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from wnner to total loser (very long)
Hey ya'll,
Just to give some context, I've been a fairly regular contributor at FCP for a few years, and although I've lurked on 2P2 for a while, I only recently made an account and starting posting. I am 21 yrs old and an incoming senior at an Ivy Leagure University. I've bee playing poker since I was about 10 yrs old (7 stud, 5 card draw, follow the queen, anaconda, your typical crazy wild cards mixed games)and got sucked into the holdem craze like everyone else in 2004. I started playing stt's with my buddies after school for $5-$20, where my results were decent, but more importantly I was having an absolute blast playing. That summer was the summer before shipping off to college, so my parents let me bum it. I got 150 bucks to Party Poker and spent that summer smoking herb, playing stt's with my friends, and $10-$30 sng's on party. I grinded my PP account up to 750 bucks, cashed out 500, and busted the account soon before going to school. I didn't play online at all for the first semester, only in small cash games ($10 bi) where I can't tell you I remember my results, I'm sure they were ok. One of my roommates, who was also big into nlhe, got some money onto pstars, ran it up, and shipped me 50 bucks before going away on winter break. I decided to start grinding .05/.1 cash games, and by the end of the year had about 500 in my account. That summer I worked as a sailing instructor and kept grinding micro stakes on stars (.1/.25) until August, when an FCP poster alerted us about a free $10 giveaway on powerplayer, a pokerroom skin. I began playing .05/.1 plhe, got fairly lucky, and got it up to 100 before moving to .1/.25plhe, where I found the games much easier than similar limits on stars. I played powerplayer for most of sophomore year, and by the time i left school I had grinded the account up to around 4k. At this point, I found out that powerplayer had solvency issues, and began trying to get my money out (which wasn't easy). I eventually got it, and shipped 2k to party and 2k to bodog. I quickly took a liking to bodog, started at .25/.5nl. I killed it there, and moved up to .5/1nl where I also killed it, and moved up to 1/2nl, where i grinded it up to around 20k by the end of the summer, and started making cashouts. (my br management was super conservative, as I only moved up limits when I had 50 bi's) I moved up to 2/4nl where I was making more money than I could believe, kept shipping money to my bank account while keeping my account steady between 10k-15k, and by the second or third week back at school, had moved up to 3/6nl. I ran sick hot there for about 6 weeks, cashing out no less than 5k/week while keeping my account fairly steady around 15k. I hit a little skid between fall break and TG, moving briefly back down to 2/4nl but worked through it. By December I was playing the 5/10nl games and killing them, as I couldn't believe how soft they were. I probably cashed out 30k between december and the middle of january, although 5k of that I am only receiving now (neteller fiasco). Things turned sour in the middle of january, as everything I had been doing stopped working. Over the next 3 weeks, before intercession break, i went from 30k to less than 20k in my account, which was my biggest downswing. I went to PR for a week, played no poker, came back and droped down to 3/6nl, where I lost about 4k, dropped down to 2/4nl, and lost another 4k, leaving my roll at around 10k. i took a few days off. Startin grinding 400nl again and did ok, moved back up to 3/6nl, did pretty well, and soon I was sitting with over 20k in my account. For March, April, and May, this is how my poker "career" went. i would grind it out all week, make a good profit (4-8k) then come home drunk Saturday night and stupidly donk it off. Rinse, wash, repeat until the end of school, sporadically sending my self 3k via WU thus diminishing my roll. When I left school, i had about 12k of bankroll, and actually ran pretty well at 2/3nl-3/6nl, cashing out about 9k, while still having 18k in my account. Then, on a Saturday night, as I swore i wouldn't do, i came home drunk and donked/tilted off 6k. Dropped down limits, lost another 2k, before rallying back up to around 15k. To this point, at had run good at times, and very bad at times, but at least some of my struggles I could defnitely attribute to stupidity. However, 3 weeks ago, things just went completely sour. I couldn't win at 3/6nl, dropped down, couldn't win at 2/4nl or 2/3nl, dropped down, couldn't win at 1/2nl, dropped down, at which point my roll was at 3300. When I say "couldn't win" I honestly mean that whatever I did was an utter failure. I lost every all in, a lot of the time getting my money in good. Maybe I'm just being delusional, but I really think I played fine, but this was over 40k hands. I finally started to rally at 1/2nl about a week ago, getting my account up to 7k, until last night happened. i started out playing 1/2nl, and quickly doubled up on one table, and nearly doubled up on another. (i don't really remember the hands, but I got it in good) Then these 2 hands occured. First one, I got it all in pf JJ vs AK vs a half stack and