Fancy play syndrome PLEASE HELP

[cincy_kid24]

Lately ive been playing like a complete jackass, there is no better way to describe it.
From what I can gather i think my biggest problem is self-destruction and then tilting off money (cant beat dumb luck, that sort of thing), second biggest problem has to be what Caro calls fancy-play syndrome.
Over the past 2 weeks or so I cant seem to put together a solid, minimal mistake session. I am bluffing at the wrong times, and I am bluffing too much - the worst part is i cant seem to stop myself. I have totally obliterated every single piece of solid thinking that keeps me sharp while continuing to play recklessly like im stuck when im really not.
i hate to make excuses but one thing that has affected me negatively is that lately, for whatever reason, ive seen a lot of lucky winners and i mean there was literally no reason for these guys to be making money from the mistakes that i was seeing and that set me off on the wrong track and i let my arrogance take over from there allowing these donkeys to eventually beat me out of every play i made. Its stupid i know, its like a glitch in my game like when golfers get the shanks, ill start saying "Well if my AK cant hold up against this guys miracle 2-pair then i guess i should start raising w/ 62o"
PLEASE HELP (sorry to rant)

[diebitter]

stop playing for money. Assuming we're talking low stake limit holdem, Re-re-re-read SSHE and theory of poker. Get a reasonable emulator of real play (turbo holdem?) and play on that instead. Try it in both tight and loose simulations. Look at your progress charts/graphs.

Your aim is to retrain yourself to be TA.

When you go back, do not bluff, just play straight.

Keep a piece of paper with you while you play, and mark a notch down for every time you bluff. You're on the right track if you are aware that you are playing poorly. Every 30 minutes during a session, ask yourself, "Why should I keep playing?" Write down your answer next to all your notches, or post it on here. FPS is a money-loser, but it sounds like you already know that.

Alternatively, take a break to let the tilt dissipate.

[cincy_kid24]

the stop playing for money thing, thanks for that, thats awesome advice and seems like it should have been way more clear to anyone of reasonable intelligence,lol. Do you know of any free downloads for holdem simulators?

[mackthefork]

FPS is part of the poker players evolution imo, I'm not saying thats where you are, but its definitely a stage everyone needs to get through if they are going to be good one day.

Mack

[diebitter]

[ QUOTE ]
FPS is part of the poker players evolution imo, I'm not saying thats where you are, but its definitely a stage everyone needs to get through if they are going to be good one day.

Mack

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree. There's also a stage where you start to burnout, and card sense goes out the window. I think OP is at this, rather than just the FPS stage. OP needs to get core card sense sorted, hence my reading/simulation suggestions. Simulators let you get through many, many hands quickly - excellent way to restore card sense.


I shoulda added maybe take a rest after 'stop playing for money' though.

[cincy_kid24]

dumb question, whats OP?

[jb9]

[ QUOTE ]
i let my arrogance take over

[/ QUOTE ]
Don't do that...

Remember that while other players may make mistakes by playing cards with a small chance of winning, they still do have that small chance of winning and thus they will win sometimes.

Their mistake isn't one which means they will "always lose"; it is one that will cause them to "lose more than they win in the long run".

And don't bluff players who won't fold -- bet and raise for value with strong cards. Part of the reason "players who won't fold" won't fold is that they do not want to be bluffed out of a pot. They are playing a strategy that will always beat bluffers -- if you bluff against them, you are throwing your money away (see SSHE).

[ QUOTE ]
dumb question, whats OP?

[/ QUOTE ]
Original Prankster

EDIT: Original Poster

[Mr. Curious]

What is FPS?

Thanks!

[ QUOTE ]
What is FPS?

Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]
Fancy Play Syndrome

[Mr. Curious]

[ QUOTE ]
Fancy Play Syndrome

[/ QUOTE ]

So much for me reading the titles of the posts... /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[BruinEric]

I suggest you play low limits .25/.5 or .5/1 and FORCE yourself to play ABC poker. Practice decent table selection so you don't need fancy moves (i.e. don't play on tight sites for now).

Then FORCE yourself to abide by the SSHE starting hand chart for tight tables. Yes, this chart is "only" a recommendation and deviations are expected -- ONLY DON'T DEVIATE!

You get ATo UTG...you so desperately want to raise because you're cranky. DON'T DO IT -- fold.

You have 88 on the button. One EP raises, rest fold...you will FOLD. Yeah, you're grumpy, so you WANT to re-raise to isolate. Too bad. Follow the chart.

Then, play ABC poker after the flop. You've raised PF with AKo and get 4 callers. The flop isn't helpful. BB bets out, and a player in MP raises. Now, you feel in your heart that MP is a donk so you want to Re-raise to make it HU and then jam him off the pot, right? DON'T DO IT! Just fold your measly A-high and get them another day.

You limp in late with 22. 5 others in the pot. Flop doesn't hit your set. A player before you bets. You will fold. You will whine when your 2 comes on the river, but you won't care since you only had 2 outs to beat anything.

You raise PF and get one caller with JJ. Flop comes AK3. You bet out and your opponent raises. You will maybe call (maybe fold) and then check-fold the turn unimproved. You will hate doing this, but DO IT!

You will bet out on your flush draws when the odds are correct. You will not chase flush draws when the odds are not correct.

Play ABC Poker until you become disciplined enough to make "plays" when they are warranted. And fancy "risks" when it is correct to do with powerful draws.

[ QUOTE ]
Practice decent table selection so you don't need fancy moves (i.e. don't play on bad tables ever).

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

[The Yugoslavian]

Lucky for you there is already a very thorough and helpful diagnosis of what you're suffering from. More or less the definitive FPS 2+2 work to date (as far as I know):

Dealing with FPS (http://archiveserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=&Number=536137&page=4&view =collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1)

That should help....

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Yugoslav

[kyleb]

Please let me know when you are playing online and at what site. I will be happy to provide lessons.