The final truth about down swings. - Page 4

bernie · #31 06-16-2005, 03:21 AM

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An 8 month downswing/breakeven period would be pretty discomforting.

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Especially if your living expenses roll is starting to run a little low.

I actually play both online and live. Online there is no question there is more money to be made. Off the top of my head, I prefer live for many of the reasons you mention. I also started out as a live player so it just seems that much more ingrained into me. I just don't see it as a video game like I think many do that primarily play online but never, if at all, play live.

I also really like social interaction. Generally, I like to be around people. Playing online for extended periods makes me feel like I'm isolated from people. Which could be somewhat of a carryover from my floorcovering days since I was the only one on the job with no one to talk to. It kind of sucked in that regard. That was one drawback I really hated in that job. But it didn't have enough weight factor to make me stop doing it.

I'm sure there may be more if I really put some thought into it. This is just what kind of came to my mind first.

b

Schwags · #32 06-16-2005, 04:35 AM

What i meant was long bad runs are due to your mental state. You have to be thinking positive and you will notice the beats go away. If you dont believe that try reading a book on peace and zen, and your game will improve and badruns will merely be learning experiences instead of getting pissed off and pissing away even more of you roll..

Schwags · #33 06-16-2005, 04:39 AM

They happen to everyone, but often people make excuses for their poor play. Ya the first 2 or 3 beats can be badbeats, but from their your mentalality is thrown off, it happened to me all the time... but now i realized i created my own badruns.. and as soon as i got lucky in a hand my mentality went way up and i started playing well again. I fyou keep the positive mentality through your badswings, what happens? You win.

Schwags · #34 06-16-2005, 04:41 AM

Exactly!!! ^^ its poor play that keeps the downswings alive...

Schwags · #35 06-16-2005, 04:44 AM

"Saying that downswings are due to nothing more than bad play shows a huge lack of understanding of basic poker mathematics"

and what basic mathematics are these? understand you have to play well through the swing to overcome it, and thats hard to do when you cant handle one more loss, mentally.

SittingBull · #36 06-16-2005, 05:17 AM

of 200BB in all the years he's been playing.
SittingBull

bernie · #37 06-16-2005, 05:33 AM

My contention is that you can be playing very well and still have a bad/horrendous run. Not all bad runs of cards are caused because of bad play.

That's like saying all good runs are caused by stellar play. They aren't.

b

Clarkmeister · #38 06-16-2005, 12:04 PM

I once had this post which many people seemed to appreciate.

Along the lines of what Bernie was saying, on a trip to Commerce once with Dynasty I was in a great game. Super Aggro, but a great game. It was 2.75 hours before I won my first pot. Dynasty came by a little later and asked how I was doing? When I told him I was stuck over 6 racks ($6k) (and into the game for 8) he asked why I was still playing. My response was "if I stopped and left and came back to this room, I would KILL to be at this table. Since I'm at it now and I don't feel I'm playing badly, why wouldn't I stay?"

I rallied back and ended the session a mere $300 loser.

Clarkmeister · #39 06-16-2005, 12:04 PM

[ QUOTE ]
My contention is that you can be playing very well and still have a bad/horrendous run. Not all bad runs of cards are caused because of bad play.

That's like saying all good runs are caused by stellar play. They aren't.

b

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Exactomundo!

Malificent · #40 06-16-2005, 12:30 PM

Thanks for this post. I'm in the middle of a truly horrendous downswing (500BB, not that anyone cares), and it helps to remind myself that I may not be completely at fault for it. I mean, I'm sure that I'm definitely responsible for part of it, but it helps my confidence level to remind myself that I'm not responsible for all of it.

When you're this low, anything that can help keep you from dipping into the abyss is helpful. You're fighting not only the anger against the "unfairness of it all" but that deep seated fear that maybe you weren't a winning player at all and maybe you never will be. And that's a lot to battle at the same time.

I'm hoping that I will come through this dark tunnel into the light on the other side and be better for it. The trick is surviving the tunnel in the first place, I guess.