Ever have one of those sessions...

[AviD]

Where you couldn't catch a winning hand even if the dealer let you pick your cards! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Man, I was sitting at a lush 3/6 at the Borgata last night and had the most horrendous hands in 7 hours of play. Granted this is only a small fraction of "the game", but I found it borderline humorous (not really when you lose money).

Outside of my SB and BB hands (of which I played few anyway), if I played 10% of my hands it was ALOT. Those hands that were actually playable got busted up by runner runner straight/flush draws, 85o two pair caught on the turn hands, etc, etc.

In the words of a gentleman I played with the last weekend the Mohegan Sun's poker room was open...I felt like a toothless vampire at a blood bank!

I had reads and tells on every player at the table...but it was like I was fishing without a pole. The few hands I did play (like KK) were raised (and re-raised/capped)...only to have an A come on the flop and 3 players (cold-calling/raising/re-raising with Axo) to wring out my Kowboys! Hands like that were the average.

One big pot, I flopped top two pair, lots of preflop action...lots of flop action...big pot. I bulley out everyone but one guy...who pulls through to the river ala cold calling station style and completes the LOW-END runner runner gutshot straight.

Ohhhh it was a lovely night! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Realize this is complete nonesense in respect to "the game", but do you ever feel like some nights are just worth not playing? Last night I felt like I could do no right...no matter how well I played I was going to get beat down.

I kept this all in perspective and made sure I did not deviate from "my game" (i.e. becoming weak-tight) and just played it out. In the end, I am really not upset about it at all. I feel like I played my hands and the session well, was just one of those nights...

Sorry for the vent...just wanted to clear my head (after 4 hours of sleep and back at work)! Thanks for listening! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[chesspain]

Tis the season to be whining, fa la la la la, la la la la

[AviD]

Come here I'll give ya some chesspain! LOL

[Mike Gallo]

Realize this is complete nonesense in respect to "the game", but do you ever feel like some nights are just worth not playing? Last night I felt like I could do no right...no matter how well I played I was going to get beat down

As soon as your spirit gets broken leave. As soon you lose confidence, quit for the night get some rest and return another time.

The game never ends.

I have left the table when I have experienced one of those sessions when I felt like I could do nothing correct. No shame in that. Live to fight another day.

Remember those who fight and run away, live to fight another day.

[AviD]

Heh, but on the same token...I know the cards don't hold a grudge. I felt fine, getting a little frustrated...but my play was maintained.

I left once I started getting tired, especially with work the next day! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

P.S. Work sucks

[ElSapo]

As soon as your spirit gets broken leave. As soon you lose confidence, quit for the night get some rest and return another time.

But when you're hours from home and the bus doesn't leave until 4 a.m., I usually just head to the lowest limit available, order as many drinks as they'll bring me, and start calling out "raise it up!"

But, this also is a bad idea.

[Mike Gallo]

Heh, but on the same token...I know the cards don't hold a grudge. I felt fine, getting a little frustrated...but my play was maintained.

As long as you maintain solid play,play on. However if your results influence your decision making process leave.

For the record, I have played in great games for hours on end in an attempt to get money from my poorer playing opponents. I have had those session where I did get nothing to do battle with, and I watched other played filet the "fish".

[Homer]

Read my response to SpaceAge regarding venting in the Micro-Limits forum. He didn't appreciate it, but maybe you will.

-- Homer

[AviD]

Homer, I haven't read it yet...but I appreciate your advice.
I'll be back in 5 minutes, after I read it, chewing you out though...

/images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Homer]

after I read it, chewing you out though

You think you're kidding, but you probably will want to chew me out...

-- Homer

[AviD]

[ QUOTE ]

Every solid poker player goes through losing streaks such as yours, and quite often at that (a loss of >=40 BB's will occur ~1/50 times you play for 2.5 hrs online). If you are going to improve you will have to learn how to take losing streaks like this in stride, without feeling the need to post about it on 2+2 to vent and/or to gain sympathy from others. You must accept the fact that all you can control is the quality of your play. You must learn to focus on making proper decisions at the table, and let the wins and losses fall where they may. If you are able to do this, you will have nothing to vent about. If you happen to have a losing session, you can hold your head high with the knowledge that you have played to the best of your abilities, and have maximized your expected win for that session (and yes, sometimes your expected win will be negative if the distribution of cards you receive is poor). However, if you continuously worry about how much you are up or down, your quality of play will be affected and you will no longer be playing at your optimal level.

I believe that many players do not truly understand the fluctuations involved in the game of poker, even though they may claim to. Yesterday, I created a post in the Small Stakes forum entitled "Streaks", with some simulation results for a winning player. I displayed charts for "BB's won versus time" for 10,000 hrs, 1000 hrs, and 100 hrs. I think it might do you some good to take a look at that thread. It may help you to more greatly understand the swings involved in the game, and to understand that this -40 BB, 2.5 hr session means almost nothing in the long run, provided you don't let it affect your play.

