losing your money after being up in a session... Help please.

kickflip252 · #1 07-12-2006, 02:14 PM

Ok, basically the long and short of it is that I'm having a problem with my poker sessions, where I begin the session fairly solid, playing well, and get myself up to about twice my buy in. For instance. When I play .50/1, I will buy in for 15 or 20 bux, then I play for a while and soon enough I'm up to 30 or 40 bux. All good there, but then the problem starts.
If I continue to play, then more often than not, I will lose not only the bets that I've won, but continue to lose until my entire buy in is gone, so instead of being up 20, I'm now down 20.
For one, I'm sure I must loosen up a bit once I'm ahead, but I know I don't loosen up to the point of being rediculous. Most of the time, my losses are bad beats or starting with second best cards. Like yesterday, after being up 18 bux, I caught AK on three seperate hands, only to lose with all of them. One time I didn't catch an ace or king, one time i got top pair with kings, but lost to trip jacks and the last time my top pair aces lost to 2 small pair of a random holding. (6 10 offsuit i believe).
or i'll catch kings and lose to aces, stuff like that. (not that i want to dwell on the bad beats) I don't think i'm playing poorly or poor cards, but the money just slips away.
i wonder if anyone has any experience or ideas about this.

one way I can combat this is to leave a table once I get up in a session, but that's a pain in the butt. plus, i want to be able to sit at a table (this has been mostly online) in a cardroom and be able to get up and just hang out at the table for 5 or 6 hours, since switching tables off line is not as easy.
I'd also like to be able to sit at an online table for an extended period of time, but one thing at a time.

right now, i'm a winning player over the long run, but lately this monkey has been holding me back from moving up in my game and stakes. perhaps this is just one of those wierd things about playing online that's tough to over come, but i know i've seen players who can stay at a table for hours and constantly pull in chips.

any ideas or advice???

evanfu · #2 07-12-2006, 02:31 PM

stick to your game and you should make 2 or 3 dollars an hour.

n.s. · #3 07-12-2006, 02:33 PM

It's one of two things - either you play worse when you are up (or when you used to be up but you are down now), or your sample size is too small and it's just a coincidence.

What happens when you start out a session and immediately start losing? A third possibility is that you are actually a losing player, but you quit early when you are down and when you get lucky you play until you inevitably lose.

If you say that you never start out losing early in a session, then your sample is definitely too small.

Hielko · #4 07-12-2006, 02:33 PM

Two words: selective memory

Or you must be incredible lucky that you start all your sessions winning.

kickflip252 · #5 07-12-2006, 02:39 PM

i didn't mean that every session starts with me immediately winning, but i would say that after 30minutes to an hour in most sessions, i am up, maybe not always double, but up, nonetheless.

but it just seems that when i am up, people draw out on me a lot more when i have good cards. and they are more willing to take me to the river with 5 or less outs.
another hand i had a few sessions ago... pocket aces. floped a set.
my opponent had 10 6 off suit. the board was 78A, he caught a 9 on the river after my aggressive betting.

i pretty much stick to high suited cards, pairs. things like that. i don't tend to play too many rags or off suit holdings... maybe i'm not mixing it up enough and people are getting a read on me??

i don't know.

Wada · #6 07-12-2006, 02:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]

For one, I'm sure I must loosen up a bit once I'm ahead, but I know I don't loosen up to the point of being rediculous.

[/ QUOTE ]
Re-evaluate this statement. You said that you are sure you loosen up but not to the point of being ridiculous. The point is - YOU ARE still loosening up! Stop doing this.

[ QUOTE ]

Most of the time, my losses are bad beats or starting with second best cards. Like yesterday, after being up 18 bux, I caught AK on three seperate hands, only to lose with all of them. One time I didn't catch an ace or king, one time i got top pair with kings, but lost to trip jacks and the last time my top pair aces lost to 2 small pair of a random holding. (6 10 offsuit i believe).
or i'll catch kings and lose to aces, stuff like that. (not that i want to dwell on the bad beats)

[/ QUOTE ]
Very possible this is variance. $h1t happens.

[ QUOTE ]

I don't think i'm playing poorly or poor cards, but the money just slips away.

[/ QUOTE ]
You are playing poorly if you are loosening up.

[ QUOTE ]

one way I can combat this is to leave a table once I get up in a session, but that's a pain in the butt. plus, i want to be able to sit at a table (this has been mostly online) in a cardroom and be able to get up and just hang out at the table for 5 or 6 hours, since switching tables off line is not as easy.
I'd also like to be able to sit at an online table for an extended period of time, but one thing at a time.

[/ QUOTE ]
It seems that from your admission of loosening up you are not being mentally disciplined and focused for a longer period of time. You might want to reconsider and self evaluate yourself as you are playing and tell your self to take breaks, come back at the table and refocus. I think your mental endurance could be lacking. I run into this problem to and I feel that 2-3 hours of play is where I play my best. Once it goes to 4 hours and beyond I am not playing as well as I should. Work on playing with good mental focus and as you feel yourself "loosening up" step away for a while, take a break, and then sit back down. At this point you should be really on your ass about being mentally focused and displined.

evanfu · #7 07-12-2006, 02:43 PM

Thats poker you go up and down. I can relate to playing different when Im up. After a month of building my bankroll I'll move up in stakes and play differently than my normal game and usually lose.

kickflip252 · #8 07-12-2006, 02:46 PM

nice points, thanks.

another thing i'm finding is that when i am up, i tend to play more aggressively, but the more aggressive i am, the more i seem to get people just coming after me with anything.
like, they see me raise with good cards, so when i raise, they try and bust me with rags.

evanfu · #9 07-12-2006, 02:49 PM

Ive noticed that too, the games where when theres a raise everyone calls. In that case play really tight.

Wada · #10 07-12-2006, 02:54 PM

[ QUOTE ]
nice points, thanks.

another thing i'm finding is that when i am up, i tend to play more aggressively, but the more aggressive i am, the more i seem to get people just coming after me with anything.
like, they see me raise with good cards, so when i raise, they try and bust me with rags.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good - thats what you want the donks to do.