How to deal with a down swing? (tilt).

[wrongshui]

How do you guys deal with a serious downswing? I've on cashed in probably 4 in the last 40 sngs, when before that I had a solid 40+ ITM on 11s and 22s, with a good sample size.

After more bad beats, and cold cards last night, I just ended up tilting like I do often... and playing limit over my roll....

$1000 to $107 in 3 days.

How do you guys control tilt? I have a very hard time thinking of beats as... "thats poker".

What should I do in the short term? Take off a month from poker, and build a roll with my dayjob, to try again later?

Is 50x bb enough to combat the variance, if I find a way to stick with it to the end?

I love poker, I love sngs.... Along with my ADD, Im just not controlled enough... Anyone have this problem and overcame it?

[chisness]

just played 118 sngs this morning, felt like driving and hitting every red light or luck equal to the opposite of winning the lottery

when i'm losing i like to just keep playing and it seems that once a hand actually holds up all faith is restored again

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

Karak had a good post on this subject yesterday. Check it out
Karak's post (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=2747378&page=66&view= collapsed&sb=4&o=14&fpart=2#Post2755573)

[eastbay]

You've lost 12k in 1-2 years? Before you learn how to deal with variance, you need to learn how to be a winning player.

Play $10+1's until your ROI is 20% or more. Find another hobby if you lose another $1k.

eastbay

[MrBrightside]

I'm with you. I was playing 20$ and up to like $500, took out $100 to do some bonuses on other sites. I was 39% ITM. Suddenly, I can't win anything. went 10 in a row, no cash. won one (finally some luck, frankly didn't play that well), now like 8 more no cash.

I've dropped to 10s.

[wrongshui]

Erm, I appreciate the response, but did you bother to read anything in this post, and not the other one?

I've got a 20% ROI overall over a 2k+ sample size, for 11s through 33.

My losses are not through SNGs, they're through tilting off $$$ at 5/10 and 10/20, and some serious losses at 100 and 200 NL when I used to play that exclusively at the beginning of my internet stint.

First year was 95% of those losses, easily.

[AKQJ10]

You might also find something interesting in the Psych forum, since downswings/avoiding tilt are discussed often there.

I also made a post about ADD and Poker but that was a couple of months ago.

[FatTony21]

You need to rebuild a comfortable bankroll to support SNGs, and stick to them exclusively. 50 Buyins may not be enough if being down to 10 buyins will cause you to tilt and try to gamble at a game you're not properly bankrolled for.

If you consistantly overbet your bankroll, you achieve 100% risk of ruin. It doesn't matter how good a poker player you are. If you can't learn to conrol that, you're not a winning player - you're a compulsive gambler and need to seek help.

[DarrenX]

[ QUOTE ]
Erm, I appreciate the response, but did you bother to read anything in this post, and not the other one?

I've got a 20% ROI overall over a 2k+ sample size, for 11s through 33.

My losses are not through SNGs, they're through tilting off $$$ at 5/10 and 10/20, and some serious losses at 100 and 200 NL when I used to play that exclusively at the beginning of my internet stint.

First year was 95% of those losses, easily.

[/ QUOTE ]

Been there (similar, but no ADD). I'm a decent SNG and MTT player, but if I take a bad beat or twelve (and I happen to be drinking at the time, oops! /images/graemlins/blush.gif) the logical solution seems to be $1000 PL Omaha Hi-lo (which I have no business playing on my bankroll OR with my PL Omaha skillset). Well, after a couple devastating losses, it's permanently off my agenda. When I'm tempted, I just remember how I felt the last time I tilted and realize the variance I got on the day can easily be made up in the next few...

Learn from my mistakes and stick to your strengths. Oh yeah, and say no to 'pot'... /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[wrongshui]

Awesome first post, great advice, I appreciate it very much!!!

[sbpngg]

Use to have the same problem. Won $ at the SNG's and than thought I was GOD and went and lost it playing no-limit.

