Am I normal?

[Johan]

Hi,

First, a small introduction: I started playing a little over 2 years ago at $1/$2 limit. After a lot of frustration, good runs bad runs, and a lot of help from people who took the time to learn me all the ins and outs of the game, I am playing 5/10NL and up very succesfully now. Roll is ok, mentally I'm superb...

..BUT..

Something is bothering me. I have noticed the strange tendency of still being very much affected by the short term outcomes of the game. For instance, I always try to make up if I lost the day before (which isn't too bad, because I tend to play a better game then for some strange reason, but this just shouldn't be this way(cause it makes me feel bad :-()). Also if I am losing, I really want to continue playing(also to "make up").

Considering this I came to the conclusion that maybe I am nothing more then a winning gambling addict! Does anyone else feel this way? Is this bad, other then the mental highs and lows one has? How would you be able to stop this way of thinking?

Also, and I AM sure this is not good, as I mentioned earlier: I tend to play a sharper game If I lost the day before (this is not the case if I'm trying to make up the same day, then I tend to gamble more). When I am winning, and winning for a few days, I get sloppy and a little more 'free' (LAGish, which is my style, but then too much so). I actually need a losing session then to set me straight again. Do more people have this? What do/did you do about this? Any idea where I should start?

Please read this in the right context: I am abslolutely not complaining and am very happy/grateful that I can do what I want and even get paid for it. It is just the next part of my game I think I should be working on, and I just don't know where to begin.

Johan

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
When I am winning, and winning for a few days, I get sloppy and a little more 'free' (LAGish, which is my style, but then too much so). I actually need a losing session then to set me straight again

[/ QUOTE ]

Work on your discipline. Work on understanding the game more. Learn how to watch hands you're not involved in. Learn about BankRoll. Doing this also staves off tilt. Sounds simple? It's not. It takes alot of introspection of one's game and self to really get over those hurdles. You have to be brutally honest with yourself about your game. You may not like what you find, but your opponents don't care if you ignore it or not. The greater percentage of players don't have any of this. If your doing the above quote while letting shortterm results affect you, you should really look into these. Are you there to make money, or just splash chips around when you do finally get up?

Challenge yourself to be better.

b