lost. This I would normally completely shrug off, but for some reason it just tilted me to holy hell. I've just been running so bad in races, and this one just really got to me. Then, on a different table, i 3-bet pf with AK in position and got 4-bet, called. Flop was KTxo, 4-better led out 65, i shoved, he called with AJ, turn Q, game over. This obv tilted me even more, even though I was actualy about even for the session. I stopped playing and watched the end of the Mets game (which tilted me even more). I then went upstairs, and decided to play for an hour and go to bed (I have to be at work at 8:30) i decided to 3-table 2/3nl 6max. These 2 hands set me off. First, lagtard raises pf, I 3 bet with AK, flop is KJ8o. check, check. Turn blank. He bets pot, i call. River 8, he bets pot, i call, he turn over J8. I cuss a lot. A minute later, same table, different lagtard raises pf on the button, I call , flop comes AKx, 1 diamond, he bets pot, I call. Turn low diamond. Check, check. River low diamond, I check, he pots, i call, he turns over Kd3d. This is where it gets f.ucked up. I was so pissed, that rather than punching my computer or a wall (as i had done in the past) I made a fist, pulled it back, and clocked myself in the temple. hard. it hurt, made me woozy, i was in shock Who Does That? I consider myself a smart kid, and that was just the stupidest thing I've ever done. However, rather than quitting and going to bed, I proceeded to spew for the next 2 hours, dropping a grand and not getting to bed till 5. i now sit at work with a horrid headache, I feel like absolute ass, and have no confidnece in my poker game or my self control. I turned 50 bucks (and 10 free bucks) into around 80k, which now sits safely in my bank account, and then became a losing poker player, seemingly self hating degenerate. I guess the reason I posted this was mostly just to vent, put my poker career in perspective, and hopefully get some sort of advice. i still have 5600 in my account, plenty to grind 1/2nl and I know if I run decent i can be back to playing 2/4nl and 3/6nl in no time, I still have 80k in my bank account (a lot for a punk kid like me) I have no expenses (my parents rule and are paying for my college) and I have a good job at an HNW wealth management firm. yet losing 1 pot caused me to clock myself in the head. I dunno, I guess I'm just super frustrated/going crazy. My lack of weed right now isn't helping either. I appologize for the insane length of this post, hopefully someone got through it. -erac |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
cliff notes:
I started with nothing, built it to a lot, most of which is now in my bank account. Now I can't win anymore, and i got so pissed I punched myself in the domepiece. btw, I paid my taxes fyi. |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
4K-400nl and you said you have proper BR management...
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
I think you misread, i didn't start playing 400nl until i had 20k of bankroll, conservative by any standards.
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
Dude you live in NJ take a break from the internet. Take a few grand and go stomp the 2/5 NL games in AC you'll find it a lot easier than beating online.
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
[ QUOTE ]
Dude you live in NJ take a break from the internet. Take a few grand and go stomp the 2/5 NL games in AC you'll find it a lot easier than beating online. [/ QUOTE ] yeah, i tried this about a month ago. Brought a few thousand to the Trop and played 2/5nl. Ran QQ into AA, lost the min, got it all in KK vs 107 on 10 high flop, got runnered for a flush, got it all in with Q9 on a 997 flop vs KK, turn K, and lost an all in 444 to 999 on a 954 flop. I didn't punch myself in the face though, so at least i had that going for me... Once my internship ends I plan on giving it a go again, hopefully with better results. |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
You need a break. I've never actually punched myself in the head before, but I've come close to impulsive self-destruction while tilting and it's a scary feeling, especially in retrospect. Take a good break and come back with a clear resolve to control tilt and crush the games.
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
wanna get high?
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
[ QUOTE ]
wanna get high? [/ QUOTE ] ZOMG YESSS!!! |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
wat school do u go to and which investment bank is your internship/job at?
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
I go to Princeton, I don't work at an I-bank, I work at a HNW Wealth Management Firm called Glenmede Trust, base in Philadelphia but I'm in the Morristown office.
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
come to holland, get high all day. Legally. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] . Bad for ur health tho..
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Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
Erac, I play with you at the $200 tables on bodog. You are a good player but you TILT super easy. Even from your original post I'm sure that most people can observe this.
