Patching my Leak

[LordLumb]

I play a 10 handed 3-6 game weekly and every week I get
to dbl my stack within the first hour hitting mostly str drws and fl drws.Then as I realize my stack has dbled I begin to lose about half of that which I had won.Given the consistancy of this I'm thinking that I'm making some small
costly mistake every week.Any suggestions about how to approach this would be appreciated.

[PokerBob]

[ QUOTE ]
I play a 10 handed 3-6 game weekly and every week I get
to dbl my stack within the first hour hitting mostly str drws and fl drws.Then as I realize my stack has dbled I begin to lose about half of that which I had won.Given the consistancy of this I'm thinking that I'm making some small
costly mistake every week.Any suggestions about how to approach this would be appreciated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Welcome to the forums.

First of all, you need to realize that you cannot get a really good feel for what kind of player you are until you get 10K hands under your belt. If you are playing in a live game once per week, that could take a year.

My recommendation would be to read "Theory of Poker" by Sklansky and "Small Stakes Hold'em" by Ed Miller. It also is a good idea to read the posts on this forum, and post hands that you played.

[Pokey]

[ QUOTE ]
I play a 10 handed 3-6 game weekly and every week I get
to dbl my stack within the first hour hitting mostly str drws and fl drws.Then as I realize my stack has dbled I begin to lose about half of that which I had won.

[/ QUOTE ]

Straight and flush draws are draws -- they won't hit every time, but when they do they'll pay off big time. If you have an open straight draw on the flop, you've got about a 31.5% chance of hitting your straight by the river. If you're not heads-up in this pot, you'll likely have the pot odds to at least call to the river, if not raise on the flop. HOWEVER, while this play is a money-maker in the long run, in the short run it's PURE LUCK whether you hit or miss. Let's say you get nine of these in a night and hit three of them (that's pretty average). If the three hits come first, you're going to be way, Way, WAY up. The six misses that follow drag your stack down towards even. Did you play the first three draws better than the last six? Did you "screw up" chasing on those final draws? Is there a leak here? It's entirely possible that the answer is "no," that you're doing absolutely nothing differently, and that you're just experiencing the usual volatility that is par for the course in poker.

[ QUOTE ]
Given the consistancy of this I'm thinking that I'm making some small costly mistake every week.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are some obvious alternatives that WOULD be leaks, however, and I'd like to point them out. Your "10 handed 3-6 game weekly" sounds like a live game, and there are some standard reasons why they might change over the course of a night:

1. You're having fun and relaxing with your poker buddies, so you have a drink or two. This alone can take enough away from your abilities to turn a winner into a loser.
2. Your partners "loosen up" as the night wears on and start playing more aggressively. Your edge against a passive table falters as the table turns maniac.
3. Your partners notice they have lost some money and "tighten up," dumping more losing hands than they did early in the evening. Again, the board texture has changed against you.
4. Newer, fresher faces join the table as the night wears on, but you just get more and more tired. Do you often feel exhausted at the end of a session? If so, your last hour of play was probably suboptimal, and possibly money-losing even in the long run.
5. After an hour, the freshness of the game wears off and your mind starts to wander. The concentration, discipline, and aggression you exhibited when you first sat down gives way to the "go with the flow" attitude that comfortability brings.
6. You play very consistently, and your table gets a solid read on you after a while, at which point your profits dive.
7. You have already "won big," and you get too confident or comfortable. You start limping with crappy hands, "seeing just one more card" after the flop, and "keeping him honest" on the river, despite the fact that you would never make such plays if you hadn't already doubled your stack.
8. After doubling your stack, you become overly cautious, trying to "protect your winnings." You stop playing marginal but profitable hands. You stop raising without the nuts. Your aggression falls off, and you start giving back money because you're "running scared."
9. Finally, never discount the possibility of pure, unadulterated luck.

I hope something in here is useful for you.

[LordLumb]

Thank you so much for the great advice.It could be that I perceive my winnings as their money but you've pointed out so many possibilities that are more likely.Once again,Thanks
Your advise WILL be put to good use.

[joeboe2001]

I know for a fact that, if I am up a bit, I sometimes rationalize bad bets by telling myself that the worst that can happen is I will come out even.

The upside rarely comes true!