1st thing I did was stop drinking when I play. Man Miller LIght owes me some $$$$!

2nd is promise yourself you will never play ring games again. NEVER!!!! I have not played in a ring game for 6 months now and my profits are WAAAYYYY Up!

3rd Play in a MTT once or twice a week. This helps with the boredom of only playing SNG's

Has worked for me. And I believe my game has become more disciplined also.

Good Luck
spngbbch

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
Play $10+1's until your ROI is 20% or more. Find another hobby if you lose another $1k.

eastbay

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. I keep saying that typically people tend to move up too quickly. Learn, beat up on the bad players, build up your bankroll. If you can't beat the 11s for 20%, don't move up.

Personally, I've made about $9000 in the last year playing SNGs (11s and 22s), and I've lost about $1000 in a few trips to the B&M casino playing 4-8 limit. I don't think I suck at limit (very possible though) but since I've found something that I'm a winner at, I'm sticking with it and avoiding everything else.

Sounds like you need to be very careful though - not to preach, but like the other guy said, you might have a gambling problem. If that's the case, quit altogether.

[skipperbob]

[ QUOTE ]
you might have a gambling problem. If that's the case, quit altogether.

[/ QUOTE ]

NO PROBLEM /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[11t]

I'm a pretty cool headed person so I have never had to deal with tilt. The only thing that really upsets me is my own awful play.

I learned a lot about keeping focus and maintaining control over my emotions from reading stuff about eastern warrior culture and the art of war by Sun Tzu.

It sounds lame but it helped.

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
you might have a gambling problem. If that's the case, quit altogether.

[/ QUOTE ]


[ QUOTE ]
NO PROBLEM
/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds kind of simplistic, but what else can you tell somebody who blows through their money by playing above their B/R? If someone does have gambling problem (which I'm not saying he does, but some signs are there) the only solution is to quit altogether. The OP was talking about tilting, playing above his B/R, losing alot of money, and then is thinking about replenishing his B/R again. If he continues the same cycle, that would be a gambling problem, IMO. No shame in it if that's the case, but what other advice would you give someone who does have a gambling problem?

Not trying to be argumentative, but if you have a better solution, I'd love to hear it. (I have a friend who has an obvious gambling problem and we're kind of at a loss for how to get the guy to stop...)

[luckybeans]

Does not sound lame at all 11t. In fact, Tournament Poker and The Art of War is an excellent book applying the concepts of Sun Tzu to tournament poker.

[wrongshui]

I most definately do have a gambling problem... I grew up with my family always going to vegas, cruises, etc. etc... and in the 5 years since I've been legal, I've been to vegas 15+ times (I live in Texas).

But, I really think its something I can overcome, and I think that getting a controlled gambling system going, especially for SNGs, is the answer...

I'm going to work on being calm when taking bad beats... I'd really love to be the guy that says... Thats poker, you win some, you lose some... after losing.

I do appreciate the comments, though I dont think its serious enough to affect my life overall. I do well on money regardless of my efforts online.

[skipperbob]

[ QUOTE ]
Not trying to be argumentative, but if you have a better solution, I'd love to hear it. (I have a friend who has an obvious gambling problem and we're kind of at a loss for how to get the guy to stop.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, or trite, either. Being a compulsive gambler is a very serious problem; I should know, /images/graemlins/frown.gif"I R 1" /images/graemlins/frown.gif......That's why I replied "No Problem" to the "Just Quit" advice...If he's a compulsive gambler, (not that there's anything wrong with that), then IMO there's only one way to deal with it & that's to admit that "I have a problem" and to seek help in GA...I did; and I didn't gamble for one year...Then I couldn't stand it anylonger and went back out....Very serious problem which causes lots of other problems /images/graemlins/frown.gif /images/graemlins/frown.gif /images/graemlins/frown.gif /images/graemlins/frown.gif Losing $$$$ is the easiest one to fix!!

Or--Start Winning; that solves the problem too (Johnny Chan method)