Contentless Downswing Post (Keep Me Sane!)

[toss]

The Whining:

I've played about 32k hands in the past couple months at various limits (mainly 5/10 and 2/4) taking shots at higher limits and trying out new games. I'm down about 2 grand not counting bonus or rakeback, but its really bothering me now. I've lost $940 playing at limits I shouldn't have been playing at. At my normal limits:

-69BB at 10/20 over 980 hands
-60.5BB at 5/10 over 10.7k hands.
-141BB at 3/6 over 2k hands
+467BB at 2/4 over 16.8k hands


My Plan:

I'm going to start playing poker a lot less in the next week. I think I need to go back to SSH by Ed, ToP and and HPFAP by Sklansky. I'm sure another read after all this experience I've gain will do a ton of good. I'll also take this chance to rebuild my game. My stats show huge faults and I haven't done enough to fix them. My vpip tends to deviate into the 15.5 zone, I'm too aggressive in some spots and too passive in others, and worst of all my fold to river bet is a whopping 48%. I'm thinking its because I put myself into too many situations where I free card and have to fold my overcards or busted draw. I probably need to semibluff the turn more. Furthermore I need to play more hands and fold when I miss the flop.

I'm also going to make well thought responses to hand posts in SS and MS. I'll paste intersting hands into a notepad and go over them one by one after my sessions. I'm going to come back and crush the game...

[chrishungerford]

I may have some advice to help, as I have had similar trouble with my game that I had to work through, especially with information for limit switching.

1. I think it is important to realize that the advice in SSHE is excellent for low stakes, whereas HEPFAP has many concepts that assume your opponents play well, so I would limit how intensely I studied HEPFAP at small stakes. I focused exclusively on SSHE when I was beating 1/2 and 2/4 for 2-4BB/HR and it worked great. When I started to read more and more books, many were not written for playing in small stakes games, and messed with my play, so that is a thought. TOP is a great book and that should help you now.

2. In terms of limit progression, it looks like you are winning well at 2/4. I would say once you move up to 3/6, if you are not winning, go back to 2/4 and build up again and then try 3/6 again, I think this creates a natural progression. I think that moving up in levels naturally will make you get used to the gradually increasing better players, so maybe write down some bankroll ranges for what level you will play at. For instance play 2/4 when you have $800-1200, and 3/6 when you have $1200-1800. and so forth, that will keep you playing within a bankroll.

3. I think it is a great idea to stay active in these posts, any hand that you have trouble with, post it, the guys on this site are very helpful, ask em about anything.

Hope some of this might help. Good luck.

[toss]

Thanks for the encouragement. One weakness in my game is that I don't try to make enough distinctions between the bad players SSH is made for and thinking players that HPFAP applys to. So I too often go FPS when I should just play my hand straight up.

I have a lot more hands at 5/10 with a satisfactory win rate so its just this downswing thats really getting to me. Its probably the fact that I've never lost as much for as long a period.

Toss, don't worry. Those downswings are nothing, 11k hands is nothing, you are having a bad streak thats all. Variance should not be anything new, check out some posts at BBV. And this is a good post.

You are one of the most solid regulars at SS, no doubt. Don't let a tiny downswing over a small amount of hands bother you. Just keep grinding man!

It's a good idea to reread those books, i've read all of them several times and are often refreshing with the FAQs and quizzes.

Have you read Feeneys book? Thats a good one if you are having trouble with variance, and it has a lot of other good points too.

About beeing tight on the flop. Read Ciaffone and Briers book - Middle limit holdem. It really helps to tighten up with overcards, i think thats the best thing with it. But it sometimes also gives some very dubious advice that does not fit well for aggressive internet games. It defenitely has it flaws.

I don't know if 48% fold to river bet is that much. I have 45%.

Maybe you should post a screen of your PT stats? And let Harv take a look at it. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[toss]

Its 32k hands, but that still is nothing. I'll start to worry when its 100k. I may seem solid at SS, but I know theres a big gap between me and the more solid posters at SS and Medium Stakes. Theres a few key principles I still don't understand. I'll also check out those books you mentioned. Thanks.

[TeeMDee]

The new year hasn't started off well for me in poker, either. After having a great 2005 where I made a good BB/hr rate I just can't seem to get it going this year. I've re-read SSHE and looked back through some of my favorite posts.

I know I'm off my game right now, but I don't know exactly how to grade myself. Does anyone have a good system for reviewing their sessions in PT and grading their play? I want to be able to separate the bets that I've "tilted" away from the ones that were just bad beats...

Thanks for your help.

[toss]

The best way (I think) is to respond to hand post and see if your advice matches up with the majority of the posters, or the posters that have the best reputations. Stats can be misleading and I know of no real good poker grading program.

But you say you are up 467BB at 2/4 over 16800 hands. Thats nothing to complain about is it? Its the other limits that you are running a little bad at.

It looks to me the downswing is only over a total of 13.7k hands?

[smokingrobot]

i started folding AJ and AJs in every situation and my game is amazing now.

I hear you brother. i'm on the edge of my seat trying to keep my cool when inside me i want to tilt and bet everything like a madman.

[toss]

When I look at my PT stats it says I'm down 2k over 32k hands.