Hit a cold streak

Pokit2s · #1 02-20-2006, 10:01 PM

I know it happens to everyone, and I'm not complaining about the bad streak of beats, but I just wanted to know how some of you guys do to bounce back. I took about a week off to clear my head, came back today, and lost about 200 before i decided that i had enough for the day. I play 2/4 and 3/6 Limit by the way, mostly shorthanded. I moved down to just 2/4 in the last week though, due to my bankroll being a little lower than I'd like for 3/6. Besides taking a break, should I continue to move down limits until I start winning? Should I break out the small stakes books again and brush up a little? I know pokertracker will be most of your suggestions, but I dont have it. Since I play at Full Tilt, it is a lot harder to take advantage of all the features it has. I know this bad streak has made my decision making less than stellar, and I may have very well been spoiled by my good run for the past few months before the cold cards. Any suggestions would be helpful. Hell, I might even move to Party Poker.

crablegs33 · #2 02-20-2006, 10:19 PM

well you're right, PT is a great tool for self analysis... GREAT! i'm not sure of how incompatible it is with FT but if it gets the hands in there it's well worth the investment...

these streaks are much more common shorthanded than full table, (both up and down)... i like to switch it up back to full table a bit when i feel like i've taken a beating shorthanded... find it helps calm me a bit, and allows me to gain a bit of composure before heading back to the volatile shorthanded world...

rereading sshe is never a bad idea either..

another thing when you're speaking of your good run... you need to make sure your game is ready for these levels... solid players on here have gone on 300 big bet + downswings... if you were a 1/2 player that hit a rush, elevated to 2/4 and hit a rush and are now playing 3/6 but hit a wall, it could be more than the string of cards your on... i know i experienced that myself, i was a 1/2 player then hitting a rush and moving all the way to 5/10 before two months had pass where i had my arse handed to me...from there i dropped down to .5/1 worked out the kinks and now am at3/6 comfortably... not doubting your ability, but it is something for you to look into...

Pokit2s · #3 02-20-2006, 10:49 PM

Thanks crab. Yeah I tried pokertracker on their free trial, but I really wasnt able to get much out of what all the numbers were. The only problem with full tilt is, getting info on other players is difficult. It doesnt import it to the tables and it is hard to find it when u need it sometimes. I will definately look into it again, but maybe after full tilt upgrades their compatibilities or i switch to Party or something. I think you may be right about my good string of cards. I dont consider myself an expert player by any means, just a somewhat solid one trying to work my way up the ladder and learn from the advanced guys. I think I'll go back down to 1/2 full tables for a while, and try to get my composure back.

cassady · #4 02-20-2006, 11:39 PM

I've found it helpful to spend an afternoon playing .50/1 Omaha hi-low split. Just getting my head around a different game at really low stakes helped clear things up and make playing seem fun again.

BostonMetro · #5 02-20-2006, 11:45 PM

Dude, Pokertracker is just as good with FTP as any other site. Just pony up the $25 to get PokerAce HUD and you will see everyone's stats. Oh yeah, and DON'T PLAY THERE. The paltry bonus money you will make there is useless compared to what you can make at Party (sorry if you have a Mac). The games at Full Tilt are at least as tough as a limit or two higher at Party.

crablegs33 · #6 02-21-2006, 03:25 AM

omaha hi-low split is the perfect game to play for fun IMO

Hoi Polloi · #7 02-21-2006, 08:00 AM

If you think your decision making has been effected, do something to get yourself back on your A game. Remember these periods will be a regular part of your poker career.

I find re-reading any poker book that I like or just sections of one or several helps me refocus on good decision-making, correct play and generally get psyched to hit the tables again. That doesn't make the cards come but you've got to learn at some point how to play through it.

Taking a week off, BTW, is a great move.

Good luck.