07-27-2002, 03:38 AM
Just had a chance to read mk420's post below, and thought I'd add a couple things before the thread got buried.
First, when I have a losing night I'm usually moderately depressed for about two hours or so. I drive home, listen to a Gordon Lightfoot tape, and ponder my place in this cruel world as the road stretches out before me. Then I get home, rub my lab mix's ears, and start to feel better.
So that's that.
But I will say two more things on this subject. First, the reasons why I lost play a big part in how I react. If I keep getting sucked out on, or overrun by fluky hands, then the session is behind me before I leave the casino. I don't even care. If, however, I lost because I overplayed a few hands, or because I failed to see that my kicker wasn't good in a couple key situations, then the loss stays with me a bit longer. So the way in which I lose is really more important to me then the monetary result.
Second, I think we do a disservice to aspring players on this forum when we tell them 'not to sweat it' after they report a sizeable loss. Now it's true that everyone gets their ass kicked now and then--- I won't argue that. But if anybody is taking significant beatings over an extended period then it's quite likely that their game needs some serious work.
I'll use myself here as an example. In the past three years the worst drubbings I've taken were a 45 BB loss in a 20-40 game in Denver, followed by a 42 BB loss in the 10-20 at Harrah's in Indiana. Outside of those two losses I don't think I've had a loss larger than 30 BB's. And this is over three years, and probably around 200 sessions, each averaging somewhere in the 7 hr. range. My hourly rate for 35-30 and 20-40 is 33$ an hour (I've combined my results for these games), and my 10-20 earn has been almost 22$ an hour over this same stretch.
Are these results typical? Do be honest, I have no idea. The games I usually play in tend to be fairly passive, so this may account for the low variance of my results (I also have only posted three +50BB winners in the same span). And yet I will submit that players who don't think much of a 50 BB bath are probably playing at best a high variance, low yield game that will either break them or burn them out.
I say this because the few winning players I do know have also reported a surprisingly small number of horrific losses. Again, I know they do happen. But the one REAL nasty loss I ever expeienced-- a 885$ whuppin' in a 2-5 spread limit game in Denver- occured at that precise time when I 'thought' I knew how to play, but in fact had an exceptionally long way to go.
Anyway, just my two cents.
Guy
First, when I have a losing night I'm usually moderately depressed for about two hours or so. I drive home, listen to a Gordon Lightfoot tape, and ponder my place in this cruel world as the road stretches out before me. Then I get home, rub my lab mix's ears, and start to feel better.
So that's that.
But I will say two more things on this subject. First, the reasons why I lost play a big part in how I react. If I keep getting sucked out on, or overrun by fluky hands, then the session is behind me before I leave the casino. I don't even care. If, however, I lost because I overplayed a few hands, or because I failed to see that my kicker wasn't good in a couple key situations, then the loss stays with me a bit longer. So the way in which I lose is really more important to me then the monetary result.
Second, I think we do a disservice to aspring players on this forum when we tell them 'not to sweat it' after they report a sizeable loss. Now it's true that everyone gets their ass kicked now and then--- I won't argue that. But if anybody is taking significant beatings over an extended period then it's quite likely that their game needs some serious work.
I'll use myself here as an example. In the past three years the worst drubbings I've taken were a 45 BB loss in a 20-40 game in Denver, followed by a 42 BB loss in the 10-20 at Harrah's in Indiana. Outside of those two losses I don't think I've had a loss larger than 30 BB's. And this is over three years, and probably around 200 sessions, each averaging somewhere in the 7 hr. range. My hourly rate for 35-30 and 20-40 is 33$ an hour (I've combined my results for these games), and my 10-20 earn has been almost 22$ an hour over this same stretch.
Are these results typical? Do be honest, I have no idea. The games I usually play in tend to be fairly passive, so this may account for the low variance of my results (I also have only posted three +50BB winners in the same span). And yet I will submit that players who don't think much of a 50 BB bath are probably playing at best a high variance, low yield game that will either break them or burn them out.
I say this because the few winning players I do know have also reported a surprisingly small number of horrific losses. Again, I know they do happen. But the one REAL nasty loss I ever expeienced-- a 885$ whuppin' in a 2-5 spread limit game in Denver- occured at that precise time when I 'thought' I knew how to play, but in fact had an exceptionally long way to go.
Anyway, just my two cents.
Guy