-- Good luck, Homer


[/ QUOTE ]


Excellent advice, and in the time I've been playing I have come to feel exactly as you stated. In fact, I wasn't even going to post on here about it...but figured in the spirit of whininess (mostly to appease chesspain) I would! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I've definitely reached a point where I understand "the game" and the streaks (good and bad). Venting certainly doesn't help or affect it, and the most important thing is maintaining your game regardless of where the money lands (in your stack or someone elses).

Last night I can say, despite losing 50BB in 7 hours of play, I was not upset by the loss. I played the best I could with the cards given, and accept the loss. I didn't go on tilt, I didn't start playing more or lesser hands out of position...all of that ran through my head as I was losing and I just kept saying to myself to stick to my game and forget about the money.

Your advice is right in line with the way I was thinking, and I certainly do understand and appreciate it. I also agree that SpaceAge doesn't need to control his feelings on the game but more so better understand the game...because he certaintly seemed on tilt (and distracted...posting while playing).

With all that said, do you think a 40BB loss in 2.5 hours is a common streak, in that it is possible despite playing fundamentally?

I really analyzed my play last night on the drive home, when I got home, on the train ride today, and here at work...trying to see if I played outside the fundamentals and if I could have saved bets anywhere. I honestly felt like losing 50BB in 7 hours (~7.13 BB/hour) was alot...and I'm searching for hands where I could have cut that down but struggling to find any. Nevertheless, I'll keep searching and analyzing.

[Mike Gallo]

Homer,

Awesome post in the micro limit forum in response to Spaceage. Avi should not take offense to your post.

On a side note, I have enjoyed a very nice run for the past three months, since posters feel the need to share their bad runs, should I balance it out by mentioning my good run?

[AviD]

Well I've been on a good run myself until last night. My last several sessions I've been up quite a bit...which helped ease that 50BB loss last night! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Post away man...lets hear it! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[LetsRock]

Never! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

It's frustrating any time it happens but more so when the table is "exactly the kind of table you've been waiting for". Please, please, please, please, please give me some ammo! These ducks are just sitting in the barrel with big fat targets painted on their foreheads holding signs saying "shoot me. shoot me now".

Your fishing without a pole ananlagy is perfect. I was "trying to build a house with a screwdriver" last night. I've shown up to a nuclear war with a butter knife, and I've begged the dealer not even give me my cards - just muck 'em for me.

It's kind of odd how you tend to get three weeks "worth of good cards" in 3 hours and then have to wade through the swamp for 2 weeks straight. Ugh.

Glad you can keep your wits about you, that seesm to be the dividing factor between mediocre and good players.

[LetsRock]

I have to agree that it is much easier to handle a rough session when it's preceeded by a great run. It's when that session turns into a 2 or 3 weeks of pain that it gets hard to accept it. "Haven't I paid my dues this month yet?"

[Mike Gallo]

Post away man...lets hear it!

Nothing to say. You averaged a 7bb lose an hour.

[ElSapo]

I love it when Homer pulls out the "listen up, damnit" stick, and starts swinging it.

It's like, ok, charts and grafs and powerpoint presentation and Excel sheet and 19 years of collected data and 7 independent auditors didn't get my point across?

Bam! Out comes the stick. I gotta get a stick like that.

[AviD]

LOL I was busting the dealers' chops that I was developing a bad case of tennis elbow from folding so frequently.

Trust me...you don't know how bad I wanted some quality cards to play with that table! It was exactly as you say...you wait FOREVER for a table like that and when you can't get a piece of the action you just want to beat your head against the chair! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

One other thing I noticed that used to bother me a long time ago was when monsters flopped with hands I had folded preflop. I saw quite a few of those last night (boats, unbeaten flushes, etc)...but to me the folds were no brainers (J3o in EP, 29s in MP)..regardless of what came on the board. Before I'd be upset by it, especially with lots of action...now I look at it as money saved regardless of how big the pot was.

Patience is a virtue...so they say! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[AviD]

Yeah I think that's pretty bad...as I was saying to Homer...but I can't seem to recall many hands where I could have saved many bets.

[AviD]

It's great having Homer around! /images/graemlins/smile.gif
He beats you senseful! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Mike Gallo]

Yeah I think that's pretty bad...as I was saying to Homer...but I can't seem to recall many hands where I could have saved many bets

Sometimes it goes like that /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[scrub]

I think it's easiest to go on those big negative runs at really "good" tables. If you're a good player, you tend to be putting a lot of bets into pots mostly when you stand to be ahead. At tighter tables, you're either going to be able to tell when to fold without putting bets into the pot, or you ought to be looking for a table change...

The two biggest negative runs of my life have been at incredibly soft 6-12 games at the Borgata. I uset to get upset about losing 40 bb there, but then I sat back and realized how many BB a solid, aggressive player loses when he bets his flopped set on every street, only to get raised on the river by a gutshot draw that hit. Just one of those beats can cost you 9 BB or so if you played it right.

Good luck!

scrub

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
In fact, I wasn't even going to post on here about it...but figured in the spirit of whininess (mostly to appease chesspain) I would! /images/graemlins/grin.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

I hope you weren't bitching and moaning for my benefit; I usually get $110/hr when I have to listen to people whine /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[AviD]

LOL is that while sitting the 15/30 table? /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[chesspain]

LOL /images/graemlins/grin.gif