Advice for someone on a losing streak

Hey everyone,

I've been playing regularly online for a few months now. About a month ago I read Small Stakes Hold'em. I had always been around a break-even player before then. After reading the book, I went on a massive winning streak for about two weeks and moved to the $1 - 2 tables from the $0.25 - 0.50 tables. Then, the two weeks after that I have been on a massive losing streak. I have lost about half of what I won in the first two weeks. It seems like the only game I can beat these days is the $0.25 - 0.50, which is insane! It seems like all of the pots I win are tiny and everyone folds to me on the flop. Then, the ones I lose are massive and eat all of my profits for the session.

For example, I was just playing a $0.50 - 1 table and was up about $10 in about 30 minutes. Then I got pocket 9s and made a set on the flop. So I raised as much as possible since there were no pairs on the board and the flop came rainbow. In the end, I lost all of my winnings for the session because someone made a set of Kings on the river. It's hands like these that are screwing me over here. I tried protecting my hand there, but there was no way he was going to fold his overpair.

I'm trying to figure out if I'm doing something wrong, or its just a run of bad luck. I've reread SSH and I think I am playing everything fine. Looking at my stats, I am now averaging winning about 5 out of every 100 pots and am folding about 80% of hands preflop.

Any advice? Maybe some questions to find out if I'm doing something stupid. Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

[shant]

It sounds like you need to learn about bankroll management, variance, downswings, and other beginner stuff. I would read the beginner forum and search for posts on the topics I listed. You should also stop thinking about poker in sessions, about money amounts won and lost, and about jumping up levels when you are running good.

Ok, I will certainly look up those things. I just don't want to dismiss my losses as "downswings" if it is really my playing that is the problem. You know what I mean? I'd rather discover a playing error now rather than when my bankroll is gone. I make sure to have at least 300 big bets in my account at all times. I believe that is the correct amount.

[shant]

The hand you posted is unavoidable. You are not folding a set, and he's not folding an overpair. If you feel you are playing hands wrong, you should post them. That hand as an example is bad because it is a nothing you could do situation.

Ok, how about this hand. Sorry, I couldn't figure out the hand converter website.

Dealt: AcKc
*** Pre-Flop ***
Player 1: Call ($0.50)
Me: Bet ($1)
Player 3: Fold
Player 4 : Fold
Player 5 : Fold
Player 6 : Fold
Player 7 : Fold
Player 8 : Fold
Small Blind : Call ($0.75)
Big Blind : Call ($0.50)
Player 1 : Call ($0.50)
*** Flop *** : 4c Kd 6s
1 : Check
2 : Check
3 : Check
Me : Bet ($0.50)
1 : Fold
2 : Call ($0.50)
3 : Call ($0.50)
*** Turn *** : [ 4c Kd 6s ] Qc
1 : Check
2 : Check
Me : Bet ($1)
1 : Raise ($2)
2 : Call ($2)
Me : Call ($1)
*** River *** : [ 4c Kd 6s Qc ] 10s
1 : Bet ($1)
2 : Call ($1)
Me : Call ($1)
*** SUMMARY ***
Pot: $14 | Rake: $0.50
Board: [ 4c Kd 6s Qc 10s ]
Player 1 shows Shows [ Qs Ks ] (two pairs, Kings and Queens.)

You did nothing wrong in the hand you posted, you just got outdrew, like in the set of 9 hand.
Like Shant said, if you're unsure about the way you played certain hands just post them, but don't post hand you knew you played them right and just got outdrew.

Gotcha. I'll see if I can find some where I may have played wrong.

Can't find any to post right now. Although, looking back at some of the hands I played recently I did find a few where I played really badly. So maybe I do need to look at my playing a little.

[kiemo]

[ QUOTE ]
It sounds like you need to learn about bankroll management, variance, downswings, and other beginner stuff. I would read the beginner forum and search for posts on the topics I listed. You should also stop thinking about poker in sessions, about money amounts won and lost, and about jumping up levels when you are running good.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to add some words of wisdom myself, but I think Shant pretty much sums up exactly what I was going to say and he did it in a much less condescending manner then I would of

What exactly do you mean by bankroll management? I did a search and didn't really find anything. Perhaps someone could point me in the right direction?

[Coolidge]

One thing I think is very impotant, is to stop playing if you think you are playing bad or getting tilty. Just take a break. Review the hands, see if you are making glaring errors or just running bad. Post or read some hands here. There is nothing you can do on hands like your set of 9's. It sucks, but be patient.

[HouseCalls]

This post (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=4017904&an=0&page=21 #Post4017904) from a few weeks back is pretty math heavy but the discussion on bankroll management that follows is a good start. Good luck!

[ajm36]

The condition you suffer from has a clinical name. It is called latent suckiness disorder. Latent Suckiness Disorder (or LSD) can strike anyone at any time, but most often affects those who have played few hands, and, after a particularly large winning streak which they associate with skill, attempt to move to higher limits while never having become a proven winner at lower limits. LSD can decimate your bankroll and your mind. LSD has affected nearly EVERYONE on this form. Fortunately, for you, there is hope--you have come to the right place. Those that have come before us have left the prescription which most try to follow. The first step is admitting you have this problem. The prescription is listed below.

1) Repeat after me: I (state your name) suck.
2) Drop limits
3) Post hands
4) reply to other's posts
5) Repeat steps 1-4 until your bankroll grows sufficiently to move up limits