what to do when big losses are affecting your game

zCereal · #1 07-26-2005, 10:59 PM

i'm at the point right now where i'm in the middle of a large downswing at 2/4, in the last 1500 hands of poker (1 and a half days of 3 tabling) my bankroll has went from 1400 to 800, and at this point it's start to affect my game, my aggression has gone way down since i everytime i've got somewhat decent holdings i end up losing to better holding.

basically my confidence is shot all to hell. and i'm debating on whether moving down in limits is the right move or whether i should stick it out at 2/4. i know i can beat the game, i was beating it for about 2bb/100 for the first 10k hands i spent at 2/4. anyone who has been there before have any advice to offer?

ActionMatt · #2 07-26-2005, 11:08 PM

i think you should just try to forget about the past bad sessions and just stick with the 2/4. If you can beat the game then you wont be down for long. Just wait for the sample space to catch up and you'll be back up in no time

bozlax · #3 07-26-2005, 11:49 PM

Quit. If you were running well for 10,000 whole hands and it's suddenly turned to crap, then the poker gods have clearly glanced sideways at you and you'll never win again.

Aaron W. · #4 07-26-2005, 11:53 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i'm at the point right now where i'm in the middle of a large downswing at 2/4, in the last 1500 hands of poker (1 and a half days of 3 tabling) my bankroll has went from 1400 to 800, and at this point it's start to affect my game, my aggression has gone way down since i everytime i've got somewhat decent holdings i end up losing to better holding.

basically my confidence is shot all to hell. and i'm debating on whether moving down in limits is the right move or whether i should stick it out at 2/4. i know i can beat the game, i was beating it for about 2bb/100 for the first 10k hands i spent at 2/4. anyone who has been there before have any advice to offer?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm in a pseudo-downswing right now. It's now 90 BB dropped in about 300 hands at 5-max, waiting for the smallest upward movement. Just take a break to review your game and see if you're playing differently than you should. You'll often find leaks that you didn't really know you had because you wouldn't have spent the time to think about those hands and review them if you were running hot.

Take a day or two off (or more, if you're particularly frustrated) and try again. Wait until you actually *WANT* to play again before you play again. If it's really messing with your head, drop down to smaller stakes to rebuild your confidence and your bankroll. If you've been building a bankroll through your winnings, just remind yourself that you're playing with other people's money.

GrunchCan · #5 07-27-2005, 12:30 AM

You can't win if you don't feel like you can win. If your confidence is shot in the game you're in, you won't beat it. Simple as that. Breaks from poker work wonders, and so does dropping down to .5/1 to stomp on little fishes.

bottomset · #6 07-27-2005, 12:37 AM

you should take a break for a day or 2, just don't think about poker

and drop to 1/2 for a bit, your br is down to 200BB, and you aren't playing your best(not an insult, all of us play worse when losing) you chances of continuing the DS are pretty high right now

another note, you have 10k hands at 2BB/100, uh thats 200BB, and you only had a 350BB bankroll when this started, where you taking a shot on a short bankroll? or have you been cashing out a lot ..

zCereal · #7 07-27-2005, 12:38 AM

well i'm dropping back to 1/2

i still can't even believe it happened so fast and so bad

i'm losing 8bb/100 on average over 2000 hands of poker, i'm gunna have to spend a MONTH at 1/2 to even earn that back. can't believe this crap

during this entire 2000 hand streak i hit 3 flush, and only 1 of them held up, 1 flush holding up in 2000 hands of poker.

7 straights went to showdown and i won 4 of them

i lost 486 dollars on hands where i only had 1 pair, in 2k hands, my confidence is shot, my bankroll is shot, i'll probably have to move back home since poker was the only thing providing me with food money, this is the worst day of my life.

BatsShadow · #8 07-27-2005, 12:39 AM

I'd say you have another 200 to lose before you need to move down. However, you should take a little time off to cool down.

bottomset · #9 07-27-2005, 12:46 AM

[ QUOTE ]
well i'm dropping back to 1/2

i still can't even believe it happened so fast and so bad

i'm losing 8bb/100 on average over 2000 hands of poker, i'm gunna have to spend a MONTH at 1/2 to even earn that back. can't believe this crap

during this entire 2000 hand streak i hit 3 flush, and only 1 of them held up, 1 flush holding up in 2000 hands of poker.

7 straights went to showdown and i won 4 of them

i lost 486 dollars on hands where i only had 1 pair, in 2k hands, my confidence is shot, my bankroll is shot, i'll probably have to move back home since poker was the only thing providing me with food money, this is the worst day of my life.

[/ QUOTE ]

there has to be a McDonalds hiring somewhere near you

downswings are rough, they happpen, but one thing is clear you are in a tilt state of mind, and will lose the rest of your BR if you continue on is this frame of mind

Grunchcan had to drop all the way down to .5/1 and rebuild, Jaran is a hell of a player stuck in .5/1 due to unfortunate circumstances, I've had to drop down to .5/1 and work back up, there's a decent chance I'll have to clean out half my BR for personal reasons, and drop back to 2/4 full and rebuild again

but neither Grunch or Jaran has complained, and I learned a lot on my second run through the micros, it made me a better player

as did my first 200BB downswing, and a 17k breakeven stretch

the main point is if you are a good player, you will get the money eventually, its just a bumpy road sometimes

GrunchCan · #10 07-27-2005, 12:47 AM

I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but it sounds like you're in a very dangerous place. I have had similar downturns more than once. I lost 200 BB in the first 2000 hands of 2/4 I ever played. I was taking a shot underrolled, and it really screwed up my BR.

Things can get worse. Especially if you try to take a shot "just one more time" to get even. Don't do it. Don't let things get really out of hand. Stop playing poker now, and take at least a couple days off. You need to get away from this. Come back and play a lower limit. Your bankroll will come back, if you take care of it and don't play a game that's too high for it. Don't play any level with less than 300 big bets for that level. You know this.

Good luck, bro. And be cool.