RUNNING HORRIBLE!

[PunchOut]

what do you do to get outta the funk....

best to take a break or play through?

what kind of mindset should i have.....i dont feel confident in my game and it is so irritating....

thanks in advance.

[Albert Moulton]

Take a break.

Make sure to have an adequate bankroll.

Don't play again until you stop feeling stuck every time you sit down from the previous sessions in which you lost.

[PantsOnFire]

Take a few days to read a poker book.

[creamfillin]

I find the best therapy is to play very very short sessions and just play "for the fun of it". That way when you start to get frustrated you can just stop playing and go read a book or something. When things start running a little smoother you can get back into playing longer sessions.

[holdme]

Think about the big picture. You win monies in the long run. Good. If you still get angry, stop playing.

[CarlSpackler]

Your problem is that you believe in something that doesn't exist. There is no such thing as 'running horrible' or 'running bad.'

As long as you always play your best game, use proper table selection, and maintain good bankroll management, you'll never 'run bad.'

'Running bad' is an imaginary construct players irrationally use to protect their ego, instead of accepting accountability for their own results.

[Edge34]

[ QUOTE ]
Your problem is that you believe in something that doesn't exist. There is no such thing as 'running horrible' or 'running bad.'

As long as you always play your best game, use proper table selection, and maintain good bankroll management, you'll never 'run bad.'

'Running bad' is an imaginary construct players irrationally use to protect their ego, instead of accepting accountability for their own results.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummmm....no?

If I always play my best game, use proper table selection, and maintain good bankroll management, that doesn't mean SQUAT for the cards I'm getting or the cards that come out. I'm not always going to win for a given short-term period because of that. What is it called when good players go on unlucky streaks if not "running bad"? The statements you just made are ludicrous. Bad luck exists, and its not something to protect your ego or anything like that.

Sometimes bad players overuse it and it does become an excuse. But a blanket statement like yours is idiotic. I would expect better from someone who's been around this forum for as long as you have.

[PantsOnFire]

[ QUOTE ]
Your problem is that you believe in something that doesn't exist. There is no such thing as 'running horrible' or 'running bad.'

As long as you always play your best game, use proper table selection, and maintain good bankroll management, you'll never 'run bad.'

'Running bad' is an imaginary construct players irrationally use to protect their ego, instead of accepting accountability for their own results.

[/ QUOTE ]
I like this post, well done sir.

If you equate running bad to bad results, then there are two possibilities. One, you may be making good poker decisions but getting bad results. This should be nothing to worry about since the only goal should be to make good decisions. Results will take care of themselves as long as you make all the other off table decisions (bankroll management, table selection, fixing session lengths, avoiding distractions, etc.) be good ones as well.

Two, if you are making bad poker decisions, again your results are irrelevent but this is a time you should definitely step back from the table and regroup.

[Mike MacIntosh]

This is going to sound crazy, but don't pay any attention to your results (which is impossible if you don't practice proper bankroll management). Instead focus on the only thing you can control; your decisions.

[CarlSpackler]

This response definitely reinforces my belief that you lack personal accountability for your results (which is very common for all players winners and losers). You sound like you could be prone to go on tilt as well.

[ QUOTE ]
If I always play my best game, use proper table selection, and maintain good bankroll management, that doesn't mean SQUAT for the cards I'm getting or the cards that come out.

[/ QUOTE ]

Outside of cheating, nothing you do is going to affect the cards you get, your opponents get, or the cards that come down. Worrying about it is completely pointless, and a waste of time and energy.

The only thing you can control is how you play each hand you're dealt, and more importantly, how you play your opponents.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not always going to win for a given short-term period because of that.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's very true that you can play perfect poker over a session, and possibly over a few different sessions, and still lose $$$ (this is a very extreme example and when I say perfect, I mean not making one single mistake during an entire session, which is rare). The opposite is also true and very common -- that you can play very poorly and still make $$$. It is this dynamic which allows poker to be profitable for players who regularly play better than their opponents.

[ QUOTE ]
What is it called when good players go on unlucky streaks if not "running bad"?

[/ QUOTE ]

When players say they are 'running bad,' they mean they are on an unlucky streak. I don't believe in luck or its cousin superstition. If you do believe in luck, and refuse to change your beliefs, I suggest reading Zen and the Art of Poker, where there's a whole chapter dedicated on how to handle your lucky and unlucky streaks.

[ QUOTE ]
The statements you just made are ludicrous. Bad luck exists, and its not something to protect your ego or anything like that. Sometimes bad players overuse it and it does become an excuse. But a blanket statement like yours is idiotic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here is the thinking that is getting you into trouble. You are attributing some of your results to this external force called 'bad luck.'

Back to the basics. You are undoubtedly going to have stretches where your winning hands are going to lose to worse hands much more frequently than statistically probable. Dwelling on this, however, will only negatively affect your play -- there's nothing positive to gain from this behavior. You need to fully accept all risk before you sit down and play, and this is easier said than actually done.

This is what I mean when I say you need to accept personal accountability for your results.

YOU make the decision to sit down in every game you play.

YOU make the decision whether or not to play every hand you're dealt.

YOU know there's an inherent amount of risk associated with every hand you play.

YOU know it's possible to lose every hand you play, no matter how far you're ahead, unless your opponent(s) is drawing dead.

Is it fun losing 80%+ of your coinflips over several sessions? No. Does it suck getting all in on the turn deep in a mtt and losing to a 2-outer on the river for the fourth time in the last week? Absolutely. But this is the reality of poker.

Referencing 'running bad' when dealing with your results is a self-defense mechanism. I know this is fact not just from observation, but also from personal experience in the past. Winning poker players are very competitive individuals, and it's very human to try and blame someone or something else when we lose. Out of all of the major obstacles to improving one's play that are discussed, this one is talked about the least. Belief in the 'running bad' myth is quite insidious, because you lose focus on improving your play, and instead focus on your unlucky streak. This leaves you susceptible to tilting and poor decision-making during play.

You need to accept the fact that for every upswing you have, you're going to have a downswing. It's inevitable. You can choose to accept this reality, or deny it and complain and worry about 'running bad.' Once you do accept this new belief and become accountable for your own results, you'll never think about, let alone worry about 'running bad' again.

[ QUOTE ]
I would expect better from someone who's been around this forum for as long as you have.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know I didn't give you the answer you wanted to hear, but I am trying to help you.