Big Loss in One Session

[Rbower]

That's a good point. I know when I'm winning people react to that also and will lay down more hands because 'I always have it'. I've also watched my stack go up 30 big bets, go down to negative 15 bets and then back up to 15 big bets by the end of the session.

[GiantBuddha]

Yeah. Those sessions are super tough. I always sleep for like fourteen hours after one of those and have terrible nightmares. Seriously depleted testosterone levels. But the upswings more than make up for it. Hang in there, keep reading books, keep thinking about the game, and always play as well as you can. Self awareness can be a poker player's best friend. If you know when you're on tilt, when you're likely to go on tilt, and how to avoid it as best you can, your wallet will thank you.

[DougL]

I think your experience is a good example of the fallacy of "you can't beat low limit games". You're a consistent winner at 4-8, but it is taking a bit of time to find your way in 8-16 and 10-20. From the sound of it, you'll figure the games out and eventually beat them for more than you beat the low limit game.

What mistakes were your opponents making? Someone else mentioned that once you start running bad, people play better against you. One thing I really have had trouble doing, is realizing that semi-bluffs have stopped working. If they will never fold, semibluffing becomes value betting the second-best hand. If they're calling too much, you can only bet/raise when you're ahead. Semibluffing is actually rewarding them for their bad play. When I'm having trouble with this, there seems to be almost a sick satisfaction of seeing a bad player show down a hand he "should" have folded. This has been a big leak for me at times.

Keep posting and good luck,

Doug

[Rbower]

Doug,

After 400 hours of 3-6 and 4-8 I was only averaging 1/2 big bet per hour profit. I consider that barely breaking even. After hearing over and over how a person can't beat the rake I decided to move up. I think I'll move back down for awhile. In Washington where I play, the competition is better at 8-16 and 10-20 but a lot of the players are the same people from 4-8. I like the higher limits because people actually fold once in awhile. I was getting burned out watching 5 players chase my AA (for example) all the way to the river. Thanks for your input. What games do you normally play?

[DougL]

I play anywhere from 4-8 with a 1/2 kill to 10-20 in home games. Up in the mountains they have a wild 2-5 spread limit game, which I've always found quite beatable despite claims of this being impossible. In Vegas I like the 10-20 and 20-40 games at the Mirage and I typically play 15-30 at Bellagio.

I've always been a big fame of Abdul's writing, so having 5 way action to the river allows me to employ the Theory of Sucking Out. The down side of these games is the big swings, but they'll teach you to overplay your PP just like I do.

I know it isn't a big favoite on the forums, but I'd really recommend Middle Limit Holdem Poker by Bob Ciaffone and Jim Brier. Reading Jim's posts took me from break-even poker to being a money winner.

GL,

Doug

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
but I'd really recommend Middle Limit Holdem Poker by Bob Ciaffone and Jim Brier.

[/ QUOTE ]

Many on the forum recommend this book.

However, it's not really for the games that the OP is in. For that game, SSHE. Though, reading MLH wouldn't hurt.

b

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
So you've won $110 in seven sessions at a $8-16 game. Sounds like a break even player to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not enough info for this evaluation. 7 sessions doesn't mean squat. You can easily go 4-6 months and break even, even though you are still actually beating the game.(just convert your hours in a cardroom times the hand per hour(about 40). Then compare that to the 40k hands online breakeven streaks that many, including myself(even live), have experienced. It helps put it in perspective.)

In that short of time, the only real way to evaluate is to analyze the hell out of hands to confirm you're playing well.

[ QUOTE ]
50 Big Bets is a huge loss,

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not that huge. Especially in an action game That's just a session buy in, really. Though, in a more passive game it can seem like alot.

b

[bernie]

Where are you playing?

[ QUOTE ]
Is it possible to lose this much just due to the variance in poker?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. Especially if it's an action game. There's a reason we recommend a BR of at least 300BBs. The other 250BBs aren't just there to look at.

[ QUOTE ]
So far I’ve never had more than 4 losing sessions in a row.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's real fun when it gets around 8 or 9 losers in a row.

[ QUOTE ]
This year I've played around 500 hours. I'm winning such a small amount that I consider myself a break even player.

[/ QUOTE ]

Results alone, with only about 20k hands, you won't know you're a break even player. Work on how to analyze hands meticulously. Then you won't need to look at your results.

After reading through the thread, I'm guessing, with the swings your seeing, you might be playing a little too loose.

b

[daveT]

Wait til you:

Lose for a month strait not winning on effing session, that is over 160 hours of live play.

Take a 250 BB dowswing in less than a week.

Not see pocket aces for two months.

Not flop a set for a month and a half.

Play in the red for three months.

At this point you are now a sophmore.

Good Luck, and happy playing!

[GiantBuddha]

50 Big Bets is a very large loss in a single live session. It's roughly equivalent to simply posting your blinds and folding every hand. The longest I've done this is about four hours. Maybe I haven't played long enough. Multi-tabling online does give you a different perspective on the variance of your live game, though. But isn't it easier for a good player to have a bigger win rate and lower variance live?

[ QUOTE ]
Not see pocket aces for two months.

Not flop a set for a month and a half.


[/ QUOTE ]

Really? That's either absurdly brutal or somewhat of an exaggeration.