A Genuine question about downswings (content)

[mojobluesman]

This may be the kiss of death, but I'm profitable at both .50 - $1 and $1 - $2.

My BB per 100 is just over 3 at .50 -$1 and it's 1.75 at $1 -$2. Even though I could make slightly more money playing $1-$2, I spend more time at the lower limit because the higher edge leads to fewer and less severe downturns and thus greater enjoyment and mental stability. If I ever get the $1 -$2 edge to the point where the difference in profits gets more meaningful, I may move up permanently.

However, I think big downswings like this are more common when you are playing with a thinner edge. If you are uncomfortable with that kind of volatility, move down.

[Vote4Pedro]

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My downswings usually happen rapidly as well. Try this though. Once you are down 30BB, reduce the number of tables you are playing. When you are down 60BB, drop limits. When things turn around, move back up.

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I think reducing the # of tables is something I'll look into, but I'm not sure I agree with dropping down in limits during one of these downers

[ajm36]

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but I'm not sure I agree with dropping down in limits during one of these downers

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You are right. I only suggest this because he is questioning his downswing. If you question your downswing, you have not experienced enough (or deep enough) downswings at your limit and recovered to know for sure whether you are a winning player at that limit. Dropping limits may add a layer of comfort and some time to look for errors in your play--plus build confidence IMO.

Hmm...title say "content." Me open thread, there no content. Make Ignignokt mad. Ignignokt smash thread. Rrrrrrr...

...Unless you mean to say you content with downswing. That okay.

I use poker tracker for this. Rather than guessing whether you've just been unlucky or you're leaking, go look. How many times did your pairs turn into a set on the flop? How many times did you hit the flush on the turn/river? I know what those numbers ought to be. I can go back into PT and see what actually happened.

Recently, I went through a 200bb downswing. I stepped away from teh keyboard for a while (swearing and cursing the whole way), then went back and started studying the hands in PT. What I learned is that there was both leaks and bad cards. From a bad card standpoint, my pocket aces won 8% of the time and was actually a money loser for me. My pairs were not turning into sets 1:8.5. My four to a flush drawers were not completed 36% of the time.

That being said, I was also leaking. I was betting/raising in many places where I should've been c/r or even fold. I had some very misplaced aggression going on and I studied those hands to understand what was going wrong.

In the end, I went back to lower limits to rebuild my bankroll and fix the leaks. I figure by the time I have my bankroll up to appropriate levels, I'll also have cemented some of those leaks.

Hope that helps
~Jeff

normal.

yday i had a downswing of 100+ in 300 hands. set over set, flush over flush AA/KK cracked. you name it i got it. i wouldn't call that a downswing though. it was just variance at work. i proceeded to have a 100+ upswing in the next 700 hands to break even at 1k hands.

i just call these swings 'ticks', if it's not over multiple thousands of hands. otherwise, it was just a bad session.