Feeling bad on a heater

Nichlemn · #1 10-31-2007, 04:11 AM

It seems that most people feel bad when they're on a downswing. But now I'm on an upswing and while it can't be all that bad... sucking out every big allin pot I'm behind recently and never getting sucked out on allin just feels wrong. When I played the hand okay it's not so bad, but when I recently rivered a 2 outer for a 200BB pot when I think I played it wrong... it felt only slightly better than if I'd lost a pot in the same situation.

And all the talk of variance makes me worried that it can't run good for that long, "karma" will put me on a downswing soon. Even though I know that's fallacious, it's hard to shake off that I *should* lose at some point.

Of course this must sound pretty stupid to most of you. "Dude, you're up 16 buyins in a couple of thousand hands! I'm down 16! Does *anything* make you happy?"
I suppose playing well makes me happy. When I play a hand badly, even if I win, I'm not happy because I was -EV.

Beanos · #2 10-31-2007, 05:53 AM

Concentrate on playing well, i don't feel great when i'm winning if i'm not playing well. It's better than losing, but i just think how much i could be winning if i was playing better as well as runnig hot

fartman77 · #3 10-31-2007, 06:18 AM

when i suck out on a bad play, i usually laugh it off and say "damn...i got bigtime lucky..." psychologically, im sure some ppl would rationalize to themselves that even though it was a bad play, 'this happens to others often' therefore it 'simply was my turn.'

for me, a bad play would just put me in my place and i think to myself, "alright, i can't get lucky everytime...i better stop donking and play better"

to feel better about myself, it is natural to just think of this situation as "variance in my favor" and move on.

Johnes Benjamin · #4 10-31-2007, 06:37 AM

its very good you are more interested in playing well than results.
don't feel bad though, you'll run like [censored] soon enough

Wardfish · #5 10-31-2007, 07:33 AM

I try to ignore the dollar movements and judge my performance on the 'Sklansky bucks'. I find this stops me getting too cocky when on a heater, and too depressed when running bad. Its important to keep on an even keel.

When you get your stack in as a 75% favourite, treat it as a 1/2 stack win, (2 x stack x 0.75)- stack, whether your hand holds up or not.

If you are being lucky and winning more than your fair share, you get a false picture of how well you are playing just looking at the dollar movements. Looking at the 'Sklansky bucks' gives you a truer win-rate.

The only time the dollar movements are relevant is in deciding which level you should be playing. If you have the bankroll and you are a winning player (in SBs), keep playing at that level.

justaPlayer · #6 10-31-2007, 02:30 PM

What ^^^ he ^^^ said is all true, but QUIT NOW and never play again if you are going to feel bad for any reason while winning.

Your intellectual appraisal of your play should be objective, constant, and brutally honest at all times, and it should only be matched in magnitude by a relentless greed to win as much as you can whenever you sit down. To be honest, I don't really get these types who are treating the game almost like an intellectual exercise or a "challenge." Fk that. Make the money.

Albert Moulton · #7 10-31-2007, 04:16 PM

[ QUOTE ]
When I play a hand badly, even if I win, I'm not happy because I was -EV.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, this is good. Don't change this. Just try not to make as many -EV decisions. You can't suck out if you're already ahead when the big money goes in.

The point is that if you win having made a play that is a long-term loser, then you need to play differently NEXT time so that you make a play that is a long-term winner. When you suck out and when you get sucked out on is all part of the game. Learn from your mistakes, even when they lead to a "win," so you can get better.