Anybody else get like this during a downswing?

[meanjean]

I play okay. I’m at 3/6 and can pound people when I’m running well. I can be clever and get extra bets out of people, sniff out slow plays, and I feel like I could hang with anybody. When the cards are average, I’m still pretty good. I can make a nice profit winning 5 to 6 % of my hands. But when I’m running poorly I bleed BB. I know that it’s just a couple of bad beats but I turn into a monster. I’m over aggressive. I don’t believe that anybody can possibly have the flush or the straight. I guess I go on tilt. But I just can’t stop myself. I get full of rage when the next lag calls my QQ raise with Axs and hits a runner runner flush.

Have other people been like this? And if so how did you over come this anger causing poor play and costing you money.

To explain this more, I’m amidst an over 150 BB downswing. I never believed it would happen. But my confidence, is gone and my patience is too

[A_C_Slater]

Can you post a hand example of what you think may have been an overplay, or calling when you should fold?

[meanjean]

Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, Hero calls, CO calls, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, BB checks.

Flop: (3.33 SB) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif, J/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, CO calls, BB folds.

Turn: (2.66 BB) 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises</font>, Hero calls.

River: (6.66 BB) 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 8.66 BB

I'm behind any possible hand that could raise but I called down

[A_C_Slater]

Then stop doing it. You can't get paranoid that they're always "taking shots" at you. Maybe someone "makes a move" at a pot that's this small like one in thirty times (like some maniac) it's just not worth it.

[A_C_Slater]

I'm having my first 100BB+ downswing and I think I'm doing the same thing you are (overplaying) but to a slightly lesser degree.

Example---- from 3 hours ago, my last hand of the night.


5-10 B&amp;M Greektown 9 handed tight passive table (I've seen two different people limp in with KK, about 3-4 to flop on average, a few guy's are playing any ace, They are all quite conservative postflop.)


4 limps,SB folds, I check in the BB with Q /images/graemlins/spade.gif 8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

5 players--- FLOP: Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

I bet, 2 calls, 2 folds.


3 players TURN: Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif


I bet, MP1 (only raises with monsters) Raises, MP2 calls, I actully say to MP1 "(sigh) you probably have J9 or something, huh?" His eyes widen as he looks at me and now I am almost certain he has the nuts. I call anyway, hoping I'm wrong, while praying for my boat to hit.


RIVER: 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif


I check, MP1 checks.... Now I'm confused as I was sure he has the nuts, MP2 bets instead, I call, MP1 calls.


MP1 shows J9 (he just called with the nuts!) and MP2 shows J9 as well!


How can I be losing to these people?

[meanjean]

right...how is it possible? I've just crossed over the 200 BB margin.

but here is another example
Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with T/images/graemlins/heart.gif, T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 3-bets</font>, <font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, Hero calls.

Flop: (7.33 SB) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif, 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 2/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, MP2 calls.

Turn: (6.66 BB) 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, Hero calls.

River: (10.66 BB) K/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 bets</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 12.66 BB

I lost to AA but a good move on his part smooth calling my flop reraise.

[A_C_Slater]

I agree, It was a good move just calling the flop 3 bet on his part. This is what is concerning me. I like your line through the whole hand. Should he be folding this on the turn? Certainly not....right?

[Derek in NYC]

I'm in the middle of a -130 BB downswing myself online, although in fairness, this comes on the heels of a +300 BB upswing, so while Im pissed, I can't really complain. I've actually found the game less enjoyable (although as I type this, I am playing a single 5/10 table). Im going to cut back on my play for a while and do some reading. No more 10 hour all night sessions. Hopefully, I'll dial back the hours, and enjoy the play more. Maybe I'll even start winning.

[Stuey]

I get like this during my downswings. But I have been lucky and my biggest downswing up till now has only been around 100 BB. I say up to now because I'm currently -126 BB. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

I only play .5/1 and I only have 20K ish hands experience so don’t take what I have to say as fact just my opinion. When I am running bad I think I revert to my original playing style. Which was semi loose aggressive pre flop and semi passive post flop. Something like 23 % VP$IP 8 % PFR with an aggression factor around 1.75. So this raises the following questions.

Is tilt just the tendency to revert to ones natural playing style?

If the answer to the first question were yes would this mean a person with a natural rock type style will experience much smaller downward swings?

Lastly I would like to know if the duration of a downswing is important. In the past my downswings have been quick spanning 500 hands. This current one is over 3K hands and has been a slow steady drain. But at least I have been able to take breaks to review my play during this one. In the past I have chosen to ignore it and plow through. I would encourage everyone who posted here that they are in the middle of a downswing to repost when it is over. It will be over someday won’t it?

[BeerMoney]

Poker's easy when the cards are coming your way. The thing you have to realize is that a lot of hands play themselves, right? Some are easy folds, some are easy raises, etc..

Its how you handle the marginal hands.

I was in the middle of a giant down swing at 3/6 stud. Let me tell you, I'm still tilting from it in a way.. Playing more passive, scared, etc.

Its how we handle ourselves in the downswings that determine who we are as players.

Once you get out of this swing, you'll be a better player. Look at it that way.

Why wouldn't you think you would have big swings. Everybody on here posts of big swings. Why would you think you're any different?

Hang in there champ, it'll turn around.

[KidPokerX]

PokerStars right? Lol, I'm pretty sure that was me.
if so, sorry bro.
late

[SomethingClever]

Seems like a bad open limp, to begin with.

[jzpiano14]

I'm going through the same thing now -125 BB at 2/4. So I feel for ya. Just work on your game and it will get better in time.

[Demana]

If you are stuck in a funk and the downward spiral continually drags you down, WALK AWAY!

Take some time off. Walk away from the game for a week or two, maybe re-read SSHE or ToP instead. Then give it a go again.

[buffett]

h:/aaron/drawdown.bmp

As you can see, I am just now exiting my biggest ever (45k hands lifetime) downswing of 181BB.

EDIT: well, maybe you can't see the graph (can anyone help me with this?), but just take my word for it /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I agree with you. It really sucked, and I hated it. But now after my recent runup (only down 45bb now), I almost feel like that Boris guy in the James Bond movie a few years ago: "I am invincible!!!"
My hope is that after I play another 100k hands or so and experience another few 100+bb downswings, that they'll start to feel less and less crappy and I'll just kind of take them in stride (like a bad day at the office).
-web

[thwang99]

I got pocket Queen's four times within a short time period, and lost all four times!

Two of the times the pot was about 30 BB, whole table was in, capped preflop. Crazy game, BTW.

Each of the two times I lost, the flop was Q8xr or something similar. Lost to J9 when T hit, and T9 when the J hit. Pot was pushing $500 on the J9 hand (this was 8/16).

I lost several other hands with JJ, TT, AQ, etc, had to rebuy THREE times at that table! ($400 buyin each time).

Overall I'm still happy because I think I played well, and I kept pushing my strong hands, knowing I was going to experience huge variance.

[buffett]

Finally figured out how to add a picture to my post. This is my drawdown graph (in BBs) halfway through my crawling out of the 182BB hole. That was a couple of weeks ago, and I'm now at an all-time high again (it feels good).

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/buffett/drawdown.bmp

EDIT: OK, so I didn't figure out how to add the picture. Just go here (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/buffett/drawdown.bmp) if you want to see it.

-web