PLEASE HELP REMOVE MY WIMP CURSE

[rloftin]

I start out my sessions strong and aggeresive.But if i start to lose this wimp curse comes out.I start open calling,check calling and not value betting the river. It is allmost as if i am trying to minimize my looses instead of maximizing my winings.I also have a tough time when i have a good hand and get rased.I go into a check call mode insteed of a check rase to test the raser. It is like i allways put people on the nut hand and stop being the aggeressor. HELP HOW DO I BREAK OUT

[Schneids]

You need to work on detaching yourself from the results of individual hands. If losing a couple pots is bothering you and effecting the way you would normally like to play, I speculate about whether you are playing at a limit too high for your bankroll. It is pivotal to not become gunshy in these games.

[Vazh]

The first thing I do is to determine why I'm losing. If it's because I'm playing poorly I make adjustments. If I'm playing ok but losing to better hands (i.e. last night when I flop a set of 8's and lose to a flopped set of kings) I might make a minor adjustment but generally just keep hammering away. If I'm getting sucked out on a lot then I start seeing monsters. This is my version of tilt.

Try to focus on the current hand only, but keep in mind what the opponent(s) have done in the past. If you get raised and think you're beat, fold, don't call down to confirm that you're having a bad session. If you think you're ahead then suck it up and bet. If a scare card hits the river go over the betting to that point, then bet [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[BIGRED]

[ QUOTE ]
If losing a couple pots is bothering you and effecting the way you would normally like to play, I speculate about whether you are playing at a limit too high for your bankroll.

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I agree with this statement 100%. I recently ventured into 5/10 6-max after playing about 10K hands of 1/2 6-max at about 4BBs per 100 hands. I felt pretty good about my game at 1/2 and wanted to try out 5/10 despite not having the proper bankroll. Looking back, I think... actually, I know, this move was premature.

Here's a hand from last night's play as an example of playing scared. At this point, my venture into 5/10 had been very bumpy causing me to lose about a third of what I had won at 1/2. Had I stayed at 1/2, the same loosing sessions I had at 5/10 would not have affected my bankroll as much (obviously) and I don't think I would have been flustered as much.

Anyway, here's the hand. Normally, I would play this more aggresively on the flop, but by this time, I was pretty demoralized from the significant down turn on my bank roll.

I don't remember the exact details, but you'll see the point. The suits don't matter.

I have JJ and its folded to me at CO.
I raise and both blinds call.

The flop comes A, K, x.

SB checks, BB bets, and I just call, SB folds. I think most would raise here to test BB, which is what I would have done at 1/2 no doubt... but I just call [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

The turn is the same x as on the flop, pairing the board.

BB checks, and I check. Had I raised the flop, I would have bet after BB's check, but by now, I decided to just see the showdown as cheaply as possible.

The river is a 3.

BB bets, and I call. BB shows pocket 3's.

I think there was a good chance he would have folded on the turn had I raised the flop and bet the turn. Do you guys agree? I know this play was 100% mental and I would have played it as I have commented if I wasn't playing scared. Maybe the same opponent at 1/2 calls the turn and beats me anyway on the river, but at least I would have made a strong play to possibly fold him.

[SpaceAce]

It sounds to me as if you're letting yourself get rattled by the results of individual hands. No matter what anyone tells you, I don't think it is possible to be 100% rattle-proof but you should not let a single hand or a single session get to you. Here is my advice:

First, step back from the game and go over hands that you've lost. Is there a trend such as you calling turn check-raises or pushing too hard with top pair no kicker? Are a lot of the hands you're losing with blind hands where you pair some of your trash and can't get away from the hand? Are you calling raises with marginal hands? My guess is that if you are unbiased you will find some genuine bad beats and unlucky hands but that you will also find a lot of one big bet and two big bet errors that you should not have made and that add up to a large portion of your losses.

If you see yourself making a mistake over and over again, try doing the opposite of whatever you've been doing. If you find that you've been calling a lot of turn check-raises because you have top pair and you keep convincing yourself that your opponent is being tricky, just start laying it down when the situation comes up. I am not saying you should always lay down to a check-raise on the turn (or whatever change you make to correct whatever errors/leaks you find) but try it for a while and see if your results improve.

Second, and I know this can be tough, ignore the results of a hand as long as you feel you played it well. Be sure to be honest with yourself when you examine a hand you lost but if you determine you played it correctly, just move on to the next hand. Also be sure to be honest with yourself when you examine a hand you won. Did you get the most value out of your hand? Did you allow a previous beat to slow you down? I know what it's like to be running bad and just know that the raise is coming after three-people cold call your bet but usually you have to grit your teeth and bet your top pair again on the next street. If you find yourself checking top pair, middle two pair, big draws and so on too often, you're probably not playing well and you should take a breather.

Check out the thread I started in this forum called "Six max strategy and gameplay adjustments". There have already been a few good replies and there might be something in there that can help your game.

SpaceAce

[SpaceAce]

I think the hand you posted is a perfect example of the danger of playing scared whether it is because you are inadequetly bankrolled or because you'v been taking a beating. I also like your use of the word "demoralized" because that is exactly how you get to feeling after a long (by which I mean at least weeks on end, not one or two sessions) string of hands where you simply can't put a winner on the table at showdown. When you feel demoralize and beat up, it's time to stop laying for a while. No matter what a player tells himself, he is not playing his best game when he is constantly afraid of what's coming on the next street.

SpaceAce

[rloftin]

Thanks guys some great advice as allways. I willtry some things out tonight [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[BIGRED]

[ QUOTE ]
When you feel demoralized and beat up, it's time to stop playing for a while. No matter what a player tells himself, he is not playing his best game when he is constantly afraid of what's coming on the next street.


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I'm now back down at 1/2 trying to recover from the nasty experience at 5/10. 1/2 sure feels slow after having played 5/10 for about a week... but at least I'm not afraid to cap my AKo from the big blind, if I suspect a blind steal from the button.