I'm in need of some serious support

[SoCalPat]

This is the story of my life the last two days.

I've got 77 UTG+1 and reraise a player who had just snapped my JJ by calling my raise with 72o and catching 77x on the flop. Two others call three cold and the flop comes 7JJ.

Turn brings a 6, river a Q and I lose to the player to my left who has JQo.

Today, I'm holding QQ on the button, raise and am 3-bet. Two others are in to see a Q23 flop, which is capped.

Turn brings an 8, and again, it's capped.

River brings a 4 and it's down to two other players, one of which is all-in. He turns over 56o.

Sets beaten by flushes, top pair losing to a rivered trips which was 2nd pair all the way. Etc., etc., etc., barf, barf, barf.

All this, and I'm down 100 BB playing .5/1. And I'm only seeing roughly 26 percent of the flop over that time.

Pardon me while I go out and kill myself. Only the fact that I'm up 900 BB since Nov. 1 is keeping me halfway sane.

Hopefully, some of you are killing these fish that are out there. Because right now, they're treating me as if I'm the guppy.

All apologies for the sob stories, and thanks in advance for listening. I simply had to vent.

[JohnShaft]

Pat I really don't like putting in 3-bets to isolate a bad player from UTG+1. I really don't like it. Isolation raise. Fine. But not when 80% of the table are left to wake up with a hand behind you. 60% of them with position on you.
This sounds like a tilt reraise to me to "get at the guy that beat me". Sorry if I'm wrong, but really, I don't like playing your hand the way you did.

The QQ hand there's not enough description in for me to comment, but the cap preflop looks like a possible move.

Your game is affected man, it really sounds that way.
As such the best thing you can do is take a few days off and come back feeling refreshed and energised. Much better than playing on like you've got a target on your back.

Are you tilting?

[Gravy (Gravy Smoothie)]

If you're up 900BB in two and a half months, a downswing shouldn't steam you. I just recovered from a week-long, 125BB downswing at .5/1. You'll get through it just fine.

[umdpoker]

sorry to hear this man. but last week, i was on the worst streak ever, losing 160bb due mostly to river after river after......now in the last 2 days i have made roughly 150 bb back. i still can't handle these crazy swings, mostly due to the fact if i bust out, i'm done with poker for a while. it will all even out in the end, assuming you have a big bankroll. good luck.

[SoCalPat]

Thanks for the response.

I don't think I'm tilting. I'm mad, sure, but I think most of the time I'm making sound decisions -- at least before the flop (hand 77 above notwithstanding ... and yes, it was meant as an isolation raise, but I'd probably be better served doing it with a better hand. If he's going to call raises with 72o, he'll stick with any overcard all the way to the river).

When I'm really tilting, I'll make a complete ass out of myself -- berating players, cussing, etc. Today, I've refrained. So that's a positive. And since I posted the original thread, I've regained a small portion of my losses. So we'll see how that goes. But the idea of taking a day or two off has certainly crossed my mind, that's for sure.

[JohnShaft]

I don't think I'm tilting. I'm mad, sure, but I think most of the time I'm making sound decisions

See the longer I play the more I realise there's a fine line between one and the other. And when I tilt I'm still tighter than everyone else at the table. Getting emotionally involved is not good in Poker I think. The more you can play without any emotion the better. It's like having that Spock attitude to playing.

yes, it was meant as an isolation raise, but I'd probably be better served doing it with a better hand. If he's going to call raises with 72o, he'll stick with any overcard all the way to the river
Actually I think that's not even half the story, though it is certainly a large factor. The fact that there's so many people left to act, any of whom could have a much bigger hand, is the thing that would most stop me from doing it.
If you do this on the button when it was folded to him in the cutoff that's fine, and completely different. Even if he will call you down.

When I'm really tilting, I'll make a complete ass out of myself -- berating players, cussing, etc.
I guess we've almost all been there. And many of us no doubt will be again.
Even if we don't believe not berating players is bad for them and the game, and I do, it is most certainly bad for our game.

But the idea of taking a day or two off has certainly crossed my mind, that's for sure.
I've done this countless times, and I don't believe it has ever harmed me.
Though I will say I often overdo it.

I think another factor could be when we are absolutely dominating a game we tend to assume we will always win. We then get really pissed off when that isn't happening. Maybe your great recent run has made this all the worse.

The higher we fly, the further we fall...

[DrewOnTilt]

Pat,

It happens. It sounds as if you are like me: just starting in poker, and learning at the fifty cent level. I'm up about 180 BB in about the same period but have seen some ugly swings, one putting me down as far as 160 BB in the hole. I'm optimistic, though, so don't lose your head over a few bad beats (unless you are at the table with me /images/graemlins/laugh.gif)

Just remember that the people who make stupid calls and crack your good hands are the ones who will catch a piece of the flop and call all the way to the river, while you are raising with aces and queens. The guy last night who limped in with T7o, paired the ten on the flop, and then caught runner runner tens to beat my sixes full, will ultimlately give all of that money back.

[Lori]

If you're up 900BB in two and a half months, a downswing shouldn't steam you. I just recovered from a week-long, 125BB downswing at .5/1. You'll get through it just fine.

Strangely, I tend to find that when the good run comes down with a bump, it's somehow more tilt inducing than having a nightmare session in the middle of some average ones.

Lori

[BradleyT]

If you're up 900BB ($900) why are you still at $.50/$1.00? You should definately be moving up.

[ProfLupin]

Just having the bankroll doesn't mean it's the best thing to move up. You should move up when you feel ready. In fact, you might argue that it would be a good idea to wait until you've overcome a big down swing like this one at a low level before moving up.

[BradleyT]

He has WON 900BB at this level. This level being the lowest level there is to play at.

It is time to move up.

[spamuell]

He has WON 900BB at this level. This level being the lowest level there is to play at.
.

This is not a good enough argument. If you had said something like .5/1 is not so different from 1/2 (I don't play on party so I don't know if this is true but I've head it isn't), if he can win 900BB on .5/1, he stands a very good chance at 1/2, that would be a reasonable argument.

Just that someone has won lots of money at one level does not mean that they are necessarily ready to beat the next level, and even if they are ready, some people enjoy playing micro-limits and may not want to move up.