Tough Week

[Cassidy]

I'm not a prolific player by any means, but I'm usually able to do OK at the $10+$1 SnG.

This week though has been dreadful.

28 games.

1st=4
2nd=0
3rd=1

Down $238

This has effectively wiped out any profits I made in Jan & Feb and it's more that a little worrying. I'm still ahead, but only just.

More often than not I can get near or on the bubble but at that point I almost always crash and burn with my first all-in hand. I've never had so many bad beats in succession and I'm seriously thinking of taking a break for a while. If I cannot win even 25% of my first all-ins (as has been the case this week) then I'm just going to become a losing player.

I know that my experience is far from unusual but any advice or insight on how to cope with a bad run would be greatly appreciated.

[lorinda]

28 games.

1st=4
2nd=0
3rd=1

Down $238

There is a typo somewhere, according to this you spent $308 on entries and returned $220, down $88.

Lori

[mackthefork]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not a prolific player by any means, but I'm usually able to do OK at the $10+$1 SnG.

This week though has been dreadful.

28 games.

1st=4
2nd=0
3rd=1

Down $238

This has effectively wiped out any profits I made in Jan & Feb and it's more that a little worrying. I'm still ahead, but only just.

More often than not I can get near or on the bubble but at that point I almost always crash and burn with my first all-in hand. I've never had so many bad beats in succession and I'm seriously thinking of taking a break for a while. If I cannot win even 25% of my first all-ins (as has been the case this week) then I'm just going to become a losing player.

I know that my experience is far from unusual but any advice or insight on how to cope with a bad run would be greatly appreciated.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't get it 28x11=308
4x50=200
1x20=20
=220
308-220=88 down

on stars this would be
45x4=180
18x1=18
=198
308-198= down 110

First thing you should do is look at your hand histories to figure if you are getting in with the worst hand a lot or if you are just unlucky, this is a very small sample and it can't really tell you anything without looking at separate hands on an individual basis.

Why don't you post a couple of hands you weren't sure about.

Mack

[UMTerp]

[ QUOTE ]

28 games.

...I've never had so many bad beats in succession

[/ QUOTE ]

Just keep doing what you're doing, if you're truly getting bad beats. It'll work out, and you know that. If your opponents are calling you with proper odds because you're so shortstacked all the time near the bubble, that another story though. It's possible you're not stealing enough in levels 3 and 4. I have no clue if this is your situation or not, but it's a common leak for new players that try to play "tight unitl the blinds get huge". At the lower limits, it's hardly a catastrphic problem though, and one that it easily correctable. Just keep plugging away though. A 5/28 streak is hardly the worst one you'll encounter.

[Cassidy]

Yes, it should have been $308 my mistake.

[kevstreet]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, it should have been $308 my mistake.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are missing their point. Your tournament entires cost $308 but your return was $220, so you're only down $88!

[PktAcesSoWht]

I know how you feel I have lost one third of my bankroll after a great February. I have only placed in the money 2 times in the last 11 for 3rd. I think I made to bad mistakes when in the money, by making a big bet on turn after making big bet on flop and getting called, obviously I was beat and called all in reraise on turn out of frustration I suppose. but really a bad call on my part.

I have been outdrawn in almost every heads up encounter in the last 10 tournaments, which is frustrating. If I hold top pair and they have smaller pair, they hit trips, or I have them dominated and they hit flush on river, or str8t on river. It is very frustrating for sure.

Every time I am up against someone with a pkt pair they hit trips, and the opposite has been true for me. I am sure the law of averages will even out eventually, but I can honestly say I have not hit a set on the lop the last 30 pairs I have had, and I have had opponents hit trips 8 out of 10 times against me heads up.

I play Poker Stars mostly and have thought of going elsewhere for a change of scenery for a while.

I have corrected my problems with my continuation and probing bets. It is hard to steal blinds when there always seems to be some loose yahoo calling or reraising forcing me to fold. Usually I have try a 3BB raise on Button, very rarely do I attempt blind steals, but then one of the blinds especially if they have big stack will go All-in and I have to fold my hand.

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]

28 games.

1st=4
2nd=0
3rd=1

Down $238


[/ QUOTE ]

Ugh. If you're going to post meaningless stats at least get them right or clarify them in your response post.

Also, you don't need to qualify yourself as 'not a prolific' player given the rest of your post.

Yugoslav
(For help with 'bad' runs read Irie's and Giga's recent posts - *easily* the most valuable posts so far in 2005. FWIW, whatever run you're on - even given your contradictory stats - it isn't even close to 'bad' yet)

[Cassidy]

[ QUOTE ]

I think you are missing their point. Your tournament entires cost $308 but your return was $220, so you're only down $88!

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not as bad as I thought.

On a lighter note /images/graemlins/smile.gifI can confirm that my math skills are a little better than my post may indicate.

[TylerD]

Great post, thanks.

[ColdestCall]

Usually I respond to questions of the "what should I do I'm running bad" variety by telling the poster to do something childish, and occasionally I'm serious, but I'm going to make an exception in this case.

The best way to deal with your current "bad run" is to keep playing until you are actually on one. Don't sweat your current 8 buy in drop - it's nothing. The sooner you REALLY believe that, the better off you will be.

[Cassidy]

[ QUOTE ]
The best way to deal with your current "bad run" is to keep playing until you are actually on one. Don't sweat your current 8 buy in drop - it's nothing. The sooner you REALLY believe that, the better off you will be.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the feedback. I get the feeling that the concensus of opinion is don't make a mountain out of a molehill cos you ain't even got a molehill yet. I can buy that so long as it doesn't cost more than $10 (plus $1 of course).

That being the case in terms of losses over a number games played what would reasonably be considered to be a "bad run" at $10+$1 SnG?

[lorinda]

That being the case in terms of losses over a number games played what would reasonably be considered to be a "bad run" at $10+$1 SnG?

Losing 12 in a row would be annoying, losing 17 would be a bad run.

A downturn of 25 buyins would be a bad run.

Lori

[UMTerp]

[ QUOTE ]
That being the case in terms of losses over a number games played what would reasonably be considered to be a "bad run" at $10+$1 SnG?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you actually lost $238 in the $11's, it'd be time to take a close look at your game. It's certainly possible for a good player to have a run that bad, but more often than not, a player will have some serious leaks if he dropped 20+ buy-ins at the lower limits (unless it's one blip in the middle of 1,000+ SNGs).

[skipperbob]

You better hope that Irieguy is in a good mood when he reads this drivel /images/graemlins/confused.gif