How bad does it get?

[novamob]

I have been playing NL $10/1 single table tournaments at PP for several months now. I have been quite successful, but nothing absurd that I can attribute to good fortune. Usually when I get all in I've got the edge, even if it is only 55-45 in some cases.

The past 40 games I have been in, I have cashed in 10 (not good). I don't think I'm on tilt, but I just seem to be runnning into brick walls. My AJs runs in AQ. When I do get AQs and go against AJ, the flop comes AJ6. When I get JJ I find myself against AA. When I get QQ I get cracked by K8o. I know the odds of flopping a set are about 8:1, but I must have had 50 pp's recently and have yet to ping a set. You get the picture. I am running BAD.

Looking at it with a cool head, I can say I have lost to a 4 outer at least a dozen times in the last 50 games I've played. How long can I run this bad? Any monumetal losing streaks you've had would help me get a reference point on my situation. Thanks.

[La Brujita]

I have lost 12 straight games and 10 straight games on separate occasions. When you play long enough you can lose many if not most games getting in with the best of it. I had a three month stretch where I had to struggle playing solid poker to keep my head above water.

Even top pros have stretches where they can't make money. That is why you have to take some claims of huge ROIs and profits with a grain of salt.

[CrisBrown]

Hi La Brujita,

This is so, so true. Swings are inherent in the game, no matter how well or how consistently you play. There is a random element in poker, and there will be times when all of that randomness goes against you. That's why it's so important to have a sufficient bankroll to cover a losing streak. They're inevitable.

Cris

[heyrocker]

Here is a nice story of my experiences. I have recently built my $50 bankroll up to $500 playing one/two table $10 SNGs as well as various multis at Paradise and Stars. This took about 9 months (although when I stopped playing multis and started focusing on SNGs, it came a lot quicker.) In that time I have had two losing streaks of 12, one of ten, and several of 5-10.

This last month is a good example. Having gotten to $500 I decided to move up to $20+2 SNGs, with the proviso that if I dropped to $400 I would go back to $10+1 until I got to $500 again. As soon as I moved to $20+2 I dropped five straight. Then I dropped back down to $10+1 and dropped three more. Then I moneyed 6 in a row and moved back to $20+2 where I moneyed 4 more in a row. Then I hit a streak where I've only moneyed 4 of my last 20 (although three were firsts which has kept me afloat.) So after all that I have made $60 in the last month. I have finally (mostly) gotten past the rollercoaster and just learned to accept that if I want to continue to play seriously and build my bankroll then I have to accept this as a part of it. Certainly when you're losing you should examine your play and see what kind of adjustments you can make to your game. Just as often though its just one of those things. It will end, and someday you'll win ten in a row and it will all even out.

[DrPhysic]

This am in the PLHE $10+1 on stars, I catch 88 four times in 35 minutes. Win, Lose, Win, then this:
Flop: QJ8
Push
KK calls me
Turn: 9
River: T
RunnerRunner straight.

I hacked off the Poker God so long ago, I forgot what I did. I just hope he gets over it someday soon. (Maybe that's my problem, what if Poker God is a she?)

Doc

[Stoneii]

Nah, women are much less sadistic Doc. Has to be a man /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Moonsugar]

11 straight tourneys and no place. That is my personal record. I am sure I will break it in time (hopefully not too soon though!)