Oh god make it stop!!!

[j.k.]

What is the longest amount of time (playing 20+ hours a week) that anyone has run bad. I don't mean in dollars or bets, just time in days/weeks. The reason I ask is that I have been running bad since around the beginning of May (May and this month have been losing months, June was a winner but I came out 19 bets up for the month). I have gone over my play again and again, figuring it must be me and not the cards. According to pokertracker, the only real difference is that I am playing a little more aggressively (my aggression factor was 1.97 and is 2.07 since May 1 - which brings me to a sub question: how do these numbers relate to others? Perhaps I am being way over aggressive?). I am also going to the showdown a little more (36% compared to 33%) but my won money at showdown number is actually a little higher than before this mess.

I am just really stumped at this point. Anyone have similar experiences with extended periods of losing? Playing for about 4 years now and have had losing months and once even 2 months in a row, but this is getting out of hand.

Is three bad months unusual but certainly not out of the ordinary (especially with todays loose aggressive games) or should I be looking much closer at my play and stats to see what problem areas I have missed?

Thanks in advance for any help. I hope I don't come accross as whining in this post since that is not my intention. I have just exhausted my brain trying to look for problems within....Anyone have any comments or advice other than "suck it up sissy and play through it?" [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]


j.k.

[SoBeDude]

you need to seriously consider that you might not be running bad.

Perhaps you need to evaluate your play a little more objectively?

-Scott

[dogmeat]

Important items:

How many hands or hours are we talking about? You might only play 100 hands per week, at which point I would say: Don't worry, it will even out.

What Limits do you play? If you are playing .50/$1 then you are WAY too aggressive. If you are playing $5/10 or $15/$30 with the same players, you probably get no action except when you are against high-quality hands. That's a problem.

What is your VP$IP percentage? That may be a lot more important than your aggression factor. Maybe you are playing too many hands.

I too have been playing for several years. I have never had a losing month. My longest losing/staying even streak is about 10-days, always followed by a week where I make-up for what I missed and get back on track.

Dogmeat [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

[2ndGoat]

"Anyone have any comments or advice other than "suck it up sissy and play through it?""

Nope. Sorry.

Or maybe I do. Remember that the longer you play, the worse your worst losing streak ever will tend to be.

I had a streak lasting about 2 months where I was pretty much just even (after losing about 2k in a month). Have since gone on a pretty good tear for July.

If you've been winning for years, and are continuously re-evaluating your play, you're probably just getting on of those once-a-decade bad runs. Maybe take a week or two off; no garauntee it'll help your results, but it will hopefully decrease the frustration level.

2ndGoat

[BIGRED]

[ QUOTE ]
Is three bad months unusual but certainly not out of the ordinary...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd be pulling my hair out if was in a streak that bad. The worst I've experienced in my short 9 month online venture is three weeks. I guess I've been pretty lucky so far in maintaining a steady win rate... But I've always wondered if I've been just lucky or I will eventually encounter a streak such as the one you're going through. Lately, I've even considered trying this full time, but when I hear a story like yours, it scares me.

[Faststan]

Am I mistaken or did I read here that David Ross did not win in a 45,000 hand streak?In any case you should study and
understand standard deviation.In your poker lifetime you will go on worse streaks than this.

[icepoker]

Been playing for a few years and everytime the slump hits I change my play. I tighten up, play by the book i.e. no fancy plays, try to avoid the obvious marginal situations and post some hands. Book a few nice wins and then start going for that extra .5 bb/100 hands. Hope it turns around for you.

[tech]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I mistaken or did I read here that David Ross did not win in a 45,000 hand streak?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know about David specifically, but I know many good winning players who have had breakeven stretches of 20K+ hands.

[j.k.]

Number of hands we are talking about is approx 30K since May 1. My VPIP is actually on the low side from what I've read at 17.42 (this includes about 10K hands of 6 max games too though - excluding those it is 14.39).
Limits I am playing are 5/10 to 15/30.

My aggression factor number is the one I have questioned the most, I would like some other peoples AF numbers from similar limits if they are willing so I could gauge where I'm at in that category.

thanks,
j.k.

[Nottom]

How many hands did you play as a winning player before becoming a losing one?