Ever doubt yourself?

[RikaKazak]

Hey all,

I've been running bad lately, poor play and all. I've been playing poker for a living for 1.5 years now, and my lifetime average is 4.5 ptbb/100 for NL 400 and higher.

My lifetime ROI is 14% right now, that includes when I started at the 33's, up to the 55's to 215's that I play now.

So far this month I'll get unlucky, then it'll tilt me a little bit, that'll make me play bad, lose more, then get unlucky tilt more, play bad, lose more cause of playing bad, etc.

I was curious if you guys ever doubt yourself??? I'm playing 109's this morning and just dropped 10 buy in in a row. I know 10 buy in's is nothing, it's my confidence that needs help. Got any advice guys??? Usually I'll tell my poker students to look at your lifetime average and that'll make you smile, and just think of it as one long game. I do that, look at the $150 a hour and smile, but my confidence is getting shattered still, any tips guys?????

HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!

[davehwm]

"Take a few days off"
"Read some posts and re-read some of your favorite poker books"
"If you're this worried about 10 buy-ins you shouldn't be playing at those limits"

[bawcerelli]

you're trippin. take a break for a while, then you won't worry about 10 buyin downswings. i mean cmon, you must know that's nothing. something else is bothering you, just take a break.

Sometime I do but only if I have to play the bad hands. If I have AA or KK I cannot doubt myslef but just hope the cards work for me.

[RikaKazak]

oh, 10 buy in's doesn't bother me at all, I lose $3K in a day all the time at NL 1K, so the money doesn't bother me at all, it's the fact that I'm down in SNG's, down in ring games, and down at the local casino that bothers me. Mostly the thing that's running through my head is "maybe I don't beat the SNG's and that I've just been lucky" I've played a few thousand of them, but still, that's what's running through my head.

[psyduck]

You live in Spokane? WASHINGTON 2+2 STTF MEET [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I've had days like that at the 55s. Just drop down (I assume to the 109s or 55s for you) try to play normally and move back up when your confidence is back. Take a day off. Nothing else you can do really...

[gildwulf]

It's part of poker. I lost 1/3 of my bankroll at headsup last weekend. Sucks, but what can you do.

I dunno if dropping down is great advice earning-wise, but if it helps you psychologically that might be good.

10 buy-ins isn't a lot and you probably just aren't used to dropping that yet. You just have to ask yourself objectively if you are being outplayed...if they're just bad beats you shouldn't be moving down. If you are donking it up, move down.

I'd take a holiday personally. $150/hr pays for a pretty damn fine holiday to put you back in the mood for playing your best game

[lacky]

take a week off, completely away from poker, then come back, review your play, and get after it again. Once the serios self doubt or frustration starts you gotta take some time off. I haven't found anything else that works.

[pergesu]

[ QUOTE ]
I was curious if you guys ever doubt yourself???

[/ QUOTE ]
Not at all. I have supreme confidence that I'm the worst "respected poster"* on the forums.

* Highly debatable whether I'm respected. I've seen people refer to me as such on a few occasions, and it always makes me chuckle.