What do you do when running bad?

[Chasinjason]

Obviously i'm running incredibly bad right now and have been for about a month.
Previously a 30 roi player over around 1k tourneys, last month i've been in the minus. Never been one to tilt easily, however now i'm starting to, my game is beginning to suffer as I frantically look around for what i'm doing wrong, things that worked before, aren't.

So, what do you all do when you are running bad? any tips on getting out of it

[pshreck]

How long is your downstreak?

[captZEEbo1]

When I run bad, I get super depressed and curse a lot. I don't know if this is the optimal way to handle it though /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Maybe you could post some complete hand histories and we can give comments if we see any flaws with your game. Maybe you could also post some results too, are you frequently getting busted early? Are you missing ITM decently often, and just not getting those ever-so-important 1sts?

[Irieguy]

I have tried 3 approaches:

1. Take a break- can't stand that one. It involves not playing poker, and that makes me even more unpleasant than running bad.

2. Play through it. This is actually the best approach if you are a Zen master and have nads of steal. It works. You are a winner and your success is a statistical inevitability, so just keep playing your A game and it will turn around. This doesn't work for me because I am only a Zen master when I'm winning, and I have nads of mush.

3. Move down. This is a very good plan if you can't swallow #2. This has several advantages: first, if you keep running badly, you lose less. Second, when you move down, you increase your ITM%. This decreases the probability of a losing stream, and that's good. Lastly, you are more likely to notice a difference in opponents' skill when you move down than when you move up. You will be happy at how much worse the players are at the next lower limit, and this will elevate your mood. There's a horrible downside to this approach, but I've found that it's not helpful to consider it... so never mind.

Good luck.

Irieguy

[El Maximo]

I move to limit ring when I get frustrated. I work off some bonus and relax. Limit is my fall back when I want to punch my computer. This week Im working off $550 in bonus while I take a break from SnGs. I wasnt running bad but I get bored and start to gamble too much. I need to mix up my games from time to time to keep myself fresh. The interesting thing is SnGs have helped my limit play. My SnG aggressive has improved and now Im more aggressive in ring play and making more money.

[ojsdaman]

i get very very close to breaking my computer...then i swear im quitting party poker...then i am back on 30 minutes later

[MrMon]

I agree, try another game, even at micro limits. Personally, I like 25 cent NL, $25 buy in. Or 1 cent/2 cent triple draw. (If your cards suck, might as well try to make that pay with a low ball game.) Omaha. Pineapple. Stud. Heck, even try a new site, you might find the other site suits your style better. That ought to take care of your mood.

As far as your play goes, if you have PokerTracker, now is the time to use it. If you don't, now is the time to get it. This long a losing streak means something has probably gone wrong, and you need a tool to evaluate. Or perhaps to confirm this really is just bad luck. Even Tiger Woods has to get his swing tuned up by a coach now and then. All of us can get into bad habits at the table, so replay and evaluate what has happened. You might be surprised at what you find.

[citanul]

Yeah, I do a lot of sulking and IMing people about my bad beats when I run bad for more than 3 days at a stretch. Then again, no one likes that, so I'm trying to cut down.

In all seriousness:

Take a break, think about something other than poker. The break should be a minimum of a weekend in length. I'm sure you have another hobby, do that for a bit. If you're playing for a living, well, still take a break. Break times are figured in to your average win rate per hour or month or whatever. Or at least they should be when you decide to go pro.

If you're not a "take a break" kind of person, Take a break anyway. But if you simply must have poker around, spend the break thinking, but not playing. Read a book or two, or hit the forums hard. Post some hands you've been meaning to post, but haven't. Bump some old threads, with questions you had but never asked. Etc.

And, since it inspired such glee when I said it before: Get laid or something.

No one's ever been all that hurt by a good 24 hour drunk either, so you could try that, if you're legal.

citanul

[Big Limpin']

Go for a jog. It clears your mind, and gets your blood moving. Cures tilt.

[Chasinjason]

Thanks for the advice, I think i'll take a break over christams. I'll post some hand histories as well when I come back.

As far as poker tracker, i'd love to get it, but I have no idea how to work it, the trial version baffled me lol.

[MrMon]

Then that's what you need to spend your break doing, figuring out PokerTracker.

Seriously, in the 30 days after I started using it, my game improved immensely. (That and reading 2+2!) It might be mere coincidence, but I doubt it. Just not playing Q8s anymore probably raised my ROI by a point or three. /images/graemlins/grin.gif Invest the time to learn it, if you're playing Party you've already got the hand histories.