Some Advice Plz

[Nuts102]

A couple of weeks ago i decided to play online seriously for this summer before i go back to college basically i have been playing online in small phases last two years being a consistent winning player. First few weeks were fine reached above my weekly goals.

Then 2 weeks ago i ran pretty bad and had first breakeven week. This week now just recorded my first losing week losing a number of buyins.

Now i multitable play pritty solid get in with best hand most of the time. Last 2 weeks iv ran set into higer set numberous times flush into higher flush etc etc. Tonight summed it up i played for 2 hours 4 tables picked up AA 3 times QQ twice and KK once i dont know how often you run into a set but i ran into a set all 6 times got away from some of them.

Now im not hear too ask for sympathy i accept variance in poker and happens to every1 but after just finishing their im scared to play 2moro wit fear its gonna be same again.

My questions is for people who play online seriously how long do these downswings go on for and how do you play through them. Is my downswing even that bad. I know im being vague but any advice welcome.

[machine]

They can go on for 10k-20k hands sometimes alot more. Playing through them is just a test of mental strength and the trust you have in your poker skills. I find i like to go through alot more hands when im running bad, maybe talk with other players, but remember one key thing although playing is the key way to make yourself a better player you can also do other things aside from playing. Such as reading, watching, going over hand histories. So if running bad and you cant play do one of these or just have a break. Lastly is your downswing bad? the answer is no some pros run bad for 6 months so you kinda gotta suck it up.

[GrandMelon]

Good post machine

[Berge20]

Take the opportunity to review your play and see where you are leaking.

Perhaps it is all variance, but it is possible that some things aren't going quite as smoothly as we'd like to see. Particularly since you've never had a stretch like this. I'd personally prefer to see less hands played and more time spent reviewing your play, re-reading books and thinking about other hands.

After you overcome your first major stretch like this, playing through is fine. I've just seen too many players hit a stretch like this and fail the "test" that machine mentioned by crashing and burning with most of their bankroll.

[canvasbck]

I had a 6 month downturn (live and online) that started with a bad run of cards and led to some poorly played poker. It's good that you recognized this attitude; "after just finishing their im scared to play 2moro wit fear its gonna be same again". When you can realize that attitude.... DO NOT PLAY . During my downturn, I was hitting the books, reading this forum all I could and stuffing all the info into my head I could. The downturned continued until I just relaxed and played some "beer poker". I sat down at some low stakes that didn't matter one way or the other, and really didn't care if I won or lost, had a few beers, and just tried to have fun playing. It really helped my game in the long run to play relaxed and quit worrying about results.

[wpr101]

It can go on longer than you can imagine... I've had a 100k+ break even stretch before.

OP, how many hands have you played and what stakes?

[mce86]

Forever. then the upswings come. Forever.

[chopchoi]

If you're scared to play, you'll prolly lose. Move down a limit, and only play 1 or 2 tables till you get your confidence back.

[Nuts102]

[ QUOTE ]
It can go on longer than you can imagine... I've had a 100k+ break even stretch before.

OP, how many hands have you played and what stakes?

[/ QUOTE ]

I moved to a new site just recently which doesnt allow you to use pokertracker so im not actually quite sure how many hands i have played. I played about 2 weeks at $.25/.50 and last 4 weeks playing $.50/.1 playing roughly 30 hours a week and 3 tables at a time.
If this helps. Also has anyone got any reccomendations on books for mental strentgh. I believe really that if you sit down negative bad things are more likely to happen or maybe thats just a stupid superstition.

[subzero]

Don't be results oriented. You can play mistake free poker and still experience a downswing. Review/post your hands to see if your decisions are good or if it's just poor play that is causing this downswing.