Being your own worst enemy before, during & after a downswing

[montechristo]

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This past week I've put in 15k hands. I'm putting the hands in regardless of my results. I found the best way to do this is to not look at your results. I have no idea how much I've won/loss until the end of the day. That lets me concentrate on how well I'm playing instead of worrying about money.

Try playing for a couple days without checking your results until you've finished for the day. It might help.

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I have had problems with self control also, playing fairly well, tight aggressive for a week, making my nut, and then giving it all back in one bad session. Since I have been focusing only on my play and not on results my game has improved by leaps and bounds. It used to be fun to look at the cashier every fifteen minutes and see how much I'm up or down, but I realize now that is just unnecessary stress and it will affect your game negatively.

[Orpheus]

I constantly maintain a list of enjoyable activities that can be done *now*: projects that I really look forward to building, restaurants, shows and activities I want to go to with my SO/family/friends, etc. This helps pulls me away from the game, is an immediate reward for my "correct choice" and generally enriches my life because I "do more" -- have specific unique experiences each week, rather than doing the same old things.

I don't use this list just for poker. It helps me deal with other things in my life, too. Just the habit of constantly keeping my eyes open for 'fun things' candidates in the course of each day tends to create a positive attitude.

At the risk of sounding 'Californian', most failed efforts to deal with minor emotional problems (like the ones that infest poker play) fail because they try to isolate and reason withthe problem, as if they weren't emotions, as if the hormones and neurotransmitters and past conditioning could be switched offf or readily 'resolved'. The richer and happier you make your life and general emotional state, the easier it is to deal with specific emotional stumbles.

Of course, this doesn't apply so much to big problems--and it isn't always easy to seek and initiate fun and enriching activitites. But it isn't really that hard, either. I just have to get into the habit and quit making excuses (That's me -- YMMV) It's really amazing how much time and energy we deliberately waste in dull unnecessary activities [TV comes to mind] instead of stuff we like, want or even need to do.

The periods in my life when I kept a "fun list" (life always tries to push me out of that habit) were better than the times when I didn't, and looking back I think I was a better, stabler, more fun person during those times, too.

[Dj007]

last night I signed onto stars and said I would NOT look at my results once during the session. I played much better not worrying about my financial troubles and checkin to see if i was moving up. Not only did I get revenge on the fish who had the 44 vs my 3 kings but at the end of the night i had recovered my losses the last 2 days plus $50. Thanks for the advice and I will continue to use it!
As usual - 2+2 saves the day =)
Now to keep on it before the 1st! hehe