What would you do here

[pohuist]

I've been running cold lately and trying to see if I need some fundamental strategy changes.

Suppose, you drive to your local casino and seat down at your favourite game. There are no/few stong palyers at the table and the game should be good or better. You are sure that you have +EV against the lineup.
You post a LPB and wake up w/K-K. EP opens, MP calls, you 3 bet, BB and others call. 4-way flop is A-high and it is a bet and call to you. You quitely fold and EP eventually flashes an Ace before raking the pot. OR, you post LPB and turn a nut straight only to be flushed on the river. OR, during the first orbit you pick up Aces and only BB calls. You flop a set with a non-drawy board but he stays w/you and makes a runner-runner straight on the river c/raising you to add insult to injury.
Now, you are a disciplined professional, so you don't tilt and continue playing since the game is good. A couple of orbits later you find a situation to get involved w/a small pair and flop a set in a 7-way raised pot. You play it hard and fast but get rivered and someone else rakes what is by now a huge pot. You still don't tilt and beliebe you can play your A-game.
But, at this point, do take a hint that this is NOT your night and leave to get wasted and hopefully spend the rest of it with a member of opposite/same sex (you end up drinking alone because it IS not your night [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]), or don't take a hint and continue playing?

[leo doc]

Wow, what a crap night. Me... I take what chips I have left and go BUY a member of the opposite sex to get wasted with.

[PorkchopDJG]

In this situation I would probably get a table change. It will be hard to stay calm against these people that are spanking you and your table image is probably somewhat shot anyway.
If this particular table is just too good you should at least get up and go take a walk for about ten minutes and come back after you shake this off.

This definitely does happen sometimes and you have to be prepared to deal with it.

[ProfessorBen]

[ QUOTE ]
But, at this point, do take a hint that this is NOT your night...

[/ QUOTE ]

This thinking is flawed. Your EV doesn't change no matter how many bad beats you take. LOL I FEEL LIKE IM GETTING LEVELED.

[BrainBanana]

Getting up is never a bad idea when this happens. Most people start playing worse whether they know it or not. A negative attitude is a horrible thing to have at the poker table. If you start thinking its not your night, it probably wont be.

[pohuist]

Thanks for the input guys. Let me frame the question more narrow. Table change is not always available. But this, as well as taking a walk are more geared towards getting your A-game again. Suppose, you are still on your A-game and you change tables so your image is fine. But you just can't connect with the board and when you do you are beaten anyway. (I am specifically interested when you started bad and its getting worse, other situations are easier to handle). Do you still play b/c your EV is positive as professor suggests or do you walk away for the day to wait out short term bad luck.
And if you do walk away what do you do if your are stuck in the casino and checked out of your room. Suppose, you're at the Bellagio, its Saturday afternoon, you're down 3 racks in 4 hours, your plane leaves on Monday morning and its 130 degrees outside; or you're at Foxwoods or somewhere else in the middle of nowhere, down the same 3 racks, its 2pm and raining hard, you don't want to get stuck in the traffic forever so you don't want to leave till 11 PM. You never blow away your money on pit games and machines. How do you kill time?

[ProfessorBen]

[ QUOTE ]
Getting up is never a bad idea when this happens. Most people start playing worse whether they know it or not. A negative attitude is a horrible thing to have at the poker table. If you start thinking its not your night, it probably wont be.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never been tilted by action to the point where I am playing worse than the table and in a negative EV situation because of emotions. I absolutely abhor phrases such as "its not my night." Recognizing you're tired or playing sub-optimally is one thing, blaming it on the situation is ridiculous donk-talk. You mine as well call for SCRAMBOL!

The answer to this situation is to just play your game. It's something to be expected and every player that runs across his fair share of variance will experience this. Don't move up. Don't move down. Don't try to compensate. Don't quit poker. Don't yell. Just continue to play solid, tight, aggressive poker. If you can't do that because you can't control yourself, that's fine, pack up for the night. But don't say crap like "It's not my night" as if it were ordained. The reason you should be quitting is because YOU have made the situation -EV, not because the situation itself is -EV.

Someone move this topic to beginners or BBV? If I heard this at the table, I would laugh silently and continue to play, but I'm life-tilting cuz this is in my main forum now.

[cowboy billy]

waiting out short term bad luck is impossible/ridiculous

either take a break if you feel you're playing badly or just quit if you're not comfortable playing any more

[n.s.]

[ QUOTE ]
or do you walk away for the day to wait out short term bad luck.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can't "wait out" short term bad luck, you have to actually play through it or it'll be there waiting when you come back. So the obvious answer is to get up from the table and go play penny slots until you've slogged through all the bad luck, and then get back to the table once it's changed. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[BrainBanana]

I think you should just ask for a setup, or wait til your lucky dealer gets there...........maybe not. Well i can be a bit of a baby when I run real bad(I know its dumb), so if I get down on the situation I leave. My point is, the people who get emotional and their play starts to get effected should walk for the night and come back fresh. If a walk around the room works, good. If you have nerves o' steel like ben there is nothing to worry about.