First real losing session (long)

Well, of course it was bound to happen at some point. In my most recent (my 10th I think) session, I came out worse than even (more or less) for the first time. I bought into my local 3-6 hold'em game for $60 and proceeded to lose it all over the course of three hours. I suppose that it's not too bad a loss, but the way in which I lost it really grinded on me. It was one of those major run of cold cards.


In 3 hours I only saw 11 flops. I won 1 pot, folded on 9 and went all in at turn on 1 (for my last hand of the night). I won the very first hand of my night (for a modest $20 pot) and then folded hand after hand for the next hour. Got a few playables after that, but missed every flop. This slowly whittled away my stack, especially since I had a total maniac on my left that trapped me for at least two bets on maybe half of the hands I played (in retrospect maybe I should have tightened up even more in front of him, but with so many people calling two bets, I figured I looked to win big if I hit any flops, which I never did).


Finally, with 26 dollars left, I came to this hand. Dealt KhQh on the button in a kill pot. Two limpers to me, I raise. SB maniac only calls (he must have had a really bad hand, lol) as does the BB. 5 see the flop in a kill pot, which is more than usual. flop comes Qs 2h 5c. Maniac bets out, BB calls, preflop limpers fold to me. I raise, maniac and BB call. Turn came 6h. checked to me, I bet my measly remaining 2 dollars to go all in with my top pair and backdoor flush draw, figuring I have to be a good favorite and maybe this hand could be a turning point for the night. But alas, the river comes 4d, maniac checks, BB bets and the maniac folds (common pattern for him to fold on the river). BB turns over 9c3s to take it down with the straight. At the time I took it pretty well, saying "good hand," not feeling too angry, and deciding to leave for the night since I was simply getting too frustrated in general. On the way home though it really hit. I can't believe he #*@%ing beat me with that crap. It was the perfect end to a draining night. On the positive side, I don't think I really made any serious mistakes except maybe getting trapped for a few bets by the maniac pre flop.


I just finally got a first hand experience of the swings of poker. Of course, I have hardly played enough to lable myself a winning player yet, but hopefully I'm on my way. I would be interested in comments on that last hand I played (was the preflop raise correct?). Anyway, I just thought I would share this new experience with all of the other newbies out there. I know I am always interested to hear about the progress of those like me who are just starting out.


Whelp

"I just finally got a first hand experience of the swings of poker."


I hate to tell you that you have not. 10 BB in a 3-6 game is about meaningless. I have a pretty low loss threshhold, but 10 bets is very, very small. Mason recently said his threshold for figuring he's had about enough is 50 bets. Mine is lower, because I have less experience, less ability to really see how much edge (if any) I have, and less bankroll. The last session of 15-30 I played I was stuck almost 30 bets and dug out to have a 2 bet win. I wasn't going to go more than 1K in the session, for various reasons and quit ahead when I was tired and satisfied with digging out. (Not how the best pros think, but whatever. I had enough and was happy.) I am new to mid limits, so I am in a bit of a similar position to you. The swings go up with the limits, but 10 bets is nothing at all. You will lose a lot more than 10 bets in 3-6 in the future when you have a big edge. Get used to the idea or you will have problems dealing with it. As I said, my loss threshhold is fairly low. But a better knowledge of how big the swings can be has helped me keep my emotions on a more even keel. This has helped me a lot. If I let a loss affect me as much as I used to, I would have lost that grand in my last session instead of fighting back. I would have mentally given up and just lost what I could tolerate. I think very few of us are at the level where losses truly don't matter to us, a la Feeney's article about not caring how you are doing. But it is what we should work towards. I am closer than I was two years ago, further away than I will be 5 years hence. What helps is better knowledge of the game and swings, and better ability to analyze the quality of your play compared to the opponents as you play.


Also, next time buy in for $100. Be totally willing to lose between 120 and 160. You will feel more comfortable. Even on a short bankroll, 150 isn't going to matter much to you in a short period of time.

