Stuck
 

So I’m stuck pretty bad this month. Three-hundred big bets and change, plus about $5K in assorted tournament entry fees. I’ve had downswings of that magnitude in the past but this one is particularly obnoxious for a couple of reasons. First, a good chunk of that was at 50/100 through 100/200, so the swing is larger than I’m used to in purely cash terms. Second, I actually haven’t played many hands of poker this month, between having my computer in the shop and resorting to one-tabling for a bit, spending the better part of a week in Vegas, and preparing for an upcoming move. So I’ve experienced this downswing s-l-o-w-l-y.

There are a couple of pieces of good news. This is money I could afford to lose. And I don’t feel particularly burned out on poker.

Nevertheless, I feel stuck in another sense of the term, in that I don’t know that my game is improving. The thing is, I actually feel like I’m playing reasonably well. I’ve always done things somewhat differently than other posters, calling down more in heads-up pots and generally playing a bit faster, and this has always been a high-variance style, but also one that has worked for me. I *have* consciously been defending my blinds a bit more, but I believe these are +EV plays and I hesitate to go back and tighten up for the sake of reducing variance.

What worries me, though, is that to the extent I have technical leaks in my game (I’m aware of some non-technical leaks like game selection, and playing too long sessions), I’m not sure that I’d be able to recognize them. This is especially confusing since I’m also not sure I’m doing anything substantially wrong at all.

I have considered perhaps playing some other games for a bit, most likely cash NL or some medium stud high, as sometimes this can be a good way to re-calibrate your card sense. But it can also be confusing, not to mention that it can trade-off with playing in games where I have a higher EV. I’ve thought about hiring Tommy Angelo. ;-) I’ve thought about taking a week off, which I might have to do anyway depending on the Internet situation in my new apartment. I’ve thought about moving down to 15/30 for a bit, but my ego hates that idea. The weird thing is that the downswing, as well as playing against some tougher competition, has really underscored my resolve to continue to improve. But I don’t know where to find the path toward improvement.

Thanks for listening, any comments appreciated.

-Nate

Re: Stuck
 

try inter 3/6, you can always make it back if you flop sets

Re: Stuck
 

[ QUOTE ]
I’ve thought about hiring Tommy Angelo. ;-)

[/ QUOTE ]

Nate,

I don't know a whole lot about your game or the levels you play, with the exception of the advice you post here, but I think that might be a very good bet for you.

Rob

Re: Stuck
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I’ve thought about hiring Tommy Angelo. ;-)

[/ QUOTE ]

Nate,

I don't know a whole lot about your game or the levels you play, with the exception of the advice you post here, but I think that might be a very good bet for you.

Rob

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, and it will get you to Northern California which is a very good thing too.

Re: Stuck
 

Judging from all your great posts you have a very good understanding of the game and a drive to get better. I'm sure you'll pull through soon.

Do you feel like you're getting outplayed at the big limits? If not I'd say give it a little longer 1-2 tabling before you try to step down.

Re: Stuck
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I’ve thought about hiring Tommy Angelo. ;-)

[/ QUOTE ]

Nate,

I don't know a whole lot about your game or the levels you play, with the exception of the advice you post here, but I think that might be a very good bet for you.

Rob

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, and it will get you to Northern California which is a very good thing too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which means I can hang out and get drunk with Nate more which is a very, very good thing, too.

Re: Stuck
 

I'm gonna contribute to this thread, only because its named after me [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Its pretty hard to play your A game when you're badly stuck and you're thinking about being stuck. You may deny its affecting your game, but it seems a lot of the time we have a post like this (like davidross's for example) the OP denies its affected their game until a few weeks go buy, they get perspective and thats when they admit it had affected their play.

I can't think of any advice other than play a less challenging limit/game, whatever, until you've broken the back of the downswing and you're no longer thinking about it. Save challenging yourself for when you're mentally relishing the challenge.

Re: Stuck
 

Hey Nate!

It seems at the higher limits many players start to know one
another, as I imagine the line for 100/200 is *slightly*
smaller than the 1/2! These people love to 3-bet each other
with 94o and push the newly entering players around with
what amounts to a very confusing style. There is much better
hand reading and play reading going on, and the weakest hands
being shown take pots...they KNOW when your AK missed...!

That being said, I think it was Giga who mentioned the -EV of
training people to join his limits (albeit he was referring to NL
Tourneys I believe). Barry G. is not going to show you how
to work over the SHOE and HORSE games he plays, simply
because he will not train his "enemies". I have only been
lurking/posting for about a year, but have noticed that as
you progress along the path fewer people want to share the
master-level techniques they either stumbled upon or
ground-out over the years.

At the highest levels, I believe the cards matter very little and
your opponents' tendencies, your read of their play and your
vault of hands you have played against "X" opponent is
paramount. I am not a High-Limit player, but I share your
frustration about honing your game beyond math-science
poker into deep-level and game theory poker. If you indeed
find a path to this info....please share!

I enjoy your posts and your contributions, Best of "Luck"

-ZEN

Re: Stuck
 

Nate,

You rule and have made me a lot of money and blah blah blah...

anyways as far as the downswing, that blows. I'm in a similar situation right now not in terms of BBs or $, but in terms of being put to the test as far as my biggest downswing at my biggest limit. so youre probaly frustrated which is never fun

as far as the learning, how do you find yourself learning the most at this point in your game? Are you reading many books? is 2+2 teaching you a lot (you seem to take the role of teacher a lot here, which is what makes me ask). or are you more in an introspective think about your game mode and reviewing using PT?

I guess I have no real advice, just sparking some discussion. thanks for posting

Re: Stuck
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I’ve thought about hiring Tommy Angelo. ;-)

[/ QUOTE ]

Nate,

I don't know a whole lot about your game or the levels you play, with the exception of the advice you post here, but I think that might be a very good bet for you.

Rob

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, and it will get you to Northern California which is a very good thing too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which means I can suck Nate's knob which is a very, very good thing, too.

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP.