Dealing with leaks in your game

[D.J.]

People have talked about "leaks" in theirs or others poker games whether it be craps, sports betting, table games, etc. Personally I have managed to cut out all those things a while ago when I got serious about poker. My problem is that I take shots at bigger games that I know I can't afford way too often. Just last night I ended a good session of 20-40 with a $1500 win in less than 2 hours. I stayed at the casino a little while longer and decided to jump in a 40-80 game where I proceeded to lose $4K. I did the same thing in Vegas last week when I lost $2500 in a 30-60 game that I shouldn't have been playing in. What's really bad is that in the past 2 weeks I have won over $10K playing 15-30 and 20-40 and blown $6500 playing 30-60 and 40-80. I consistently beat 15 and 20 holdem but can't stay away from the higher stakes even when I know I can't afford to play them. I was so upset with myself last night and I told myself nothing over 20-40, hopefully I'll stick to my own plan. Does anyone else have this problem? If so what is your solution? If not what do you do to keep yourself from playing too high? Any useful comments appreciated.

-D.J.

[mikelow]

Well, sometimes it depends on who's playing. Where are you playing and who are you playing against?

It could be bad cards, bad play or the fact you need to adjust to faster and more aggressive play at 30-60 and 40-80.

[deadbart]

If that's not a leak, I don't know what is. And I would be careful about claiming that you've "cut out" all the leaks in your game. A leak is just anywhere in your strategy that isn't perfect, IMHO, so unless you feel you play perfect poker, you probably have a leak or two.

As far as your actual problem, you know what you have to do. Just do it. This discipline problem is just as bad as those players who know they should fold JTo but play it anyway. You don't want to be a sucker like them, do you?

[D.J.]

In response to mikelow, I played 30-60 at Bellagio and 40-80 at commerce. The 30-60 at Bellagio was in my opinion a joke knowing how high everyone usually regards it, but maybe it was just an unusual night for it. The 40-80 at commerce was incredibly loose, any two cards were played aggressively and therefore, I probably ended up playing a few more hands than I should have, but the 40-80 was crazier than the 9-18 game at commerce which made it tough to play in. Also, Bad cards were a part of it seeing how I flopped set over set twice in 1 hour and had 2nd best (which you know always costs the most) about 12 times in the short session, but bad cards will happen, and I can't sustain the beats financially when they do. I don't doubt my ability to beat the game, but when things don't go well, I can see myself going broke or losing a big chunk of my bankroll in a hurry.

-D.J.

[DeezNuts]

I don't think this is much of a leak at all. You are beating the 15 and 20 games in LA and when you take a shot in a higher game, you lose. That happens all the time when people take shots in the next limit. And when you lose at the higher limit, it hurts more precisely because the limits are higher. Winning 10k in the 20-40 game and losing 6500 in the 40-80 game is not that bad if you look at it strictly in terms of big bets(which is what you should be doing).

If the 10k in 2 weeks is at all indicative of how you do in the 20-40 game in the long run(although it sounds like an isolated good run), then you should definitely try to play higher, OCCASIONALLY at first. However, when you play higher you should be extremely more observant. You can probably get away with playing the normal solid ABC poker in the beginning to minimize your variance, but to get the money in the higher games you are going to need to evolve your skills and play very well post flop and become player intuitive. Until you become completely comfortable with the limits, though, I would recommend staying in the 20-40 and building a fat bankroll until you can detach yourself from the value of the chips. I think I am almost to this point in the yellow chip games, I have taken a few shots in the 40-80 range, with mixed results, but they were usually when I was on a freeroll win from the 20-40. Hopefully I can continue the journey upwards as well. Good luck.

DN

[budman]

I also don't know if this constitutes a leak. If you never take a shot at a higher limit, then how will you move up? You would still be playing 3-6 if you hadn't already taken that step.

You should, however, be prepared for the larger swings in bankroll.

I wonder if it really makes sense for you to move up. There is a pro I play with regularly who almost never plays for more than 20-40, even though there are larger games going on. He seems to earn a decent income but won't take on the risk of the higher limits.

More to the point, I wonder why you are taking shots at the higher limits since you seem to have a handle on 20-40. If it is because you are bored and are looking for a bigger challenge I can understand that. If it is because you want to earn more money and feel that moving up will allow you to do that then I understand this as well.

If you are moving up because you like the thrill and risk of betting large amounts, then this probably is a leak.