

Thanks y'all for your support.

I think I'm gonna take a ~3 day break and concentrate on school work, maybe install some fun computer game to kill some time with, and watch some movies. I'm just gonna clear a bonus on crypto, about 300 MPPs left, and then I'm cashing out from there. I think I'll try Full Tilt next. How's the competition there?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[Then they capped the rakeback and I switched to Crypto,

[/ QUOTE ]

There is your problem mate. Crypto is known as the Shark-Tank these days. This is because strong players up top have dropped down a few levels due to lack of fish, but also that experienced bonus whores from elsewhere have all swam into crypto thinking their bonus structure is a bargain. It seems like an ok RB deal and reload to many at first, until you factor in how rough and tuff it will be to get ahead there. Things aren't like the old days anymore.

You don't have to take my word for it, but I suggest going to a non bonus-whoring site. It may seem like you are getting less ROI, until you realize you got many LIVE ones at the table again.

I understand many find this hard to do. It hurts their pride and they feel that they will just stick it out and things will improve. I'm not saying you are a BAD PLAYER, it's just that when you're on a site with very hard competition, even if you are slightly better than them the rake will most likely be the only winner in the end.

God knows I went through my own mass downswings, and I've done my own bitching about it around here too in the past.

[/ QUOTE ]
That was one of the first things that stroke me when I started playing at crypto... the competition was tougher. I came from Prima and believed this was one of the tighter sites, at least that's what everyone keeps telling me, but it's nothing compared to crypto.

Thanks for your kind words J. Stew. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] And as you say it's really difficult to see the difference between bad luck and bad play. Like this one hand, I had AJs, flop was Axx, then on a 4 turn villain raised me for the third time in a short while, all money went in, and the dude had A4. I almost laughed as I dropped my last couple of buyins, it felt soooo ridiculous.

Thx for the article mordecaibrown, nice read.

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Will it comfort you to know that you can run a lot worse than breaking even for 23K? Probably not, so I'll shut up now.

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Hehe, yeah I know it could've been worse, and that is actually a bit comforting. At least I didn't put my entire roll on the table and lost it like Matt Damon lol. Hmm... perhaps I should watch Rounders for some insperation. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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lol, anyone else think OP was talking about bleeding out of vagina?

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Lol, that certainly wasn't the meaning [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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I dropped 16 buy-ins at 1/2 NL (-3.2K) between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. By Sunday afternoon I felt like I had just finished a crack binge (guilty, ashamed, and desperate).

Solution: I took 2 Vicodin (to come down and even out) and fired up the tables. It helped my play tremendously. I actually managed to finish slightly up for the weekend on the basis of Sunday nights success (and success on Saturday before the tilt started).

Lucky

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Ouch, that's a tough downswing. Glad you managed to win some of it back. Haven't got any of those miracle pills here in Sweden unfortunately, perhaps I should import some, hehe. Sounds a bit dangerous though (from wikipedia): "Vicodin is particularly addictive both physical and psychologically. Addiction to Vicodin is similar to other powerful addictions; cravings for the drug take hold of a person and may even supersede a person's need for food or water."

Lol, ended up writing a long ass reply. Well, it's probably good for my confidence etc etc [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

23k hands is nothing

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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23k hands is nothing

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Suppose I have to learn to handle these downswings better. I'm glad to hear that it can happen, because I didn't feel to confident in the end of those 23k hands.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

Glad to read... I just went through 45K hands and down $120. Still trying to decide if it is worth it. Heart breaking to see $2500 in rake paid you have lost $120.

I am really thinking a few month break may be good (god damn Supernova has me stuck though [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

[ QUOTE ]
Glad to read... I just went through 45K hands and down $120. Still trying to decide if it is worth it. Heart breaking to see $2500 in rake paid you have lost $120.

I am really thinking a few month break may be good (god damn Supernova has me stuck though [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow, that's rough man, I feel you. I wonder what's worse, to play a ton of hands and lose big, or play a ton of hands and be down some ridiculous amount which makes the whole thing feel even worse. Which site are you playing at?