It sounds like you ran hot for a few months and now you can't handle the pressure of a downswing. The positive you can take from this is that your BR management seems pretty solid and you are dropping down in levels before you go bust. The other problem for you is that the games are a lot tougher on Bodog than they were during your hot streak. I don't really know what to tell you. It seems like you might want to consider taking more time away from poker to refocus and relax. Honestly, your game is all over the place right now and berating players at the table is just plain annoying. |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
Sounds like ure a good player whos had good runs, and is now getting bad runs.... That is poker...
Hitting ureself in the head is nothing, much better than breaking the pc/wall/window... Ure a winning player so just be patient and let the money come. |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
I don`t like giving credit to guys in their 20`s ( reasons are somewhat obvious so I`m gonna skip explaining that part) but in this case I must make an exception.
I must say I`m impressed in the way you managed your bankroll. Fact is that there are many young and spoiled wannabe poker players that run good for a while but eventually the balance is restored and they go broke because of a bad play/BR management. On the other hand, there are many talented young online players, lets call them "naturals", and I think you are one of them. I think you`ve done everything right, grinding from scratch and even being disciplined enough to move up a level only when you hit a 50bi mark. I don`t know any person at your age that can do this. You also had a discipline to drop down stakes many times. All in all I think you have what it takes to be a winning poker player, no doubt about that. Then the alcohol came, coupled with a down swing. All I can say about this is... if you are planing to continue playing poker seriously quit alcohol... it`s that simple. I know that you mean it when you are sober and say I`m not gonna play later when I`m waisted but it doesn`t work that way. Drink and party when you are on a vacation or when you don`t have an access to internet. Any other time.. DO NOT drink alcohol. About the weed... I dunno what to say about it.. as long as you don`t overdo it you`ll be fine I guess. Downswings happen. It`s part of poker. If this is your first longish downswing it`s a good test for you on how you can handle it. It`s essentially an Ego test. You need to learn to lose it when you play poker. Bankroll and Tilt management are of a paramount importance in poker. So far you have the BR part down. Most important, right now you need a break from poker. Go on a vacation for couple of weeks, chill, get your battery reloaded. I think you`ll be ok. [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
[ QUOTE ]
I don`t like giving credit to guys in their 20`s ( reasons are somewhat obvious so I`m gonna skip explaining that part) but in this case I must make an exception. I must say I`m impressed in the way you managed your bankroll. Fact is that there are many young and spoiled wannabe poker players that run good for a while but eventually the balance is restored and they go broke because of a bad play/BR management. On the other hand, there are many talented young online players, lets call them "naturals", and I think you are one of them. I think you`ve done everything right, grinding from scratch and even being disciplined enough to move up a level only when you hit a 50bi mark. I don`t know any person at your age that can do this. You also had a discipline to drop down stakes many times. All in all I think you have what it takes to be a winning poker player, no doubt about that. Then the alcohol came, coupled with a down swing. All I can say about this is... if you are planing to continue playing poker seriously quit alcohol... it`s that simple. I know that you mean it when you are sober and say I`m not gonna play later when I`m waisted but it doesn`t work that way. Drink and party when you are on a vacation or when you don`t have an access to internet. Any other time.. DO NOT drink alcohol. About the weed... I dunno what to say about it.. as long as you don`t overdo it you`ll be fine I guess. Downswings happen. It`s part of poker. If this is your first longish downswing it`s a good test for you on how you can handle it. It`s essentially an Ego test. You need to learn to lose it when you play poker. Bankroll and Tilt management are of a paramount importance in poker. So far you have the BR part down. Most important, right now you need a break from poker. Go on a vacation for couple of weeks, chill, get your battery reloaded. I think you`ll be ok. [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] Thank you for the kind words, I greatly appreciate it. I hope you're right about me "being a natural," I guess we'll see. I keep telling myself if I can get through this I can get through anything, hopefully it pans out. Your advice is spot on, and hopefully I have the self control to heed it. |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
Flip-Flop said it well.
One thing to add - just take a god damn break. Downswings are painful, and you are on borderline tilt semi-permanently which means you will almost always spew money. Take a solid week off. I did this a while ago - got a friend of mine (obv someone I trust not to steal my money) to change my username and told him no matter what, don't tell me for 7 days. I went out and tried pretty hard to forget about poker for a week and came back playing less tables and worked my roll and limits back up gradually along with working my confidence back up gradually. |
Re: from wnner to total loser (very long)
i just wanna say i played with you for almost year and im amazed it took this long
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