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  #11  
Old 11-28-2007, 06:42 PM
jkamowitz jkamowitz is offline
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Default Re: Do downswings get easier?

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a BIG proponent of being OVER rolled for poker. Downswings lead to tilt....and the biggest factor in tilting is how much the $ hurts when you lose it. The more over-rolled, the less the $ hurts, the less tilt.
GL

[/ QUOTE ]

Bingo.

It's funny how swings work on people. I routinely play 30-70 hour long sessions of live poker. So I am used to taking +50/-50BB swings within the course of just one session. Last spring I was playing every weekend and have had +250BB/-150BB swings in different sessions.

The ups are still awesome and the downs still suck but understanding that it's all the same and that it averages out over time for the winning player makes things easier.

I agree with other posters that being overrolled makes swings seem inconsequential. I also agree that the important thing to remember is long term and not be caught up with the bad times nor the good times.

Good luck.
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  #12  
Old 11-28-2007, 07:19 PM
hornpout hornpout is offline
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Default Re: Do downswings get easier?

[ QUOTE ]
Each time I hit a downswing I go through the same thoughts and end up starting to play badly.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is great. you can accept responsibility for your actions. continue to analyze your play and be honest with yourself. cards will turn around, bad play doesnt go away by itself. you need to be humble at the table and most folks rarely are. gl. youll be fine. -mj
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  #13  
Old 11-28-2007, 09:12 PM
nineinchal nineinchal is offline
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Default Re: Do downswings get easier?

The best way to understand this problem is to read Mason Malmuth's "Gambling Theory and Other Topics." Essentially, it explains that luck can be measured and evens out in the long run. That being the case, Malmuth goes on to explain an individual player will do if he is based upon his skill level.

A poor player can expect to lose in the long run, a good player can expect to win; the only caveat is that your expectation doesn't happen immediately. Great players can possibily have losing streaks lasting up to two years, and poor players can possbily a winning streak lasting up to 1000 hours. Once I learned that, I had to realize that I must constantly work on improving my game so that I possess a skill level to hold my own in any game. I also had to maintain an adequate bankroll to withstand the fluctuations of the downswings. I also had be flexible enough to move down in levels from time if I wanted to stay in the game for the long run, in other words, never go broke.

Along the way, I just realized that downswings are just part of being a poker player. Now it doesn't matter if I win or lose. Don't get me wrong, I love to have winning seesions, its when I have a losing session, I just shrug it off and don't dwell on the loss. I think of whether or not I played well, what mistakes I made and why it was a mistake; what mistakes my opponents made, if they outplayed me or if they got lucky. I then may go have a nice dinner with my wife, go shopping, go to the gym, whatever, it really makes no difference in the long run, because I am adequately bankrolled for my next session, that loss made no difference to my lifestyle or the ability to return for the next session. Also along the way, I actually bought some nice things with my winnings, like a condo, a big flat screen TV, paid for several vacations, some gifts for my wife, even when I was in a downswing. So I can appreciate the long hours I logged in either on line or in the casino. I just know that even though I enjoy poker and may lose from time to time, it ill not affect the quality of my play, even more, the quality of my life.
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  #14  
Old 11-29-2007, 12:48 AM
Shizzle12345 Shizzle12345 is offline
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Default Re: Do downswings get easier?

great players losing 2 years?????????? LOOOOL. I dont think so, unless you play live poker where you play 3 hands per hour in super tough competition.
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  #15  
Old 11-29-2007, 06:31 AM
nineinchal nineinchal is offline
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Default Re: Do downswings get easier?

[ QUOTE ]
great players losing 2 years?????????? LOOOOL. I dont think so, unless you play live poker where you play 3 hands per hour in super tough competition.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read the book, if you studied math, its all laid out for you.
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  #16  
Old 11-29-2007, 09:59 AM
Shizzle12345 Shizzle12345 is offline
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Default Re: Do downswings get easier?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
great players losing 2 years?????????? LOOOOL. I dont think so, unless you play live poker where you play 3 hands per hour in super tough competition.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read the book, if you studied math, its all laid out for you.

[/ QUOTE ]
id rather not get teaspoonfed by some book.. All these guys claiming 'omg i broke even for 100k hands, sick variance' are just doing it wrong. So unless 3 hands per hour in tough live game 2 years breaking even is impossible for a great player.
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  #17  
Old 11-29-2007, 11:23 AM
nineinchal nineinchal is offline
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Default Re: Do downswings get easier?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
great players losing 2 years?????????? LOOOOL. I dont think so, unless you play live poker where you play 3 hands per hour in super tough competition.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read the book, if you studied math, its all laid out for you.

[/ QUOTE ]
id rather not get teaspoonfed by some book.. All these guys claiming 'omg i broke even for 100k hands, sick variance' are just doing it wrong. So unless 3 hands per hour in tough live game 2 years breaking even is impossible for a great player.

[/ QUOTE ]

Like I say, buy the book, it is a brilliant work which allowed me to reconcile playing poker with the inevitable losses that occur. I also was able to relate this to the stock market, investing, and the events that happen in my life.

I admit, the math is not for everybody, but I got through it referring back to my college and grad school statistics books. It helped me produce a ton of money in poker and the stock market, as well as deal with difficult people and difficult situations, when at points I was seriously considering throwing in the towel.

All of that from a gambling theory book.
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