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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[ QUOTE ]
Glad to read... I just went through 45K hands and down $120. Still trying to decide if it is worth it. Heart breaking to see $2500 in rake paid you have lost $120.

I am really thinking a few month break may be good (god damn Supernova has me stuck though [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow, that's rough man, I feel you. I wonder what's worse, to play a ton of hands and lose big, or play a ton of hands and be down some ridiculous amount which makes the whole thing feel even worse. Which site are you playing at?

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Playing mostly at Stars and a tiny bit at Fulltilt. Absolutely nothing is going right, right now (cash, tournies, FPP sats to Sunday Million), but I won't bore you with details. Probably the worst run in 5 years online.

Anyhow, part of me wants to withdraw all my money to "teach them a lesson" [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I know this isn't an intelligent point of view, but it is what I am thinking now.

I think at this point I feel I am wasting my time more than anything. I am at a loss of how I will proceed.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

[ QUOTE ]
Ouch, that's a tough downswing. Glad you managed to win some of it back. Haven't got any of those miracle pills here in Sweden unfortunately, perhaps I should import some, hehe. Sounds a bit dangerous though (from wikipedia): "Vicodin is particularly addictive both physical and psychologically. Addiction to Vicodin is similar to other powerful addictions; cravings for the drug take hold of a person and may even supersede a person's need for food or water."

[/ QUOTE ]

Vicodin is addictive and I'm not advocating taking it on a regular basis for reasons other than for which it was perscribed. That said, bad tilt is a serious, and infrequent, problem. The pills helped me with this problem a lot by allowing me to calm down and focus on playing rather than my losses.

Lucky

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

[ QUOTE ]
Playing mostly at Stars and a tiny bit at Fulltilt. Absolutely nothing is going right, right now (cash, tournies, FPP sats to Sunday Million), but I won't bore you with details. Probably the worst run in 5 years online.

Anyhow, part of me wants to withdraw all my money to "teach them a lesson" [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I know this isn't an intelligent point of view, but it is what I am thinking now.

I think at this point I feel I am wasting my time more than anything. I am at a loss of how I will proceed.

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Wow, sounds like hell.

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Vicodin is addictive and I'm not advocating taking it on a regular basis for reasons other than for which it was perscribed. That said, bad tilt is a serious, and infrequent, problem. The pills helped me with this problem a lot by allowing me to calm down and focus on playing rather than my losses.

Lucky

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If I ever start playing really high limits, I might buy some sort of calming medicine. Might be helpful.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

With regard to th 23k hands is nothing.

This may be true, but you need 5k before 15k before 50k etc.

I know the win rates stabilise, but i think low k numbers have some relevance (though not as much as most people think at this stage of their poker career)

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

I`m on a 10buy in downswing myself right now. Punched the kitchen wall this morning when a maniac rivered quads (53o) against my Aces full of fives. Cards run totaly ridiculous sometimes, add some tilt to that and you get a nice downswing.

My hand hurts like [censored], just glad I don`t have pets in my house. Would have tortured and killed them allready.

Btw, these downswings always happens when your jumping a level, or just about to jump a level. Or is it just me ?

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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With regard to th 23k hands is nothing.

This may be true, but you need 5k before 15k before 50k etc.

I know the win rates stabilise, but i think low k numbers have some relevance (though not as much as most people think at this stage of their poker career)

[/ QUOTE ]
Another thing that makes me feel nervous about my winrate is that I suddenly stopped winning as I switched to a new site. I probably wouldn't have taken it as hard if it was at a limit and site I had been beating for a long time, but as I'm relatively new to 100NL, and completely new to the crypto network I'm afraid I can't beat these games. =/

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I`m on a 10buy in downswing myself right now. Punched the kitchen wall this morning when a maniac rivered quads (53o) against my Aces full of fives. Cards run totaly ridiculous sometimes, add some tilt to that and you get a nice downswing.

My hand hurts like [censored], just glad I don`t have pets in my house. Would have tortured and killed them allready.

Btw, these downswings always happens when your jumping a level, or just about to jump a level. Or is it just me ?

