OT: Confidence Boost

[Mike MacIntosh]

I believe I need a confidence boost.

I built my roll from 2400 up to 6k, 5-tabling the 27s during a two month time frame (and from 600 to 2400 playing lower stakes over a 5 month period).

I moved up to the 60s last week and have been on a 20 bi down slide over 200 gms. What a cooler.

I hate being one of those players who attribute their downswings to nothing but "bad luck". Whenever I am losing, the last thing I want to say is, "I am just getting unlucky". It sounds like such BS.

Therefore I over analyze every aspect of my game imaginable. I feel unsure of SNGPT questions, that I would have laughed at a week ago. It only gets worse when I consider the "moving up" factor. I don't have any past experience that proves I am a winner at this level, so I lose a lot of confidence in myself when I am losing. Which seems very natural, and dangerous.

Maybe I need to move down and build my roll up to 6k again, work on my game, etc. Then take another shot at the 60s.

Maybe I should just take a day or two off and then come back refreshed.

However I feel like I am over it, and am ready to only focus on the decisions that take place during each hand, and ignore results.

The problem is my bankroll. I have 4800, and don't feel comfortable losing another 2k, before moving down to the 27s again. At the 27s, I was able to still enjoy myself when the cards didn't go my way. I was anxious to load up another table after my AA got cracked by KQs, because I know my opponents are playing so badly, and their mistakes are my profit.

Now I feel angry and frustrated, when a bad beat hits, I lose a race for the 3rd time in a session, and I lose 8 bi over 10 games. I doubt myself, at every given opportunity. Worst of all, I stop having fun, which is the reason why I started playing this game in the first place.

Does anyone have any similar experiences? Advice?

[alex-star]

I know how you feel. Last 3 sessions I lost were with my 99 vs someone 77, my Ak vs someones QJ, etc, etc. I just stop whenever I feel like I am just getting unlucky and restart in a few hours. I try to go ride a bike, play with my kids, have a glass of red wine, etc to distract myself.

Poker is a lot of ups and downs. But I still prefer to the life of investing in real estate or having a BS office job (like I do [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])

[RexWoo]

I never played the 60s but now every time I'm moving up, I reduce my number of tables to help me being really focuced.

Example : from 4 to 2 tables. If it works well at the new limit, then only I add tables to the next set.

[Poseido]

I would suggest playing less tables than the 5 as rex has done. I havent played full tilt, but dont they have 39s now?? Maybe give them a go. If they dont apologies.

[Mike MacIntosh]

[ QUOTE ]
I would suggest playing less tables than the 5 as rex has done. I havent played full tilt, but dont they have 39s now?? Maybe give them a go. If they dont apologies.

[/ QUOTE ]

I play on stars...

[Hercules]

hi mike,
i don`t know how many 27s you played until you earned ~4k.
But don`t forgett that you maybe just ran hot. You are obv. beating the 27s, but maybe you beat them for more than you "should have". This means you beat the 27s lets say with a 20% ROI, where your "normal skill ROI" should be like 10% or something like that.
The other thing are just normal downswings and coolers. Ok, you know that...but maybe you didn`t have a horrible day/horrible swing before. To loose 2k over 200 games is definitely not impossible. Maybe there are some leaks, but I really think its just a psycho thing. Correct me, if I`m wrong, but it sounds like you never had a huge downswing and lost like half your roll in one day.
When stuff like that happened to me, I just took a few days off. Then I´d study a few days and if I´m ready, i`ll play again. Play where you`re comfortable and enjoy it.
Thats actually all i can say. Don`t let swings affect you, although you might feel like a moron from one day to the next day. Gl and do not ever let that stuff effect your self-awareness...

Btw, just saw that you only play 5 tables. Maybe you should watch if you`re playing to many hands before pushbotting. Just came into my mind.

[kevstreet]

I didn't think the play was all that much better but perhaps the $60s are a bigger leap than we all expected. I thought I was just running bad too but it seems to be happening to a lot of us.

Try and guess at what point I tried moving up to $60s?

Now guess when I went back to the $27s?



So what I'm trying to say is don't get discouraged. I know some people are able to move up, get hot, and never have to move down. But for most of us it's a grind and hard work. Move down, get your confidence back, look for some leaks and then give it a try a little later.

If you're looking for immediate satisfaction, buy something for yourself with your winnings! This helps me every time.

Good luck and keep your head up.

[wiggs73]

Mike,

Here's a post I made a while back in response to another poster who went on a downswing. Maybe it'll help, maybe not, but fwiw...

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...age=0&vc=1

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

play fewer tables at the 60 until you're comfortable again, maybe 2 60, 3 27... or just move back to 27's and build your roll again... you must have fun though...

[Mike MacIntosh]

[ QUOTE ]
hi mike,
i don`t know how many 27s you played until you earned ~4k.
But don`t forgett that you maybe just ran hot. You are obv. beating the 27s, but maybe you beat them for more than you "should have". This means you beat the 27s lets say with a 20% ROI, where your "normal skill ROI" should be like 10% or something like that.
The other thing are just normal downswings and coolers. Ok, you know that...but maybe you didn`t have a horrible day/horrible swing before. To loose 2k over 200 games is definitely not impossible. Maybe there are some leaks, but I really think its just a psycho thing. Correct me, if I`m wrong, but it sounds like you never had a huge downswing and lost like half your roll in one day.
When stuff like that happened to me, I just took a few days off. Then I´d study a few days and if I´m ready, i`ll play again. Play where you`re comfortable and enjoy it.
Thats actually all i can say. Don`t let swings affect you, although you might feel like a moron from one day to the next day. Gl and do not ever let that stuff effect your self-awareness...

Btw, just saw that you only play 5 tables. Maybe you should watch if you`re playing to many hands before pushbotting. Just came into my mind.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hercules,

I played about 1,500 27s to build my roll. I went on a 500 buy-in break even stretch during this sample.

I am down 20 BI over 200 gms in the last week since moving up (not 2k). Maybe my OP was difficult to understand. I stated that I did not want to lose 2k at the 60s before moving back down.

My early game is solid, it is my pushing game that I come to second guess. I have been told by some that I play too tight early, and too crazy in the late game.

I do agree that most of this is in my head, and in the cards.