Thinking too much about my BR

I have this problem. I'm thinking about my BR all the time when I play. I play nano limits so it's not that I'm afraid to lose the money, I'm afraid to lose whatever BR I have as that would show me I suck at poker.

I know I'm not very good, and I keep trying to learn every day. I just wish I wouldn't care about the money and just play good poker, even if it means losing sessions here and there.

Any advice to get away from this kind of thinking?

I also would like to move up to the next limit once my BR alows it, but I think I'll be too scared to drop too much to do that. I hate being scared.

[bernie]

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I play nano limits so it's not that I'm afraid to lose the money,

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I also would like to move up to the next limit once my BR alows it, but I think I'll be too scared to drop too much to do that

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You sure it's not about losing the money?

I would not move up a limit, regardless of your roll, until you have this under control. Period. It isn't going to get any better, if anything, it will get worse as the stakes will be higher so your anxiety will likely follow.

You probably are on a limit that is easily replenishable if you lose your roll, right? I mean, if we're only talking about around $500-$1000...

Roll up your sleeves and get in there. Here's a news flash...you will lose sessions. Alot of them. Play long enough and you will have some horrendous swings. If you can't handle losing, and it affects you that much, I'd suggest not playing or not playing so serious. It's not worth it.

You will lose some in the learning process. That's just how it goes. Consider it tuition.

b

[onegymrat]

Hi Moster,

The reason that you WILL get better is that money is involved. Originally, I was going to suggest that you play at some play money site first until you are comfortable, but that is bad advice. You just wouldn't play the same if cash wasn't involved.

I think you're seeing the short term too closely, that's why you're upset after a losing session or two. Put up monthly goals. Hypothetically, if you're playing $1-$2 limit, for November, you want to win $200. You have ALL month to hit it. Should you lose 2 or 3 days in a row, no biggie. There are 20+ other days to make that up. This way, it's easier on your mind.

Another good side of this is that when a new month starts, you can look at it as another fresh challenge. If you had a BAD month, then it's OVER and you can move on to another fresh month.

Don't forget to keep studying!

Thanks for the replies.
I'm sure it's not the money in itself, but the fact that if I lost my BR it would prove I haven't learned a thing.

I have this long term goal and if I lost my BR I would have to start from scratch again. I'm not willing to keep depositing more and more.

I only play at the .10/.20 limit and am afraid to move to .25/.50 [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] That's how scared I am!

[bernie]

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I have this long term goal and if I lost my BR I would have to start from scratch again.

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I only play at the .10/.20 limit

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umm...you pretty much are at scratch at this limit. You're afraid to lose what, $60? Please...

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but the fact that if I lost my BR it would prove I haven't learned a thing.


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This doesn't mean you wouldn't learn a thing. Not at all. Unless you choose not to learn and instead just focus and bemoan your loss.

Most on here have spent a helluva lot more than that learning this game.

b

Edit: I looked through your posting history. I'd strongly recommend getting much more involved in the strategy forums. Start out responding to hands. Test your thinking against others.

You're not listening...
It's NOT about the money. So if it's $60 or $ 6000 is irrelevant.

[onegymrat]

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You're not listening...
It's NOT about the money. So if it's $60 or $ 6000 is irrelevant.

[/ QUOTE ]Trust me, Bernie's listening, he just chooses not to hear you. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] You're right, in a way, that it's not so much about the money, but the fact that you feel you MAY not be learning anything, and the proof is that you're losing money.

I think a better way to look at this picture is to know whether you know WHY you're losing. Most players do not. If you know you did the exact correct play yet lost the hand, it is still beneficial for you. Granted it may not feel good, but it's not so much how you're doing. It's much more how you're playing. John Feeney has a terrific essay on this in ITPM.

Okay, try this. The next time you lose a hand, ask yourself these two questions in this order:

1. Could you have played this hand in a different way in which you could have won/lost less? (i.e. Checkraise in EP to drive out others, pf raise to isolate, waiting for the turn to raise, etc.)

If the answer (and you must be honest with yourself) is no, that there is NO better way to play this hand in order for you to win, then ask yourself:

2. Should you have played this hand to begin with?

If you keep finding yourself saying yes to #1, then you have a lot of postflop work to do. If you keep finding yourself saying yes to #2, then your preflop standards are too loose.

Just another suggestion. Good luck.

[bernie]

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You're not listening...
It's NOT about the money. So if it's $60 or $ 6000 is irrelevant.

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I doubt this, but I'll try and throw out a couple other things...

So you would have this anxiety on play money tables too? I mean, you'd hate to build up a 4000 play chip roll and lose it and have to replenish with the usual 1000 and start over because that would mean that you suck? Same thing. Can you beat a play chip table? (Serious question, not mocking you, given your quote above along with a response you mentioned in another thread where you stated that you felt overmatched when you sit down in a micro game.)

Btw...

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I'm afraid to lose whatever BR I have as that would show me I suck at poker.

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Would this really be that bad of a thing to happen? Is your pride and ego really that fragile? Does it really matter if you suck at this point? Would this destroy you that much? If so, I wouldn't play at all. Especially if it bothers you this much on a small double dime game.

As I said earlier, I wouldn't move up at all until I got over this. No effing way. Personally, I wouldn't play a serious cash game until I got over this since you said it would basically be the same on all the limits, even play money limits. At least not until I felt much more confident in my play and were willing to lose whatever I risk in the game.

What I'm doing is trying to find the root of your thinking this way. Once you find that, you'll be better prepared to deal with it.

b

[bernie]

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[ QUOTE ]
You're not listening...
It's NOT about the money. So if it's $60 or $ 6000 is irrelevant.

[/ QUOTE ]Trust me, Bernie's listening, he just chooses not to hear you. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] You're right, in a way, that it's not so much about the money, but the fact that you feel you MAY not be learning anything, and the proof is that you're losing money.

I think a better way to look at this picture is to know whether you know WHY you're losing. Most players do not. If you know you did the exact correct play yet lost the hand, it is still beneficial for you. Granted it may not feel good, but it's not so much how you're doing. It's much more how you're playing. John Feeney has a terrific essay on this in ITPM.

Okay, try this. The next time you lose a hand, ask yourself these two questions in this order:

1. Could you have played this hand in a different way in which you could have won/lost less? (i.e. Checkraise in EP to drive out others, pf raise to isolate, waiting for the turn to raise, etc.)

If the answer (and you must be honest with yourself) is no, that there is NO better way to play this hand in order for you to win, then ask yourself:

2. Should you have played this hand to begin with?

If you keep finding yourself saying yes to #1, then you have a lot of postflop work to do. If you keep finding yourself saying yes to #2, then your preflop standards are too loose.

Just another suggestion. Good luck.

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Good stuff. He could also do that by getting involved in the forums, answering a hand post and checking his thinking against other responders without risking any of his BR.

b

Thanks for the help so far, i'll reply more tomorrow.
Now i need sleep as it's 2 am in Sweden =)