Advice for losing streaks

[steelcmg]

Ive been playing poker for about a year now and have hit one of the losing streaks u get into where anything and everything that u play ends up losing. I know everyone here has went through this and i have before to but i was wondering what are somethings u guys do to cope with this i havent really changed my game no matter how bad the beat is i still try to only play the hands i play while im winning. But is it worth taking a break i know i had to quit last night cuz i had back to back full houses get rivered and i lost a decent amount of money. These bad beat sessions are what caused me to lose most of my bank role last time this is why i have started over and im really working on not goin on tilt but this is getting insane. What is one to do.

[Aaron W.]

[ QUOTE ]
But is it worth taking a break

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
These bad beat sessions are what caused me to lose most of my bank role last time

[/ QUOTE ]

[waynethetrain]

Been there. It's a terrible experience. The losing isn't so bad. It's the "how you lose" that's the killer.

You pump all your great draws and never fill.

Your TPTKs never hold against 2 and 4 outers on the river.

Your sets always get flushed and STR8ed on the river, but never fill to the full house.

If you flop 2nd nut flush, the 4th suit comes out on the river and someone has the A.

It's relentless and mentally draining.

I'm just coming out of a bad run like that. If you know you are a profitable player at that limit, just keep playing through it unless you know you are tilting. If you aren't sure if you are a winner, it's time to back off a little and see if you are making any major errors.

[UncleSalty]

Definitely take some sort of break. There are 2 methods that seem to work for me.

1. Commit to spending 4-5 hours away from your computer, and preferrably out of the house. I like to head to the mountains (I live in Denver) and do a short hike because the scenery really recharges my batteries and puts things back in focus. Otherwise I'll take a long jog and/or hit the gym for an hour or two. Getting some exercise clears your mind and works off a lot of the stress that builds in the background when you're taking a lot of beats. (When I'm on a bad streak, no amount of discipline or focus stops the frustration from building - I just have to go work it off.)

I find that this method can effectively erase the early signs of tilt, and allow me to go back to playing in the same day.

2. Sometimes the streak has been going for A LONG TIME. In this situation, I usually know from my mood that a 5 hour quick-fix ain't gonna do it. For me, it's just best to drop poker from my life for a few days. On a weekend, I'll just go out w/ friends and get absolutely wasted for a night or two. Party like Bob Dylan. Blow a short stack at the strip club. You get the idea. The point is, sometimes you have to just kill all the brain cells associated with remembering how much money you just lost. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

Clearly, method one is healthier and will get you back to earning more quickly. You will just have to figure out what works best for you. But, definitely take some sort of break. Your bankroll and brain cells will thank you for it.

[wrto4556]

Play more hands.

The more hands you play, the less variance(sp?) you go through. If you are able to keep your cool, pop up more tables, make longer sessions. I hardly *ever* have losing sessions anymore because if I start to lose, I just keep playing till everything is all better. Granted, some days it's impossible, but because I play so many hands, the losing streak is out of my system rather quickly.

PS. Keep cigarettes close at hand. Get snatch when you're done.

Easy.

[steelcmg]

Yup u hit it right on the spot i would think im a winner at my limit since i dropped back down from where i was at to start a bankroll since i only had 50$ but after 5000 hands i was winning 8BB/100 witch i know there is no way can stay at that but its still the point i know how band atleast 75% of the players are and yet they r winning all the money. I guess i need to just keep playing and deal with it i really think im on my way to making what i want at this game.

[David04]

I don't think this has been mentioned, but it is very important:study your game. You might be on a 200BB downswing for a reason. Post hands you are unsure of. Study SSHE, look at your stats in PT.

[UncleSalty]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think this has been mentioned, but it is very important:study your game. You might be on a 200BB downswing for a reason. Post hands you are unsure of. Study SSHE, look at your stats in PT.

[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent advice. I think the most sinister part of an extended bad beat streak is that it messes with the way your brain was designed to learn and improve. (See page 16 of SSHE for the example comparing learning tennis to learning poker.) The longer a streak goes, the more tempting it is to believe you are doing something wrong, even if your play is solid.

Studying during these times can restore your confidence when you're playing right, and identify leaks more quickly when your game needs a tune-up.

[ArturiusX]

[ QUOTE ]
Yup u hit it right on the spot i would think im a winner at my limit since i dropped back down from where i was at to start a bankroll since i only had 50$ but after 5000 hands i was winning 8BB/100 witch i know there is no way can stay at that but its still the point i know how band atleast 75% of the players are and yet they r winning all the money. I guess i need to just keep playing and deal with it i really think im on my way to making what i want at this game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Take a break and study up on using full stops in your sentences.

[steelcmg]

LOL i guess i should read over them before i post. Sorry once i start goin its hard to stop it from sounding like a run on.

[NAU_Player]

My way of getting past losing streaks

1. Get away from poker, clear your head.
Spend time out of the house. Spend some time with the girlfriend, etc. Be sure that when you are away, you are away mentally too. Don’t go for a walk, and replay that hand where someone caught a 2-outer that cost you a ton of money.

2. Review PT stats for the losing session.
I find that my bad streaks follow streaks of cold cards, and I start playing in hands I should have folded pre-flop. It helps to be aware of what you are doing to cause these streaks. If you are playing correctly, just realize that this is variance and your play will be making you money in the long run.

3. Be aware of your table selection.
You can be playing excellent poker, but if you don’t have the right table you can still be losing. Look at the FAQ if you are unsure about what to look for in a table.

4. Post hands
If you are unsure if you played a hand correctly, post it! Getting advice from people can help expose holes in your game. Just be sure that you are posting hands that will help your game, and not posting hands to get pity for your bad beat. Posting advice for other people is another good way to evaluate your play.

5. Don’t play outside your comfort zone.
If you’ve changed anything about your play recently, make sure that what you have changed isn’t affecting your game. If you multi-table you need to be sure that you aren’t playing more tables than you are comfortable with. You should also evaluate the level at which you are playing, and consider moving down if you are on an extended losing streak.

6. Change your setup.
When I’m on a losing streak, I play fewer tables. It helps me realize if my play is off. Some people like more tables because you become less results-oriented. Find the one that works for you.

7. Re-read your poker books.
I was on a bad run earlier in the week, reread SSHE, and my first session I was up 80bb. Now that could have been a coincidence, but there were a few hands that I just felt good after playing because I knew I played them correctly. Playing correctly and confidently is the key to winning.

The point of these suggestions it to get you to do two things: First, you want to know that the way you are playing is going to be profitable in the long run. By looking at your stats, table selection, etc. you should be finding and fixing holes in your play. Second, you don’t want to be playing while in a bad mood. When you clear your head and refocus your game you can approach each hand without thinking “watch, this guy is gonna hit a 2-outer and I’m gonna lose this pot.” Thinking negatively usually causes you to play less aggressively, which can cause you to lose more.

Good luck!