Normally I would agree, but on this particular night, I went to the casino to unwind after a stressful day because normally poker does relax me. The bad day combined with the three hour bleed off of my money was enough for me. I usually do buy in for 100 and have been willing to buy another rack if I think I'm playing well but still losing. I actually did not have much money on me at the time of this particular session (not a good way to go about it, I know). Of course this was a very minor fluctuation, but it was the first time I left the casino worse than even and I just wanted to share my thoughts about it. I'm not really majorly traumatized after the loss, although I have discovered the frustration of having to fold hand after hand. I have set aside a "bankroll" of sorts for my playing which is currently at $600. I obviously am no professional, so I can easily replentish this if necessary, but I think it will be sufficient for now. I am aware that swings can go as long as -100 BB or more (although I think at lower limits this is fairly unlikely) but this is my first "mini swing." I actually have been down more than 60 dollars in a session but played back to win a few bucks. My main concern was to make a note of my first hand experience with a run (albiet a short one) of bad cards. I dunno, I just thought some other beginners might like to hear about it.

i believe 'ripdog' had a great post about getting thru your first losing session....cant remember which forum it was on. but it was really good..


b


btw...wait til ya hit the swings that lasts for a couple weeks, instead of just a session. THAT will be a test of nerves.

Raising with KQs on the button after some limpers is automatic. Do it everytime. You played that hand as well as you could.


If you've already developed the discipline to play so few hands when you're getting dealt garbage, then you've got a big head-start against almost all your low-limit opponents.

i lost over $450 in my first session. it was a 14-hour session playing 2-6-6 stud (weird structure). i had a blast. and i probably lost over $500 in the next month playing even more 1-5 stud a bit closer to home. then i started to read books, and started down the road to becoming a winning player. in a way, i guess it helped me to look at the swings realistically, and prepare emotionally. when i actually had a clue, and experienced a losing session, it didn't faze me as much, because i knew what it felt like, and i knew i had long run +EV in my game.


alas, i hate the fluctuations sometimes. i wish it weren't true, but like everyone else has said, you are going to lose more than 10 BB's in a session before you quit playing poker. and eventually it will be no big deal.


KhQh hand was played fine. you might have bought more chips before the hand started though. you always want to be able to pump your big draws, and have enough to bluff the river sometimes if it is the right move. there are advantages of going all-in sometimes, but usually you are better off having surplus chips just in case.


fun to watch the evolution of a newbie going through all the beginner problems. keep playing. you are well on your way if your 10th session is your first loser. (beware short-term statistics though)


good luck!!

In 3 hours I only saw 11 flops. I won 1 pot, folded on 9 and went all in at turn on 1 (for my last hand of the night).


in a loose game it is highly likely you are playing way too tight on the flop.


do you consider the size of the pot as well as what possibile hands you have?

I try to, although I won't say that it always enters my head. I will usually play for instance, one or two gapped suited cards from late position if I get maybe 4 or 5 limpers in front, or similar types of hands. The reason for my limited play was a genuine lack of decent cards. I really learned the difficulty of avoiding the play of hopelessly dominated hands when the cards are coming cold. In general, the best hands I saw were of the tempting (after getting nothing for so long) type of A8o, and K6s in EP, or 89o in MP. For a LL game, the table was suprisingly tight (meaning maybe 4 saw the flop on average) except for the maniac on my left, so I don't think I got proper odds to call too many of the few marginal hands I got (as an aside, my mind was eased a little by the fact that even my folded trash hands were almost never winners. Basically, nearly every hand I was dealt had no chance at all of winning). Heheh, sometimes I really feel like a beginner around here, but it's always nice to get feedback from more experienced players. In the grand scheme of things, I guess this was a mere hiccup, but nevertheless, I think it's probably comparable to playing full contact football, or ice hockey in that the first hit (big or small) is the worst. Thanks again for the support everyone.

Don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you beat yourself. You said: "on this particular night, I went to the casino to unwind after a stressful day". You know better than that. I'm not good enough to be a rank amateur at Poker, Blackjack is my game- almost everytime I went to play as an escape, I had my most brutal losing sessions. I might want to play, but it is cheaper to sulk at home. Now, I absolutely don't play unless my head is on straight for the game.


You will have plenty more runs of bad cards-

just don't to be at your worst when it happens. Keep your discipline.

I actually think it can be a detriment to win a lot when you first start to play. You start to feel like this is "normal" when it isn't at all. I have friends that had a lot of luck the first few sessions they played, and then later, when the stats kicked in and the luck went away, they became very upset. They had a sense of entitlement which had been fed by their early luck, which they misinterpreted as being normal. By contrast I had bad luck when I started (even worse than normal statistically), and although at the time I was bummed and envious of my friends, I am glad now that that was the case. I feel I have a better grasp of the game both strategically and realistically by having seen "the bad stuff" first.


Tim