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  #1  
Old 12-22-2005, 02:57 AM
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Default What do you tell yourself in a slump?

I've had a rough December playing different tournaments. I started entering $10 and $20 tournaments and though I don't see that much of a difference in the talent level between a $3 (there is some, but still huge donkeyfied hands left and right in the 22s) I've lost more than my buyins. I've made some dumb plays, I've lost a handful (that's being generous) of coinflips and a ton of AKs to AJs.

A part of me tells myself to step aside, enjoy Christmas and start up January 2nd after re-reading HoH 1&2.

Another part of me wants to enter every $5,10,20 on the planet, play my game and try to hit the first career win of my life.

Anybody have any thoughts? A part of me wants to quit this and a part of me wants to fight through it.
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  #2  
Old 12-22-2005, 03:12 AM
reecelights reecelights is offline
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Default Re: What do you tell yourself in a slump?

What kind of numbers are you talking about as far as number played, ITM, ROI?
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  #3  
Old 12-22-2005, 03:15 AM
webmonarch webmonarch is offline
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Default Re: What do you tell yourself in a slump?

Usually, playing when you're not feeling good about it is not a good play. No matter how hard we try, we can't be calm and making the right decisions if its not going our way.

Here is what I do. Take a good couple days to week off. Read HOH or whatever else you want. Then, come back at lower levels until you get ITM a few times. Then back to where you were.

Sometimes the hardest thing is recognizing when you need a break.
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Old 12-22-2005, 03:22 AM
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Default Re: What do you tell yourself in a slump?

I think I'm going to try that and also watch some of the top MTTs. Seems to me that a guy like a JohnnyBax really pushes his edges. Really gambles at points with his AQ, or 66. I have to work more effectively on my pocket pair work down near the bubble.
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  #5  
Old 12-22-2005, 03:37 AM
KneeCo KneeCo is offline
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Default Re: What do you tell yourself in a slump?

Take some time off, enjoy the holidays come back refresed in '06.
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  #6  
Old 12-22-2005, 03:42 AM
beenben beenben is offline
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Default Re: What do you tell yourself in a slump?

tell yourself that your're a gambling addict and head over to www.gamblersanonymous.org
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  #7  
Old 12-22-2005, 04:00 AM
reecelights reecelights is offline
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Default Re: What do you tell yourself in a slump?

I asked about your numbers to make sure it is a real slump and not some form of variance you haven't experienced yet.

I've learned to accept variance a lot more lately. I won my first two multis a week apart and then went 19 straight out of the money. Then came in 10th out of 1200. I had my best week ever in SNGs and then two days later my worst day ever. I found it amusing, bceause, as you may remember from the "Where were you a year ago" thread, a lot of people are now accustomed to losing in a night what they lost in a bad week a year ago.

I play a lot of SNGs and have learned to expect slumps. The important thing to look at is whether or not there are any obvious changes in your play. Have you been trying to implement a new concepts? Have you been reading new, challenging material which has thrown you off the basics of your game? Are there things other pressures outside of poker that may be making you distracted?

I went through a 6 week slump back in March/April. I was not analyzing my game, my work was very hectic, and I was playing on Auto-Pilot waiting for things to turn themselves around.

I started losing just before I moved into my first house back in August. We were doing a lot of repairs and cosmetic work ourselves after work and on long weekend days. I started to recognize a lot of the same feelings I had felt back in March and decided to severly limit my play. In two months time I moved, started a new season at work with half of my employees being new, while working on a huge project, and got married. I played 34 hours in two months (inlcluding two weeks when I didn't play at all) what I usually play in a week. I made $183 rather than losing $415 like I did in March. When I came back, my game took off, I worked hard on it, and I have made nearly 40% of my profits for the year in 7 weeks.

You have 4 options which only you can HONESTLY answer yourself. Either play through it, switch it up, go back to basics or step aside for a bit. You have to try to find the root of the "slump" yourself. Not only will it help you now, but will potentially help avoid future controllable downswings,
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  #8  
Old 12-22-2005, 04:00 AM
Copernicus Copernicus is offline
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Default Re: What do you tell yourself in a slump?

[ QUOTE ]
I've had a rough December playing different tournaments. I started entering $10 and $20 tournaments and though I don't see that much of a difference in the talent level between a $3 (there is some, but still huge donkeyfied hands left and right in the 22s) I've lost more than my buyins. I've made some dumb plays, I've lost a handful (that's being generous) of coinflips and a ton of AKs to AJs.

A part of me tells myself to step aside, enjoy Christmas and start up January 2nd after re-reading HoH 1&2.

Another part of me wants to enter every $5,10,20 on the planet, play my game and try to hit the first career win of my life.

Anybody have any thoughts? A part of me wants to quit this and a part of me wants to fight through it.

[/ QUOTE ]

If youre talking about MTTs, all you can do is wait out the bad runs..they happen often. The worst thing you can do is radically change your game at the higher limits. If you want to experiment with a LAG approach, do it at stakes you were winning at so you have a basis for comparison.

I also don't believe LAG is likely to work well at lower limits anyway. Playing middle pair is hard enough with opponents you can put on a hand, and who are aware enough to make plays on. When youve got a bunch of calling stations you will score big occasionally, but you lose so many of those marginal hands I think its tough to make it profitable.
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