Forgetting about the Bottom Line

[RedZak]

Longtime troller, first time poster.. decided to take the plunge and start posting... so onward...

So this has been a bad week for me. I'm down around 200BB. At first it was very tough on me mentally as I hadn't experienced such a run before, but I've been able to rally my spirits and collect myself. I won't deny that once or twice the repeated beatings led to some sub-par play. But I think overall I have done an admirable job of staying focused and maintaining a high level of play.

However that said, I have noticed that due to the large losses this week, I am monitoring my bankroll much too closely. After a few big pots or a few hits, I'm always checking the cashier to see where I'm at. When I'm climbing back toward my previous level I'm happy and when I'm sliding back down to new lows I can feel myself slumping in my chair. So can anyone give me any advice on how to break this bad habit. It was never a real problem before this downswing. But now I can't stop checking where my bankroll is at. It's annoying and it's distracting but I can't seem to stop.

[Pepsquad]

Well, the best soution I can think of is to move down to a limit where you bankroll can't be bumped/crushed by 5% or more on any given hand. This alone would allow you to focus on your play rather than your roll.

However, I suspect my advice won't be all that appealing to you. Unfortunately, if you're unwilling to move down in limits, you will probably need to live with playing with one eye on the cashier and one on the tables. At least until your roll rebounds to a point that the result of any single session will mean very little in terms of your overall bankroll.

Pep.

[RedZak]

I have a 750 BB bankroll for the limit I'm playing so I don't think moving down is really neccesary. A single hand really doesn't have much of an effect at all on my bankroll...

[jzpiano14]

Welcome!

There was a post, I don't remember where unfortunatly, but you can search having to do with this issue, kinda a poll of how many ppl check the cashier when they are playing and such, it did have a good repsonse. I think it might be in the general section, but don't hold me to this.

[Pepsquad]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a 750 BB bankroll for the limit I'm playing so I don't think moving down is really neccesary. A single hand really doesn't have much of an effect at all on my bankroll...

[/ QUOTE ]

Then you are in real trouble if you feel compelled to check it continuously.

Here's something you could try. Put a stickey note over the amount you have at the table. Force yourself to not look other than one time every hour. Could be fun trying to guess whether you are up or down for the session.

[J_V]

Don't look for one month of play. I dare you.

[RedZak]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't look for one month of play. I dare you.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is precisely what I would love to be able to do!... The problem is... especially during my current downswing this has been quite a challenge. Do you have any suggestions how to get rid of the bad habit... I suppose plain old discipline would work but apparently I don't have enough.

[Hillbilly Cat]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Don't look for one month of play. I dare you.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is precisely what I would love to be able to do!... The problem is... especially during my current downswing this has been quite a challenge. Do you have any suggestions how to get rid of the bad habit... I suppose plain old discipline would work but apparently I don't have enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

Absinthe. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Bill C]

It's hard to overcome worry about money. To a lesser degree I have that problem too. It probably began when you were very young and is more a part of your overall personality than it is of your poker personality. So maybe that's where you should be looking for answers.

For me, and maybe others, there's a hardening to it. When I first move up to a new limit, I tend to be a bit anxious and the bets seem large! But after a short while they seem ordinary.

Of course it seems facile to say "Well, don't lose!" but it's not bad advice either. If you lost 200BB it's not a bad time to check your game for leaks. Tighten up preflop.
If you play on line, maybe limit it to one screen for a while until things settle down.

I hope it works out for you. Hang in...

bill /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[IlliniRyRy]

[ QUOTE ]
It probably began when you were very young and is more a part of your overall personality than it is of your poker personality.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think your overall personality carries over to poker. If you're like me, and you're the type of person that's very risk averse, pessimistic and afraid of losing, then you've probably made a habit of continously checking the cashier screen. I have a eurobet account, the cashier screen is a little different than party, it's a really crappy pop up window and since my computer is also a piece of crap sometimes it can't handle all the resources it takes to open it. So I'm actually forced not to look at it, just so my computer doesn't blow up. Like anything else, if you want to break the habit you'll have to force yourself not to check. It will be extremely difficult, no question about it. But J_V's right, I bet you'll learn a ton about yourself but the result might be that you completely forget about short term results. For me that would be fantastic. No matter how much I make, I'm still constantly second guessing myself after consecutive losing sessions.

[Kenrick]

If you question your abilities or are sweating your bankroll, you will check the cashier more often. If you KNOW you play well and make good decisions most of the time, you have little reason to check the cashier. There's nothing wrong with being in the former part of that as long as you understand it. It's mainly a confidence/experience thing, and I don't know if you can get around without playing for quite awhile to the point where each hand is almost meaningless.

[Duke]

Bump Grisgra's post off the front page.

~D