Downswings....

[philipsaurus]

i had a 19k hand breakeven stretch earlier this year.

currently, i need to recover 2 more buyins before im out of my current downswing, which has lasted 7k hands.

this is when poker is not fun.

[Hoopster81]

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15k-20k hands is NOTHING

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I don't think I've ever seen a 15k hand downswing at NL, from my stats or anyone I know.

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wow

[Go_Blue88]

it may never end. i'm now breaking even over 35k hands. ie- went up 7k in a week and then lost 7k over the past 3 weeks. poker sucks, just enjoy your life and it won't bother you.

[Idahoholdem]

I'm no expert by any means, and I'm not playing at the level you're playing at, but what I would suggest is that you seriously review HOW you're playing. Start recording, either using a statistical program or writing it down; but really start tracking what starting hands you're playing, your post flop play, etc. If you're getting down to where it's starting to get to shorthanded play, start looking at how you're playing that way. It's entirely possible that you're playing too conservative. Start reviewing articles on playing shorthanded, heads up, etc. Really start examining how and what you're playing, in a short time you should see some patterns start forming and that should help. Hope that helps.

[Morrek]

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it may never end. i'm now breaking even over 35k hands. ie- went up 7k in a week and then lost 7k over the past 3 weeks. poker sucks, just enjoy your life and it won't bother you.

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I'm right now in 70k hands of breakeven poker.

[Python49]

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But I would say I have lost $3500 in 15k-20k hands.

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Get lost.

[AZplaya]

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15k-20k hands is NOTHING

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I don't think I've ever seen a 15k hand downswing at NL, from my stats or anyone I know.

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Jigglers, most of your post are good, but this is just...dumb. Unless your being sarcastic, in which case, brilliant!

[fossil]

What is tough about folding overpairs or any pair for that matter? With a pair, I'm more interested in protecting my stack than adding to it. For me, there are very few hands that I can't away from.

[fossil]

Downswings are like economic recessions. They are going to happen and you have to deal with it. I would like to think that they are healthy. When you are rolling good you can get a false sense of security and develop bad habits which become costly later. When this happens, it forces you to question your game and analyze your play. In my case, I found that I was calling off too many big raises. I had hands that are supposed to win and I was underestimating the villian. If the villian is trying to tell me that he has the best hand, now I listen.

It is tough to maintain confidence during losing streaks. But,losing confidence is a major tilt. I would not consider moving to a lower level to regain confidence. This would have the same effect as buying high and selling low in stock market, although the application is reversed. You would in effect be paying more for your losing streak than a winning streak at lower limits would hope to recover. If your bankroll is adaquate, keep plugging at the same level. You regain confidence one hand or one session at a time.

[Morrek]

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I would not consider moving to a lower level to regain confidence. This would have the same effect as buying high and selling low in stock market, although the application is reversed. You would in effect be paying more for your losing streak than a winning streak at lower limits would hope to recover. If your bankroll is adaquate, keep plugging at the same level.

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Never really thought of it this way, and it's kind of true in a lot of cases.