How long can this last?

[Nalapoint1]

Thank you for info. I am only at 35,000hands so far.I am not too far out of line.

[pfkaok]

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I am only at 35,000hands so far

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down 300BB after 35k hands is Very likely more than just NORMAL variance... unless you are THE DERG in that game.

[jkinetic]

I see so many of these type of posts and I think to myself just another person complaining about bad beats and thinking why the poker gods are punishing them, but I know how it feels because I have gone through it myself just like every other poker player has or will eventually, just the way it goes.

This whole thing about needing 300 bb's is just bogus to me, I think it is some bs idea that Mason or David came up with to sell books, because if all these people out there realized how tough poker really is, rather than be disillusioned, they might think twice about quiting their job or school or whatever for poker.

Now others can debate whether such and such player has the game to make it or not, and eventually the cream will rise to the top, but I know of top notch pros that have struggled, I am not talking about tourney pros who couldn't beat a 3/6 limit game, I am talking about grinders, the true working man of poker.

I personally had a stretch where I couldn't win for 7 months.

One top Commerce stud player who plays 100/200 has made over 100k for the past 4 years. He struggled one year where the first 8 months of the year he broke even and then won 120k the remaining 4 months of the year.

I finally broke out of my 7 month drought and then won an obscene amount of money playing 50/100 no limit at the Mecca.

Poker is just weird like that, it is more humbling than anything I have done in my life. That is why I refrain from talking smack at the table unlike these young punks today, because you never know when you are going to be humbled.

I live in LA so I know of and seen all these people coming in from where ever to try to make it as a musician or actor, they see it on TV or hear it on the radio and hear about and read about the lifestyle and want to emulate it.

Poker is getting like that too.

I was at the Bellagio for their most recent tourney and seen how far and what poker has become.

People were standing by the rail watching the cash games, asking for autographs from TV tourney pros.

Honeys were coming from the nightclub sweating some of the games from the rail.

YG's from Atlantic City, Miami, etc. etc. who could beat their hometown games coming to play the big games at the Bellagio only to be sent home with their tails between their legs.

I was playing 300/600 with a few these YG's and one dude lost his entire bankroll that he built up from online and AC casino play over 3 days.

This is hard, when things are going well I never forget the times when times were lean because this game is humbling.

[na4bart]

Thank you very much. This is the most honest and humble post I have ever seen on this forum. I too have been there. I know what it feels like when those thoughts of being the only one in the world who has crappy stuff happen to them creep into your mind. The self doubt, the wondering if things would have been different if only I had given the panhandler a buck rather than ignoring him, why does God hate only me. Yep, been there and because of that I never deride anyone for whinning or whatever. I understand how the feel. Currently at 5 months for the second time in 3 years. I'll come out of it eventually and hopefully retain the knowledge that it will happen again. Again, a beautiful post. The only good from all this is that coming through it tends to give one that special feeling of being a survivor where most fail.

[YoureToast]

A good followup to a good post....Makes me feel like my 1.5 month downward fiasco is nothing, and gives me a little confidence that I am not THE WORST POKER PLAYER ON THE PLANET.

[La Brujita]

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I call B.S.

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I second this.

Edit to say, Jkinetic very nice post.

[na4bart]

I think the point here is that it does not matter how good or bad your poker game is...it feels just as bad to the biggest fish as it does to a top pro. Humility is a huge asset to any players game.

[AlexSem]

very nice post...

After having been in slumps of not being able to really win for 2 weeks, I thought that was bad...

Now I turn to poker as full-time and my first week, 10k hands, a bit less than what I usually play in a month, goes to hell, I drop 6k. It's totally unbelievable...


Bottom line is, everyone has shitty days, shitty weeks and even shitty months, too bad [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Nalapoint1]

Thanks for all of the responses.Glad to know this is normal. On a side note i decided to go to the casino thinking maybe this online poker is rigged conspiracy has some merit. Played $5 NL and got outdrawn all day along with 3 of the regulars.They were pissed! The 3 big pocket pairs were getting cracked by the fish all day long.At that point I realized that online cards were just as random as B & M and I posted those thoughts on this forum.

[BoxTree]

[ QUOTE ]
This whole thing about needing 300 bb's is just bogus to me, I think it is some bs idea that Mason or David came up with to sell books, because if all these people out there realized how tough poker really is, rather than be disillusioned, they might think twice about quiting their job or school or whatever for poker.

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300 BB's is enough to cover swings 95% of the time. You could be playing perfectly, lose over 300 BB's, and still not be contradicting "some bs idea that Mason or David came up with." It'll happen to 1 in 20.

If you'd like to be convinced of why 300 BB's is not some arbitrary number, please head to the Probability forum or just pick up Mason's book on Gambling Theory and Other Topics.