[/ QUOTE ]
I feel you, and that's one hell of a brutal beat. I haven't changed levels that many times, so I'm not really sure, and the times I have switched I dropped down as soon as I lost a few buyins and then won it back on a lower level and gave it another stab. But I probably play a bit worse when I switch sites or levels, because I start playing differently, often more aggressive because I feel like everyone's trying to pick on me.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

Do you play full ring or six max at Crypto?
So I have the same same problem but opposite. I played mainly on Crypto NL 100 and 200 full ring. I left at the begining of the month mainly because the 1/2 games rarely go. I have done very well at the riduculous tight games.
I moved over to IPN and the games are way looser and worse players. But after 8000 hands I am down 5 buy ins.
Variance sucks. At least I hope its variance.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

If you really hunt on the Cryptos and play at peak time there are still those 45/10/1 types that make it worthwhile as high as the 20/40 pound. (I play limit mostly). FWIW I am on a 50k breakeven and hating life in general. I am seriously beginning to doubt it's variance and that I just suck. Maybe I should get a coach??!!

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

Since Oct last year I had quads cracked 4 seperate times, and a straight-flush once. So if anyone has it worse than that, let me know. I just never made that much a BFD because the first few times I was sort of wanting that to happen almost. Like, see... I had quads broken. (Ok, I'll admit yes I was upset those times, but not as much as most people I think would). Another factor is that I do a lot of Omaha & stud, so it's quite easier than say, in HOld'em to lose with quads.

But what really hurts, is I never was able to get the BBJ because either I wasn't using BOTH hole cards, or my opponent wasn't. Or we didn't mean the minimum jacks-or-better, etc. There is always something in those rules to screw you over isn't there!?

Now after factoring all that in, what really gets me is the smaller hands.. rolled up hands getting busted by donkeys chasing inside straights to the river when they had no business in the pot in the first place. Having that happen all day to the same donk who has had your number all week, gets my blood going a little. I am still working on not going on tilt in that dept. Getting there, but not 100% tilt free yet.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

[ QUOTE ]
Do you play full ring or six max at Crypto?
So I have the same same problem but opposite. I played mainly on Crypto NL 100 and 200 full ring. I left at the begining of the month mainly because the 1/2 games rarely go. I have done very well at the riduculous tight games.
I moved over to IPN and the games are way looser and worse players. But after 8000 hands I am down 5 buy ins.
Variance sucks. At least I hope its variance.

[/ QUOTE ]
6max, mainly on the $100NL and £50NL tables. What's IPN? IPoker Network?

[ QUOTE ]
If you really hunt on the Cryptos and play at peak time there are still those 45/10/1 types that make it worthwhile as high as the 20/40 pound. (I play limit mostly). FWIW I am on a 50k breakeven and hating life in general. I am seriously beginning to doubt it's variance and that I just suck. Maybe I should get a coach??!!

[/ QUOTE ]
I've heard that you can more easily have long break even stretches in fixed limit compared to no limit, but 50k still sounds really brutal. That's one of the reason I'm not playing fixed limit. Some of the NL games, especially the £ tables, have some really bad players sometimes, which makes me feel even worse when I'm not making money from them. I know I've had some tough luck, but I'm also starting to doubt my play.

[ QUOTE ]

Now after factoring all that in, what really gets me is the smaller hands.. rolled up hands getting busted by donkeys chasing inside straights to the river when they had no business in the pot in the first place. Having that happen all day to the same donk who has had your number all week, gets my blood going a little. I am still working on not going on tilt in that dept. Getting there, but not 100% tilt free yet.

[/ QUOTE ]
The same has been happening to me, if I have TPTK, the donk makes two pair, no doubt, and against my sets it's freakin faith that they'll make their straight or flush or why not a better set? The miracle cards will come. Every time it happens I think about the day when my bad luck will stop.

Sucks that you never got the BBJ. Isn't the rake higher on those tables? Is it worth playing there in the long run?

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

When I played at Prima, I had to play at a higher rake table just to get a chance for the BBJ. Other sites, Titan didn't have that, and any table was eligible. I don't know if Titan still has a BBJ but I dont think it was that large. Speaking of crypto, they also have a small BBJ. No extra rake there either, but as I said, I never could meet their 100 & 1 specific requirements. Though I do remember watching some guy win the BBJ at a low stakes table. I think the jackpot had been hit just recently and combined with the low stakes (you get paid more for higher) he didn't win much. In fact, I think his BBJ didn't even pay for the huge pot he lost in the hand LOL!

