So......I'm running bad.....

Evening All,

I'm writing this rather heartfelt post having run well for around a month only to find my self seemingly crippled by a bad run. I have an adequate br for 1/2 and 2/4, but after a good run I always find myself playing like a donk. The main trouble I think I have is quitting when running like this....I enjoy poker whether it be playing or studying/reading material. It's not so much a matter of tilt, of this I am pretty sure - I try to keep a level head when playing but often find myself in weak-tight mode.

S'pose I'm asking how you chaps (and chappettes) cope with running bad - whether it be from a poker point of view or otherwise.

Thanks in advance.

[stealyourface]

I don't think you should be concerned about quitting when your ahead.

Generally I try to quit when i feel I am not playing my A-game. So say for instance you double up and find yourself playing weak-tight, that is obviously not your optimal playing style, so you should adjust or quit.

This is an area I myself need work with too. I am on a 200bb downswing at the moment, but am optimistic about the near future. This is a common question and is a matter of honestly questioning your play and making sure to keep in emotional control. Not many players know they are on tilt, if any. Quitting after a big loss is key, then refocusing and grinding out at least a few thousand more hands, preferrably at a lower level. Bankrolls grow faster than skill levels.
That said, make some device to ward off what you know to be your weak points (being weak-tight as you said). Whether it be sticky notes or what have you. Downswings are something to be conscious of but not to expect, it is easy to believe you are playing badly in a downswing, after all we keep score in money. But by getting too stressed the downswing can hold power even after it is gone.

Hopefully this helps us both

Cambraceres

If I double I never play weak tight [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] its usually after losing a big pot. When under the vice-like grip of variance, I feel as though I am playing badly - even in the face of tactically sound play. Prior to sitting down I always tell myself this won't happen. It's far from a re-ocurring theme, just one from which I am currently suffering. And boy does it take the fun out of poker.

[GrunchCan]

I've run bad many times over my poker 'career'. Everybody does, I think. I've found that in every case when I ran bad it was mostly becasue I played poorly. Sure maybe I got a cold run of cards. But when I sit back & look at my stats & review my hands, I played like a fish.

You asked how we cope with running bad. The first thing I do is I admit to myself that I suck at poker. The next thing I do is try to identify specific problems & ways to fix them. Sometimes I get a coach or someone to review sessions for me (I pay for this service). I'll probably post more of my own hands. I might move down in stakes if I think it will help me feel more comfortable. I've been know to take extended poker breaks. Once I took 6 weeks off from all forms of poker & poker-related activity.

Try not to let it get to you, becasue downswings are a part of poker. Try to find a way to become a better player becasue of it.

Hi Grunge, thanks for the reply.

I often take a few days off and tend to play better for it. I am well aware that I am in a downswing - every time this occurs I try to say to myself I am going to focus and play good poker. Then it starts again...and it feels as though there is very little I can do other than stop playing for a while. I know that this is an integral part of poker, and one that we all experience, but as perviously stated, it sure takes the fun outo f it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[GrunchCan]

Do you have a problem with tilt-control?

Oh, and I took a shower this morning. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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Hi Grunge

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lol misread. My bad. Not tilt (such as getting it all in on fds/tp etc) - playing weak-tight, which I am not accustomed to when running well.

[GrunchCan]

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lol misread. My bad. Not tilt (such as getting it all in on fds/tp etc) - playing weak-tight, which I am not accustomed to when running well.

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Well, try to define "tilt" a little more broadly than just steaming. Whenever you play a hand in a way that you wouldn't normally play that hand becasue of either your results, your mood, or other players at the table, you're on tilt. If you play this hand weak-tight becasue you don't want to loose yet another pot to that joker in the 4 seat, you're on tilt.

[Isura]

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I've run bad many times over my poker 'career'. Everybody does, I think. I've found that in every case when I ran bad it was mostly becasue I played poorly. Sure maybe I got a cold run of cards. But when I sit back & look at my stats & review my hands, I played like a fish.

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I disagree with this. I've looked back on 5k breakeven stretches, and 500 sit-n-go stretches of losing money, and I played great the whole time.