Stress Level of a Downswing

[DavidC]

Hey guys. I guess this belongs on the psych forum, but I've never really been good at staying on topic... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I once had a 300bb downswing once over 1000 hands (absolute downswing: statistically it would actually be a 320bb downswing if I were a 2/100 winner in the game).

I was absolutely amazed, so I called up AdamL and told him about it. He was amazed too, and he recommended that I stop playing for the afternoon.

Oddly enough, I didn't feel at all bad about this swing. I was getting CRAZY beats and a lot of second-best hands that I played aggressively, but I maintained my standard of play throughout the 1000 hands. I was 8-tabling 0.5/1 at the time, and the downswing didn't tear me apart since bonus whoring makes for a huge bankroll at this limit, so I plugged out 2000 more hands in the day, and finished -80bb. That's a hell of a swing in one day. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I was an established winner at the game and I didn't mind.

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On the opposite side of things, I've gone for 10000 hands at 2/4 absolutely break-even a couple of times during my 75k hands... and this feels absolutely dreadful (4-tabling, this takes about 50 hours)!

So for me, the emotional cost of a downswing seems to be proportional to my confidence in my skill in the game and the duration of the swing, as opposed to the actual amount of the swing.

I'm kinda nervous about hitting a -300bb swing at 2/4 or higher (if I get there), but I suspect that it will teach me something about myself if/when it happens...

Any comments about your own reactions to swings?

[numeri]

This is something I continue to struggle with. I've been playing 6-max lately, and I find it usually very soft. Every once-in-a-while, I'll hit a table with a couple LAGs and just get crushed between them. I completely misplace my aggression and loose focus.

My emotional reaction to downswings is by far my greatest weakness. I still have a very healthy winrate and bankroll, but suddenly a 70BB swing in one night makes me feel icky.

So anyway, my current strategy has been to take a break and look over my sessions when this happens. I think I'd be even better if I took a break sooner, before I completely lose focus. (I get the I'm going to win it back from him thoughts too often.)

I'm not able to play poker more than a few hours a week, so sometimes these breaks are hard to take. I think they'll be much better for me in the long run, though.

[fundmyhabit]

Downswings suck. For me it frustrates me because I know I'm a better player than most of the other players at the stakes I'm playing.

I haven't had a substantial downswing that lasted more than a day or two, but I fear the day I do. The bankroll can handle it but it'll drive me crazy.

[deception5]

I think the worst is right after you move up a limit. You are not yet sure if you are a winner or not and a downswing at that point really makes you question your game. And of course the emotional impact of losing that much real money.

[KingOtter]

I'm actually extremely stressed right now. I'm in the middle of a second consecutive downswing that was prefaced by a few thousand break-even hands.

Absolutely insane beats, hand after hand.

All told it is about 200BB so far over about 10k hands.

I'm very shaken. My poker confidence is zero. My play has suffered. I'm misplacing aggression, then folding too easily ('oversteering' metaphorically). If I make it through this I'm sure I'll be a very strong poker player.

Going into this downswing I was very, very confident in my poker game. It is completely shot, now. I KNOW I can play good poker... heck, I've been a winning player for 10 months now. But I don't think I can play good poker NOW, if you can see the difference.

I'm doing all the things I need to be doing in a downswing.. ignoring the money, concentrating on making good decisions (and yet, inevitably, not), trying to get through it... and nothing is working. I just keep going down and down. And I'm wondering if I can pull it out before I go broke.

KO

[numeri]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm misplacing aggression, then folding too easily ('oversteering' metaphorically).

[/ QUOTE ]
This is so me. I like the 'oversteering' analogy.

I've been rolling over the passives at 1/2 6-max, but then recently got schooled by some LAGs. I need a break to rebuild the confidence.

[hustalasta]

I am finding that having a Bonus going helps a little mentally an financially. During the last 16k Hands I am up less than 100 BB's in winnings, but up 250 BB's in bonus. This might be easier for some than others, for example I have the luxury of having 3000 BB's available online which makes it easy to transfer money around. Otherwise I would say drop down a level if its affecting you that much.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm misplacing aggression, then folding too easily ('oversteering' metaphorically).

[/ QUOTE ]
This is so me. I like the 'oversteering' analogy.

I've been rolling over the passives at 1/2 6-max, but then recently got schooled by some LAGs. I need a break to rebuild the confidence.

[/ QUOTE ]

AdamL made an absolutely hilarious analogy about what it meant to play against a LAG, but he won't post it.

Holy crap it's funny though...

Maybe if like 5 people PM him about it he'll cave....

[MrWookie47]

In addition to my suggestions on this thread, one other thing I found that helped me restore my enthusiasm to play poker again was to have fun doing it. Now, that sounds awfully hard to do when the beats keep coming, but one time I always have fun playing is at a 2+2 table. Whether a donking or learning table, I know that win, lose, or draw, I was going to have a good time playing poker for an hour or two. Try out getting one started. If you go in knowing you'll have fun and not care about the results, it's a lot easier to trick your brain into thinking the same thing when you sit down the next time.

Heh. After a solid week of laying waste to the weak-tighties at Absolute, yesterday I hit The Day Of Random LAGs - guys raising every hand, reraising the flop/turn with low cards, no pair no draw, crazy stuff, probably because that's how THEY play against weak-tighties - and plummeted about 60BB in three hours.

So, I get the hell out of Absolute and go play a few SNGs at Stars, come out a winner, and feel much better about my poker.

So I go back to Absolute, and although I didn't come out ahead, I managed to hold my own against the random aggro. Maybe it was the NL mentality?