Cerril
09-29-2004, 05:19 AM
Okay, this isn't a gripe since I'm a winning player so far... complaining about a losing streak in the green would be silly. (I also don't have enough of a sample to prove I'm a winning player, but I -am- in the green).
Anyway, obviously I've had a fairly bad streak (couple thousand hands showing a cumulative negative despite an amazing but short run of cards) or I wouldn't be bothering, but as usual I had an insight I had to share.
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Okay, most of you've stopped reading by now I'm sure. Anyway, what came to mind was a quote I heard at the beginning of my serious play that bolstered me a lot, and still keeps me going. (paraphrased) 'When you're running well you feel unbeatable, and when you're running bad you begin to wonder if you even know how to play the game!'
So pre-50k hands (at which point I think you can be pretty confident it's not a fluke), how do you all deal with the sorts of bad streaks that seem to try their hardest to tell you that you don't actually know the first thing about good poker (or at least winning poker)?
Many, many plays have left me questioning what I'm doing. I got off balance (I quit when I realized I had) when I made a series of 'good' decisions - either good calls or good folds - that were terrible decision. I was betting into dead draws at least three times, made a couple folds against two bets on the turn from hands I was freerolling against or had dominated to two outs... plenty more decisions that were more marginal but together just made me wonder if I was playing completely wrong. I'm not talking suckouts and bad beats. Those are more 'elementary' issues to deal with in a bad day.
---
Alright, if you're still reading I thank you since that was mostly getting the loss off my chest.
Obviously I know I'm not such a terrible player that it hasn't been plenty of luck. the sort of plays I would have been needing to make to improve my EV on those hands would have made me the tightest rock in some and the loosest fish in others. I also know that there were plenty of mistakes in there, since after all I'm playing to improve. But that's not the problem
I guess this might belong in psychology, but it works here as well. How do you break out of a slump where you're finding yourself second guessing yourself too much? Can some of you just push through to where the luck balances out? Should I be taking a break (coincidentally I have no choice but to take about a three day break starting at the end of tonight), or doing some reviewing of stats? (as I said the hands in themselves look theoretically right for the most part but look like terrible decisions knowing the result).
Thanks!
Anyway, obviously I've had a fairly bad streak (couple thousand hands showing a cumulative negative despite an amazing but short run of cards) or I wouldn't be bothering, but as usual I had an insight I had to share.
---
Okay, most of you've stopped reading by now I'm sure. Anyway, what came to mind was a quote I heard at the beginning of my serious play that bolstered me a lot, and still keeps me going. (paraphrased) 'When you're running well you feel unbeatable, and when you're running bad you begin to wonder if you even know how to play the game!'
So pre-50k hands (at which point I think you can be pretty confident it's not a fluke), how do you all deal with the sorts of bad streaks that seem to try their hardest to tell you that you don't actually know the first thing about good poker (or at least winning poker)?
Many, many plays have left me questioning what I'm doing. I got off balance (I quit when I realized I had) when I made a series of 'good' decisions - either good calls or good folds - that were terrible decision. I was betting into dead draws at least three times, made a couple folds against two bets on the turn from hands I was freerolling against or had dominated to two outs... plenty more decisions that were more marginal but together just made me wonder if I was playing completely wrong. I'm not talking suckouts and bad beats. Those are more 'elementary' issues to deal with in a bad day.
---
Alright, if you're still reading I thank you since that was mostly getting the loss off my chest.
Obviously I know I'm not such a terrible player that it hasn't been plenty of luck. the sort of plays I would have been needing to make to improve my EV on those hands would have made me the tightest rock in some and the loosest fish in others. I also know that there were plenty of mistakes in there, since after all I'm playing to improve. But that's not the problem
I guess this might belong in psychology, but it works here as well. How do you break out of a slump where you're finding yourself second guessing yourself too much? Can some of you just push through to where the luck balances out? Should I be taking a break (coincidentally I have no choice but to take about a three day break starting at the end of tonight), or doing some reviewing of stats? (as I said the hands in themselves look theoretically right for the most part but look like terrible decisions knowing the result).
Thanks!