Keeping a positive outlook

[golfboy7]

Hello all.

2 months ago, 40k hands, turned 50 bucks into 2500 using PT and such, and 4 tabling the low limit tables.... .5/1, 1/2, and finally 2/4.

last month, 40k hands, and was break even (frustrating)

This month, 7k hand and I'm playing at -1.3bb/100 and I'm beginning to lose my ming.

I understand that variance is an inherrent aspect of this game (holdem, or poker).

But I'm wondering if there are any tricks that you all use to help stay positive?

Right now I'm focused so much on the negative and pouring over PT stats trying to figure out WHY i'm not seeing profits.

There's a post in the small stakes forum on the fist page by me. take a look there if you like.

[mattw]

variance is a bitch, friend. the long term is longer than most ppl think. hang tough.

[Sniper]

[ QUOTE ]
This month, 7k hand and I'm playing at -1.3bb/100 and I'm beginning to lose my ming.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are down 90BB and losing your mind?... time to drop down in stakes!

Especially, since if you are playing with Rakeback and bonuses, your bankroll should actually have gone up /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[golfboy7]

heh /images/graemlins/smile.gif i knoew what you mean.

It's been a crazy few days.

Yes because of rakeback it did go up...well not really, i use rakeback as a 'gift' to myself for putting in the man hours and I usually don't put it back in.

"losing my mind" might have been a little over the top. but I can't remember being that mad in a long long time.

25 mins and i'm down 50bb's

I play competitive golf, tried qualifying for US open and US amateur last 3 years ( didn't make it...but still) and I find that I"m able to let things go quite easily.

You have to be able to do that when you play this levl of competitive sports (golf especially).

But for some reason, everything just got to me last night.

That's why I posted here. I tried all my usual little stuff. Like 'singing,' deep breaths, lifting weights....u know, little tricks. And was wondering what everyone else does.

[DWarrior]

Maybe your game's derailing.

I know when I begain playing beginning of summer, I was doing very well, then it just kept sliding down. I kept blaming it on variance, but upon further investigation I discovered that I became too complacent with my game (as in, I'm SUPPOSED to win this money), and then I fixed it and voila.

Perhaps the 1st month you played tight, good poker. Second month you got used to the routine and began experimenting (like me), 3rd month it went too far.

EDIT: I don't think variance is tha big of an issue in low limit poker, where people really suck. You shouldn't have broken even after 40k hands because the hourly rates are so high against these fools.

[hellite]

I do not say this to discourage anybody, but people who think it is just so easy to beat this game will be gone soon enough. It really is that simple. The reason the pros harbor on and on about the minimal bankroll of 300BB-500BB is that you sometimes have to deal with terrible swings of fortune. The fact that you were break even through 40k is certainly discouraging. You could be a bad player, or you could be running very bad. The idea that you can't run bad for 40k is for fools and luckboxes. This could be the worst of it or it could get far worse. Just stay focused on what you are doing. Keep it straight while you play and only cry, punch yourself etc. while you are away from the table. I would also tend to stay away from no limit if I was running real bad and was "losing my mind".

[DWarrior]

I'm not saying it's impossible, and FYI, the 300xBB is to reduce your ROR to something like .01%.

If you're running bad for 40K hands, yes it IS possible to be on a really bad streak, but more likely than not he's just made some bad adjustments.

You're proposing that he hang in there and play the way he's playing now, I'm proposing that he reconsider some of the plays he's making on regular basis.

My bad adjustment was playing offsuit one-gaps and connectors, that really cut into my rate and I began to break even. I blamed it on bad luck, but let's face it, really terrible luck doesn't happen that often.

When a superstar pro talks of having a bad month, they're playing against opponents with the smallest edges, where the SD is insane proportionally to EV. At our stakes, it's different. If you've only played 40K hands a month ago, and this month your 40K hands are break-even, odds are you've made some bad adjustments.

I'm not saying you "can't" run bad for 40K hands, I'm just saying it's more likely you're f*cking up.

[Sniper]

[ QUOTE ]
"losing my mind" might have been a little over the top. but I can't remember being that mad in a long long time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, if you "feel" a minimal 90BB downswing in any way, drop down in stakes immediately... you are not psychologically ready for the stakes you are trying to play!

[Perseus]

I'm over 1bb/100 over 200k hands and have had a 50k hand breakeven streak.

It's a good thing when I went 11bb/100 for 10k hands before the streak I didn't touch the money.

The long run is really really really long.

What you are going through happens to everyone. Keep your chin up and don't worry. If you are playing small stakes remember that the rake is an absolute killer and much harder to overcome than people think, but in the long run you CAN beat the game. Especially with rakeback.