What is wrong with May? (need comfort)

[arkady]

After a very very good April, I am struggling in May. After almost as many hands 3k short as I had in April, playing the same limit I am just about break even. Everything seems to be slightly more difficult. I am not irritated as it supposedly makes sense in the grand scheme of things, but this month is dismal. People I play with have strangely enough reported similar problems. Is May fish month?

I had an OK March, Great April - granted I must add that I mostly played on Absolute. But I find it bewildering that after playing almost as many hands as I did in April, I have done nothing short of, but provide Party with rake money.

I guess I am just venting, no actual answer is required - but it would make me feel somewhat better knowing that these stretches are more than common. Anyone?

[MAxx]

This thinking wont help you. It is really simple, poker players do have bad months. Bad poker players have lots of them. But even the greats have some bad months. Don't worry about it, just keep playing your best game. Be tough and don't ask for any more comfort.

[arkady]

bah, you telling me that good players have many bad months is exactly comfort. Once we know that we experience something normal, we feel better - I certainly do, even at the expense of sounding like a whiny girl.

[slogger]

No worries, man. I've been getting my ass handed to me on Party 3/6 this month (down 120 BB), after absolutely shredding the same tables to the tune of 4 or 5 BB/hr (over about 40 hours - obviously a very small sample) in April.

I'm combing through my hands so that I can post a few of my more questionable plays, but after a cursory review, I convinced that my game is sound and that I'm simply experiencing a downswing, perhaps accentuated by a new leak or two.

That said, my bad run has given me fresh incentive to analyze my game and try to improve - it's easy to become complacent when on a good run, so use your downswing as motivation to improve, even though you may just be experiencing an inevitable run of bad luck.

Hang in there, man! Maintain a proper bankroll, play well and you'll come out of it sooner or later.

[arkady]

Thanks for the kind words bro, the experience sounds quite similar.

Just briefly looking at PT, noticing that the biggest loser is AKo. Either I am playing it wrong or its just not connecting properly. Second biggest loser is KJo - both of these hands were strong before...rest of the game seems to be pretty much in line. The premium pocket pairs are still somewhat out of wack, with 99 leading the pack for some strange reason...but with 3k more hands I presume the numbers should stabilize a bit.

Whats your party name? Perhaps we can sit at the same table, see if either of us notice anything suspicious (pm me if you wish).

[LetsRock]

It happens. Just normal variance that is bunching up on you. You were probably winning more than you "deserved" in April and May is just bringing you back towards normalcy.

I had a dismal April (I actually netted a small loss for the month) and May started out just as bad. But I've had a couple of exceptional sessions the last few nights that made up for 3 weeks of hell in about 5 hours. I recognize that my relative monster sessions are well above what I should "expect" to make (it's really been amazing), but I realize that the hot cards are just balancing out for the cold cards I had been experiencing. (I've already netted more in May then I did in March!)

It's all one big session and the cards will find a way to level your expected earn to normal. If you're making mistakes, work on the leaks; if it's just the way the cards are falling, there's nothing you can do about it.

[ApolloQuiet]

The deck of cards knows no calender.