I've seen stranger stuff in my life. A guy got a royal flush twice in just 3 consecutive hands over at Pacific when I was playing there, or it might have even been Back to Back hands IIRC.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

Yeah, I remember that the BBJ requirements at Prima were ridiculous. In combination with the higher rake it makes no sense to play at those Prima tables.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

As the poker boom subsides a bit and the US ban on internet poker takes effect, many many players who were either running better than long term expectation or who were marginal winners against softer opposition are now losers. It's been pointed out before that players who start out running good are more likely to go pro -- even if they are ultimately only marginal winners or losers. It may well be that you are not a winning player, or only marginally a winner, either because games have changed or because you were running good before.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

I also play at Crypto and have gone exactly through the same thing. You just need to keep playing, it will come a moment where you will be making money as easy as you lose it now.

Of course you need to make a good game selection there are a LOT of games from the lower levels who are very dry.

Also, unless you have a very effective LAG style I.m afraid your winrate is never going to be very high, so you should get used to the breakeven periods. Although with the good bonus at Crypto plus good RB shouldn.t be that bad.

dardo.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

I find jacking off really helps me when I'm getting stressed

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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I find jacking off really helps me when I'm getting stressed

[/ QUOTE ]

Possibly the most honest post I've ever seen.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

[ QUOTE ]
As the poker boom subsides a bit and the US ban on internet poker takes effect, many many players who were either running better than long term expectation or who were marginal winners against softer opposition are now losers. It's been pointed out before that players who start out running good are more likely to go pro -- even if they are ultimately only marginal winners or losers. It may well be that you are not a winning player, or only marginally a winner, either because games have changed or because you were running good before.

[/ QUOTE ]
This may be the case. Although poker is an interesting game, I play it only for the money. If I knew it was impossible for me to ever make more than, say $8/hour, I would obviously quite and never play again, because I could make much more money in other ways. I believe/hope that if I put down enough time and thought into the game I will be able to made decent money.

Does anyone know how much the online poker traffic has decreased since the peak? Must be some nice diagram someplace.

[ QUOTE ]

I also play at Crypto and have gone exactly through the same thing. You just need to keep playing, it will come a moment where you will be making money as easy as you lose it now.

Of course you need to make a good game selection there are a LOT of games from the lower levels who are very dry.

Also, unless you have a very effective LAG style I.m afraid your winrate is never going to be very high, so you should get used to the breakeven periods. Although with the good bonus at Crypto plus good RB shouldn.t be that bad.

dardo.

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Thanks for giving me some hope [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. The games are very dry, so I'm just gonna clear a bonus and then I'm out of there. Maybe I'll play a little now and then, but I'd rather play at a softer site.

What I find problematic with playing a LAG style is when there's 3 or 4 tight players at the table, and 1 or 2 callingstations. It's hard to play aggressively against the tight players, because the callingstations calls so often so cbetting loses value. I suppose I should just wait for a decent hand and let the callinstations pay me.

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I find jacking off really helps me when I'm getting stressed

[/ QUOTE ]

Possibly the most honest post I've ever seen.

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He's only got 2 posts, can't be trusted lol! Tbh I'm not in the jacking off mood after running bad at poker.


I've taken a break for three days now, so I'll take another stab later today. Omg let the cards be with me plz!!

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I find jacking off really helps me when I'm getting stressed

[/ QUOTE ]

Possibly the most honest post I've ever seen.

[/ QUOTE ]

What a small world! I just did that 20 minutes ago.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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What I find problematic with playing a LAG style is when there's 3 or 4 tight players at the table, and 1 or 2 callingstations. It's hard to play aggressively against the tight players, because the callingstations calls so often so cbetting loses value. I suppose I should just wait for a decent hand and let the callinstations pay me.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not easy to play a good LAG game, also variance increases which needs a lot more confidence in your game to endure it.

