How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

So I boot up Party to finish up some bonus clearing, and after about 1.5 hours, I'm down 90BB. Feeling like crap, about to take a break.

I'm trying to figure out where, when I get in funks like this, I should look at my game to figure out if I'm tilting, or just running bad. My W$SD is abyssmal right now, and it's feeling like I'm losing every single hand. It's impressive, but I'd really like to figure out if there are things I'm doing wrong, or if it's just the normal variance of the game (I'm primarily a full ring player).

So with that in mind, where do you guys look when you're having a royally crappy run? This is at 1/2 6max, if it matters.

Session stats:

Hands: 677
VPIP: 26
VPIPSB: 38.46
Folded SB to steal: 100%
Folded BB to steal: 38.46 (there weren't many steal raises during the session; I defended with Q9s, A9o, KTo, 66, 65s [multiway], 54s [multiway], and J6o [SB raise]).
Att to Steal: 28.93
W$SF: 32.35%
WtSD: 36.55% (is this high?)
W$SD: 43.68 (this sucks)

My biggest losers were A2s, 99, KQs, QTs, TT, A6s...all rather large losers. Down 95BB overall for the session, for -14BB/100.

What else should I be looking at? I've looked at a few of the hands (will post them) and nothing really stands out.

Rob

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

um....stats dont really tell you whether you are playing good or bad. if you get your money in with the best of it, you played good. if you get your money in with the worst of it, you didnt play good. the best way to find this out is to 1) wait a day, so the hands arent fresh in your memory, and then 2) review hand by hand in pokertracker. did you get your money in with the best of it?!

now, there are some sticky spots. there will be times when you put money in with the worst of it in that specific instance, but would expect to have an overall +EV in a situation. for instance flop AA overpair against a guy who 3-bet you with 55 and he hits a set. you're gonna spew a bunch of chips with the worst of it there.

it gets even hairier when you have something like middle/bottom pair in a headsup situation. you could be having the worst of it even though thats generally a profitable situation.

but recognizing those spots ONLY comes with experience. stats wont really help you there...post some hands

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

I know that somewhere around 25% is the recommended VP$IP for 6-max but maybe you are getting into too many marginal situations and are making mistakes when you do (especially if you multitable). The numbers kind of look like that, calling down a lot and losing. Maybe you could tighten up slightly or only play on one or two tables and then add hands/tables as you get more experience. That is what I'm doing, two tables and now a VP$IP of around 21%... and I feel crazy-loose. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

On the other hand it was only 700 hands so you could certainly be running bad.

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

90BB is nothing neither is 677 hands

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

Holy hell... i don't know how I'm gonna get my VPIP up to 25%.... i'm a hair under 20 and I also feel "crazy loose"... My kingdom for another 100k hands of experience at SH...

Freakin

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

[ QUOTE ]

W$SF: 32.35%
WtSD: 36.55% (is this high?)
W$SD: 43.68 (this sucks)


[/ QUOTE ]
For those 677 hands you are running bad, no question about it.

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

To echo a previous comment - go to Poker Tracker and replay your big losing hands. Try to figure out if you've made errors or whether the gods of probability are laughing at you.

When I am running bad, I open Poker Tracker and check my session stats - especially VP$IP. For me bad playing leads to a slight tilt - VP$IP goes from around 25% to around 32%. That is my personal clue.

But clearly, the most important thing you can do is review the big losing hands and second guess yourself. If on review you played the hands correctly - it is just running bad.

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

One stat that stuck out at me is 100% fold to steal from SB.

Over the course of 677 hands, at 6 max it sounds a bit too tight or passive...

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

couldn't tell you. i did play with you once and was left with the impression that you lose too many bets being aggressive with a losing hand when the pot isn't big enough to justify the risk...kinda like you have a hard time letting go until you're sure you're beat and by then it's cost you too much...maybe that's a faulty impression based on way too little data...i'm certainly not one to give expert feedback as my play still leaves a lot to be desired...and this was in a full ring .5/1 at a 2+2 table so maybe you play different there...or maybe i'm just full of it...

...hope this helps...or at least gives you something to check out...
Teresa

Re: How to best identify playing bad vs. running bad?
 

I think that might be an accurate description of me, though judging my play based on a 2+2 game is probably just the slightest bit misleading. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I'm back up today from yesterday's lows, so I'm thinking it was a combination of playing a few hands too aggressively (most notably overcard hands) and mostly running bad. I went back, at balkii and everyone elses' suggestions, and reviewed my play on my losing and winning hands -- I noticed that I misplayed (overplayed) a few hands, but for the most part I couldn't notice that much.

The aspect of the game I struggle with the most, I think, is the psychology. This is probably true moreso at the shorthanded games, where I have to struggle to not form personal vendettas, and have to work hard to remember to take things one hand at a time.

Today I worked much harder at those goals, and I think it showed. From reading the hands I had a terrible day yesterday, but a good portion of it was simply not hitting flops, which sucks. I've got to learn to deal with that.

Rob