Variance is a [censored] [censored] [censored]

[matrix]

AArrrggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh....

OK I feel a litte better now.

This month sucks - I have hit my first significant downswing since I started playing. I've had bad days even 3 bad days before - but nothing like I am getting now.

I have lost twice this week AAvKK all in pf I have never suffered that one before - set over set several times - set vs overpair which rivers a better set/4flush.... you get the idea - I'm not going to bore you with more details.

Oh and any good hands I do get are very few and far between - such a cold deck. I have been dealt T2o 3x more often than AKo - the poker Gods must be having a dam good laugh at my expense.

anyway on to the reason I am posting this.

After getting nailed yesterday and wiping off another 3 buyins mostly because I got wound up and played like an idiot, I decided today was going to be different.
I printed out a few helpful notes things like
"If You Are Getting Sucked Out on it's because you are making GOOD DECISIONS"
"Worry about making Sklansky Bucks not actual bucks"
"What swings down WILL swing UP"

and stuck them conveniently near my monitor.

I broke out the egg timer and have been taking a 10 minute break every 45 mins and instead of reading 2+2 or TOP or something like that during my breaks I have left the room and gone and done something totally different.

Now I have got up and left the $25 tables and will be shifting to .05/.10 limits for a while before my BR totally evaporates - it is really unbelieveable how fast you can lose money sitting at a poker table [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

So my question is what do you guys do when everything is going downhill fast? What steps do you take to try and stay calm and focused when this happens?

I am playing better, more focused and much more solid today than I have been all week - and I'm still bleeding money - which is OK. It's not like I'm happy about it but at least today I have played good poker. It will eventually turn around - and when it does I am a good enough player to make more when I am winning than I am losing when I am losing - at least I hope so.

SO far this week I have made a net loss of 2 buyins plus every day - I've never had that happen before - even when I play like a donk somewhere something works for me and I get one day where I actually make money.

I have gone from beating $25 NL for 10PTBB/100 and moving up to 50's to losing about 9PTBB/100 overall for the month now and I am just about bankrolled to play at the micro limits. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] *sigh*

[soko]

[ QUOTE ]
What swings down MIGHT swing UP

[/ QUOTE ]

[matrix]

the glass is half full the glass is half full the glass is half full.....

thanks for the optomistic support [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[captZEEbo]

didn't read whole thing but variance is what makes poker profitable for winning players

[nykenny]

Matrix,

don't give up. worse have happened to others. worse have happened to me. if you play good poker and have an edge in your games, you will come back.

to ease you pain, i will share a story of mine with you. during 2nd week of 2006, i lost 6 out of 7 sessions, totaling 18K in the 30-60 games. that was my whole operating bankroll. i played fairly good poker for the most part, but eventually i gave in and played poorly. On one night, I was dealt AA 12x and came out losing 600 with them. most of those losing sessions were equally brutal. I played very tight (14% VPIP) almost throughout; and i was decently aggressive.

At the end of the week, i realized that besides my bad luck, the competition was also very tough. I wish I had realized that sooner.

In any case, I moved down in limit after I redeposited. Now I have been slowly and steadily recovering. Soon, I will be ahead for the year, and forget all about this losing steak.

This isn't my first losing streak, nor will it be my last. However, I believe as long as I play good poker, in good games, keep improving, I will keep winning. You need to believe the same.

All the best,

- Kenny

[shant]

I hope you live alone.

[donkeyradish]

I'll tell you what I do but this may not help you much

I basically treat the next session like I would if its the first one on the first of January and my winnings for the year stand at $0.00

Yes doesn't sound like much but doesnt hurt to try

[Pog0]

How many buyins is your downswing? ($25 buyin at $25NL = 1, $50 buyin at $50NL = 1, $10 buyin at $10NL = 1)

How many hands have you played this month?

[dtown_poker]

[ QUOTE ]
I'll tell you what I do but this may not help you much

[/ QUOTE ]

Like everyone who plays poker (or bets sports), I've been through some ugly downswings that have gotten me a little bent out of shape. I've had several times where I've done dumb things during the downswing (going on complete donkeytilt, making ridiculously bets to catch up on a weekend of losses) that have cost me money.

Like just about everyone, I've recovered and gone on an upswing at some point (whether it be the next day, next week, whatever) following these downswings. Many times I've said to myself..."It sure feels good to be running well again, I really wish I hadn't blown that $XXX being stupid. I'd actually be up right now instead of just back to even. Damn, that was stupid."

Now, I try my best to remember all those times I've had to say that to myself. Point is, at some point you WILL start running better. Try to think about this when you are running bad. Do you want to have to look back and say "I wish I didn't...."?

It definitely helps me out.

[matrix]

[ QUOTE ]
How many buyins is your downswing? ($25 buyin at $25NL = 1, $50 buyin at $50NL = 1, $10 buyin at $10NL = 1)

How many hands have you played this month?

[/ QUOTE ]

I use the 15xbuyins move up if drop to 10 or less buyins move down underfunded BR system, reasoning that $50NL is about as easy to beat as $25NL. I will wait till I have 20+ buyins for $100NL as the competition there looks a little tougher.

I lost 5 at $50NL and am down about 12 at $25 so -$550 so far this month - and I started with ~$800 after a reasonable Dec...

Yes I realise that this in the general scheme of things is not a great deal of money - and reading this forum there are a great many posters with much longer downswings than I have yet to experience.

I get nervous tho when I read about long periods of "breaking even" when I am losing and not even breaking even - I guesstimate that about half my losses this month are from unlikely suckouts - and most of the rest down to shamefully bad play on my part - helped along a little by suckout induced tilt. It is also sooooooooo infuriating sitting on the left of someone who is killing the table hitting great cards frequently when my deck is so cold.

I have played ~20K hands this month - and for about 17K of those I have been swinging downwards.