If you have calling stations on your left you can't play loose (maybe just a little) so best is to be to the left of the loose player so you can steal more blinds and put more pressure on the tight players.

I guess some of the most important things about poker is to know what you CAN'T do. Bluff calling stations or win big pots from weaktights, for example.

Good luck with your next session. But be aware that variance can be very wide if your edge is small.

dardo.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

dardo, thanks mate! Played a couple of hours and broke even. Just a few hours worth of MPPs left to clear, then I'm off to Full Tilt!

How's the competition there?

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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dardo, thanks mate! Played a couple of hours and broke even. Just a few hours worth of MPPs left to clear, then I'm off to Full Tilt!

How's the competition there?

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Uhh ... don't think that's a good idea. I don't play there so I can't tell you for sure, but most of the SSNL from 2+2 plays there and at Stars, so ...

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yooooo

battle through it homey. i've seen some of your posts in small stakes and can tell you're approaching the game in an honest and straightforward way, trying to become the best player you can be. what more can you do?

when going through a downswing, it's hard to find the difference between bad luck and bad play, but it is what you need to keep looking for. since you can do nothing about bad luck, it is actually insane to worry about it, or to let it get you off your game.

now that you're going through a big downswing, you see another aspect to the game, you see that you can be in a bunch of crappy situations you can't do much about, and have them happen in a row. now take that insight you've gained, and move on.

there are lots of things you can control even though right now it seems like things are out of control.

one thing to remember is that your style is flexible. you don't have to raise every normal (for you) raising hand when you sit down at a table. there's no time limit. you can sit down and fold a lot just watching other players to get really nice reads while you wait for the nuts. then maybe start working some more hands in and see how people react. are they aware of your image. do they change their game now that you're raising more hands. if you can see these more subtle dynamics then you have an advantage over people that aren't paying attention. maybe you're at a table where it's good to play super tight because they aren't paying attention and will pay you off with a pfraise% of 8 or whatever. or maybe the blinds are supertight and you can steal a lot.

try to find things that are going on that other people aren't aware of. look at the patterns of how people bet. are they on autopilot playing eight tables? if so then maybe they're c-betting a lot of hands they'd fold to a flop raise, or maybe you could float the flop w/ air and bet when they give up on the turn. get creative. when you start to think of how you can win the pot while still playing good fundamentals then you start to create your own luck, but really you're just playing good poker.

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This is the best post i've ever read that started out with "Yoooo" and "...homey"
Props to J.Strew

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

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dardo, thanks mate! Played a couple of hours and broke even. Just a few hours worth of MPPs left to clear, then I'm off to Full Tilt!

How's the competition there?

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Uhh ... don't think that's a good idea. I don't play there so I can't tell you for sure, but most of the SSNL from 2+2 plays there and at Stars, so ...

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I was a bit worried about that. I suppose I can give it a try and clear the deposit bonus and see what I think after that, or I could to it a later time, because I wouldn't say no to another site where I could win some.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

OtZman and others, i just want you to know, i feel your pain. I too have recently experienced my worst downswing ever. Here's a graph that will hopefully make you feel better.

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/6827/ahhau0.jpg

This was at mostly 100NL, w/ some 200NL and some 50NL. I know how it feels always run into AA when you have KK, and never get action on your big hands. When you do, you get sucked out on. The important thing is to play well and everything will even out eventually. This is nearing a 40k breakeven stretch, and out of about 400k total hands, I had one other 30k break even stretch 5 months or so ago.

Having stretches like this make it seem crazy to be a live pro. A 40k hand break even stretch would be like what - a year or two?

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support plea
 

Thanks for the encouragement mooney, I'll try to hang in there [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I had the same thoughts earlier today. How long would it take for a live player to go through that many hands? If it takes 2 minutes per hand on average, and a pro plays 8 hours a day on average, including weekends, it would take ~166 days, or almost half a year.

Maybe my hands/hour estimations are a bit too optimistic, and I'm not sure if a pro plays as much as 56 hours a week.

Re: Having the worst period since I started playing, some support please
 

23k hands is hardly anything. I've had two 50k break even stretchs and know players who have had longer.