Dealing with Large Losses at a Very Good Table

z80x86 · #1 07-02-2005, 02:35 AM

I've recently moved up to the 5/10 full games. I'm sufficiently bankrolled ($4700) and have been a consistent winner in the past. Tonight I sat down at some tables at Empire, made okay wins at two of them, but at two of them I was getting killed. The tables were incredibly loose and aggressive, and many pots were approaching the 20BB point. Within an hour I had lost $400 between the two. I know that this is normal (only 40BB), but this isn't a thread where I'm looking for sympathy.

Problem was that I felt I was on the brink of going on a serious tilt because my solid hands were getting annihilated. I cut my loses, but am kinda disappointed I had to leave such a great game.

How do you guys relax the mind when in a situation like this?

Bodhi · #2 07-02-2005, 04:14 AM

I click the button that says "more chips." 40bb is substantial, but it's super easy to lose that much in an hour. It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while you just loose, loose, and loose, you know? Maybe you're not comfortable at 5/10 even though you have the bankroll for it. Personally, I linger at limits lower than I have to for quite a while before I'm comfortable moving up.

RydenStoompala · #3 07-05-2005, 07:54 AM

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40bb is substantial,

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No it is not. It is 10 bb per table. It's a rounding error. I don't know how you build a 5K bankroll, start multitabling at 5-10 and think a 40 bb swing is something that is troubling. I am confused by the original post.

z80x86 · #4 07-05-2005, 12:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
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40bb is substantial,

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I don't know how you build a 5K bankroll, start multitabling at 5-10 and think a 40 bb swing is something that is troubling. I am confused by the original post.

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I may not have worded my original question correctly. I was just wondering what kind of strategies 2+2ers used to keep a level head after losing large amounts (absolutely, not relatively) of money to what some may consider suck outs.

Maybe a little background might give you a better idea of the forces that were playing a role in my original post.

I'm 18 years old and a recent graduate of my local high school. I will be working towards a Computer Science degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign this fall. I've been studying poker seriously for several years, but have lacked the discipline to be successful online.

I was pretty much just sliding through the last couple weeks of school, while worrying way too much about some girl that I went out with a couple times. Of course when I finally start liking her, she stops liking me (2+2=3???). Decided to give online poker another shot as a way to keep me occupied after school as well as for the money.

Cashed in $160 dollars and have built that up to $5000 by steadily moving up the limits while doing some bonus whoring.

Losing 40BB, $400 dollars in this case, is pretty significant for an 18 year old. I'll probably desensitize myself to the scale of this limit in another week or so, like I have in the past. And from what has been posted, the "great" games I was struggling in, maybe were not so great for me after all.

Thank you for all the thoughts! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

TomBrooks · #5 07-05-2005, 01:26 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I was just wondering what kind of strategies 2+2ers used to keep a level head after losing large amounts (absolutely, not relatively) of money to what some may consider suck outs. ...Losing 40BB, $400 dollars in this case, is pretty significant for an 18 year old. I'll probably desensitize myself to the scale of this limit in another week or so, like I have in the past.

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Looking at poker money in absolute rather than relative BB terms is unwise I think. It seems to me your in over your head at 5/10 unless you desensitize yourself as you said you expect to. The old adage about playing with scared money and all that.

z80x86 · #6 07-05-2005, 01:37 PM

Yeah, I agree. I think its coming around now. Playing scared is the easiest way to lose.

matt42s · #7 07-05-2005, 08:28 AM

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It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while you just loose, loose, and loose, you know?

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I don't want to be one of those spelling guys but am really curious as to whether this is a joke, typo or more interestingly - some kind of non-freudian slip.

MrStretchie · #8 07-05-2005, 01:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while you just loose, loose, and loose, you know?

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I don't want to be one of those spelling guys but am really curious as to whether this is a joke, typo or more interestingly - some kind of non-freudian slip.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol.. I was thinking the same thing.. but decided not to be a nit [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

MrStretchie · #9 07-02-2005, 06:12 AM

I know exactly how you feel man. One thing I like to do is cheer for the fish. Every pot they win is like money one step closer to me. (Even if it had a lot of my money in it..) Not saying that always works, but it helps.

Another thing to remember - more strategy than dealing with it - if a table is very loose, but also very aggressive, you really need to play tightly. You don't have to worry about appearing tight if they're insane like that. And if they do start to go passive when you're in hands, then you can start playing it like a regular loose/passive again, and you're golden. Anyway, it has the added benefit that if you're just playing 'tight is right' by the book, it's pretty hard to go on tilt. You can just tell yourself "This is the way to beat a crazy game like this. I'm waiting for a premium hand, then I'm getting paid off."
Check out the HEPFAP section about 'wild games'.

-Stretch

Bodhi · #10 07-02-2005, 04:47 PM

The only thing I disagree with is "...and then I'm geting paid off." If you don't want tilt, don't worry about when you'll get paid and stick to the premium cards.