Negative streak - advices?
 

I have lost about 20% of my bankroll over the last 10 days.
I have reviewed most of the key hands in PT - doesn't really seem i messed them up that bad.
It started with a few horrible beats, then i was card dead, then misplayed a few hands...you know the drill.Then, i get frustrated and spew another pot or 2 and finish the session
.

I took a break for 3 days, came back today, before you know it, i am down another 500$,making it -2000$ overall.

No need to say, that my confidence in my poker abilities is really down.I can't find my A game.
I started in microlimits and turned 1$ into 10k.Gradually over 6 months or so.
So, i must be not that bad.
I've recently moved to 1/2NL,when i had about 7.5k, adjusted quite fast, went up to 10k and then this happened.

I thought a break would clear my head, but i went back to the same problems.
I was planning to move back to 0.5/1 Nl if i hit 7k, but perhaps i should just move back now and rebuild a little?
The problem is - i wouldn't have the same focus anymore, pots will seem smaller then usual and i might slip even further bankroll wise.

I am constantly reading books and forums, trying to improve my game, but it seems lately i can't hit anything and if i do, i am second best.Flush over flush, boat over boat...
Even straights are overpowered by higher straights.
I don't play 3holed connectors, but if i am in BB with 57 and the board is 468T - the opponent has 79.I can't fold it, i have to pay him off.Good thing, i didn't reraise in that particular example...
That is really making me see monsters under my bad and i am losing a lot of value with my good not nut hands.

Should i take longer break?
Move down?
Just continue playing , since it's probably mostly variance?
Read psychology books,may-be?
I have POP and Zen and the art of poker, but i haven't read them yet...Read "Inside the poker mind", though.

This is the biggest negative streak i've ever experienced - 10 full buy-ins, so i am quite lost.
I don't even tilt anymore, just some strange apathy, since i am confused.Things were going so well - i was really thinking i could make it as a pro.Not neccessarily the WSOP champion, but making steady living at 1/2 NL.

Good thing i didn't quit my job:)

Anyway, advices are welcomed.

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

"That is really making me see monsters under my bad and i am losing a lot of value with my good not nut hands."

To me this is the key sentence that makes me think that you need a break. Take a week break. Re-read some poker material. Play some 0.01/0.02 NL maybe when you get back just to chill and see if the beats still bother you and then slowly move back up.

Do not take shots at higher levels no matter what (I did this and got burnt, 3 days of hard work down the drain). Meditation and Yoga every day has really really helped me, nothwithstaning my "shot" at higher stakes.

When you go into a game with the state of mind of "I'm going to destroy my opposition" instead of "I hope I don't get sucked out on again" you will start extracting value from even your top pair hands against your donkish opponents and start making money. I did this for the first time playing Live 6/12 limit and I dont think it was a coincidence that I ended up just over 50 BB in 4 hours.

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

You are not alone.

Unfortunately, negative streaks affect all of us at one time.

I went the first three months of the year with only one winning session and felt like it was the end of the world. I only lost half my bankroll, but the losing just wore me down to the point that thinking about poker made me sick.

So I walked away and tried not thinking about poker at all. That didn't work so well, so I instead decided to try writing down everything that was going on in my mind and was surprised to find that it wasn't the bad beats that had been clogging my mind, but all of the theory and concepts that I had been trying to learn.

Once I got it all down on paper, my mind cleared up and poker became a game again. After watching a few episodes of High Stakes Poker [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img], I found myself wanting to play again and have since gotten back in the saddle with a more positive view and better understanding of the game.

Poker is one LONG session. There are no rules that require you to play every day and there is no penalty for taking time off.

Good luck!

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

play better, play more if 10 buyins is the worst streak youve faced

ive read your posts before, soooo play better

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

I feel you.

Before tonight I was down 5 buy-ins for the month (over 20,000 hands). Confidence was definately taking a hit. Bad beats were coming over and over like waves. I also donated a stack due to tilt for the first time ever.

Most people say take time off. This is never my approach when I am in a downswing. I don't like the feeling of being a bad rut, so I usually play more hours until I start running at least decently. Stop the bleeding as they say.

However, I have played 500,000+ hands NL cash and have strong faith in my overall winrate. I know I definately play well enough to win in the long term. It helps when you really believe this.

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

I am in a similar situation except I havent had a winning day in 2 weeks and have lost about 1/3 of my active bankroll. I have played about 10,000 $215 sngs and everything has been fine up until 2 weeks ago. I even has a nice $30,000 upswing in the $530s before this disaster struck. I have lost $20,000 of that profit, with $15,000 comming from $530s and the other $15000 ocmming mainly from $109 sngs. For those of you counting, thats a 30 buyin drop in 530s and a 50 buyin frop at 109s...80 buyins...thats redic, even for sngs. My worst downswing up until now was 50 buyins about 5 months ago. I dont think it would be so bad, but I havent had a single winning day in the past 2 weeks. I dont know what my problem is. I am reviewing my games and it seems like i am doing most everything right. I honestly dont know where to go from here. Fwiw, I have been a "pro" for the past year and am pretty sure I can handle tilt very well. In sngs, there is usually a very right play and a very wrong play...there is little middle ground to make the stupid tilty plays. So, I dont know what to do. I hate taking time off, but I have taken a day or two off in the last 2 weeks, but it hasnt helps. I also have no life, which makes it hard for me to take time off. so basically, I suck at life. Any advice?

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

The problem is that you really don't know what's the problem.
I don't think i started playing badly all of a sudden, so what's the problem then?
You seem to be having the same issue.
Is it variance?

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

I hope so...but I dont really know. I dont know many people that are still around that have dropped 80 buyins in sngs...they are all broke. Thank God for me keeping a stupidly huge bankroll. only 500 more buyins to drop before im broke. On a serious note though, I am pretty sure there is SOMETHING I am going wrong, as dropping a ton isnt normal, although it is probably a mix of running bad and playing just ok.

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

[ QUOTE ]
although it is probably a mix of running bad and playing just ok

[/ QUOTE ]

Could be.
I am also not facing the risk of ruin yet (as long as i won't do something stupid like move up and try to get even).
I am also prepared to move down and regroup, but this huge blow all of sudden is devastating.

Btw, i tryed to play some SNGs, but found it too variance dependant.
I won 2 out of the first 3 and finished second on the other, but then couldn't finish ITM like 8 times in a row.
Then i felt, like "i have to win the next one to get even", which is horribly wrong and decided to stick to cash games.

Do you keep playing or taking a break now?

Re: Negative streak - advices?
 

[ QUOTE ]
play better, play more if 10 buyins is the worst streak youve faced

ive read your posts before, soooo play better

[/ QUOTE ]

That advice sucked [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]