When do you get over "The Fear"?

[FlopComesBricks]

First a little background. I've only been playing Poker seriously for 9 months. When I made my first deposit I had only previously played nickle/dime games with half the deck wild with my friends. I deposited $50 into party, cleared my bonus ran it up a bit more, then my fishy short-term gains bottomed out and I lost it all. I deposited another $50... lost it... then decided to study the game.. deposited (what was in my mind a final) $100 and haven't looked back since. I'm up over $2200 playing part-time.. half of that grinding out NL SNG's and the rest from concentrating on 2/4 limit.

Here's the question about the "The Fear". I'm 90% confident I'm a winning player now. However there is still this nagging fear that sooner or later the honeymoon is going to end and I'm going to lose it all. I realize that playing 2/4 with a $2200 bankroll I'd have to hit an insanely bad run of cards/start playing like an idiot to blow it all... but the fear remains.

So when does it go away? What do you do personally to protect against it? There is a part of me that says, "You're a solid, smart player" and then the other half that says, "You're a lucky SOB."

[Bluffoon]

Is someone going to kill you if you lose your bankroll? What are you afraid of? I suggest you relax and just enjoy playing your best. As (If) you continue to win you will get to a point where you couldnt give back all your winnings if you tried. And if you don't you had a lot of fun for your $100 and you can always scrounge up another desposit and try again.

[steamboatin]

You don't know if you are a winning player at this point. The long term is much longer than 9 months. Just keep playing good poker and study the game and you will most likely be fine.

You don't have to be a world class player, just a little better than your current competition.

[RayGarlington]

try some other (limit) games. Perhaps the 'no limit' thing is bothering you. If limit holdem is too boring, try some stud and move up in limits to match your comfort level.

[flair1239]

I have some simaliar feelings and am in a simaliar situation. Currently I have $2,100 and have been on a good run at 2/4 in the last week. However this is after a 100BB downslide 2-weeks ago.

Before my downswing I had planned to move to 3/6 right at $1800. However after my down swing and reading the -510BB thread in the general hold-em section, I think I will wait till about 3,200-3,600.

Anyway the way I deal with it is this. I am going to keep a comfortable bankroll (I don't know my long term WR as I still have less than 100,000 hands from .5/1 to 2/4). But also I am not afraid to move down in levels. If I get hammered at 2/4 and take a 200BB hit, it would not bother me to drop back down to 1/2 for a month or so to work on my game (if that is what it takes.).

Also if you keep studying and paying attention at the tables (not going on auto-pilot) you will be suprised how much you will improve from week to week. Also you will become more and more confident.

Ironically, I feel better about my game now after my 100BB downswing than I did before. Because it really made me take a step back and identify things I needed to work on. Once you discover a leak, you will be suprised how quick you can fix it.

[BarronVangorToth]

If you're that worried, why not take out a few hundred (heck, you could take out $1000) and then you know you can't lose that, so even if you lose what's left ... you'll still have turned $50 into $1000.

That might take some of the fear out.

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com

[Piemaster]

I'm not sure you ever really get over it. I mean there comes a time when you are sure you are better than the average 0.5/1 player, but if you are constantly moving up limits and facing new challenges, you will forever wonder if you are up to the challenge.

I am in a similar position to you, playing about a year and made about $2500, yet after a bad session I often feel I am the worst player in the world, shouldn't have moved up limits, in over my head, just been lucky so far etc.

I think it may be healthy to an extent, as you never get overconfident, will always be looking to improve, and will respect your opponents. I bet even the best players in the world sometimes leave the table feeling like this.

[pokerrookie]

What's the point of playing, if there is no fear? If you knew you could dominate any game, except for the money, there would be no thrill.

I say that, but then, I am one of those that is glued to 1/2 because I can beat it, and don't want to risk losing my a$$ at 2/4 or 3/6. Glad to see others have similar feelings. Nice post....

About this 9000 hands isnt the long run idea.... Statistically that is true, but in the time that he has been playing these 9000 hands, many thousands of fish have given the game a shot, lost their bankroll and have never returned. More fish come in everyday with plenty of money to donate. If he continues to play at this same level, with the same style he has used thus far, he will continue to be a winning player, if not a good one. And let's face it, winning is way more important that being good. I get so sick and tired of these arrogant posters, grinding out a 1 BB/100 hand win rate bashing anybody that comes in with a "short-term" win rate of >5 BB/100. It is almost as if the posters are jealous that someone may be better than them, so they try and bring people down, by claiming long run. So here's my long run, 1 month, 10K hands of a 11BB/100 win rate. If I play 10,000 more hands at break even, it is now 5.5 BB/100. If I play 20,000 more after that, at break even, I will now have 2.75 BB/100. Another 40,000 at break even and I will be at 1.38 BB/100. So, let's see thats my next 70K hands, at break even....my long term winrate is good 1.4 BB/100, but am I still a good player? I guess you would all agree that I am, but who in these forums will sit through a streak of 70K hands at break even. I would certainly give up the game, as I would have a hard time justifing to my wife, the fact that I sit online for 3 hours a night, but have nothing to show for it.

So, I say, 10K hands is more like the long run than most of you give credit for. Perhaps this rant should have its own post....

[steamboatin]

I replied to your other post.

[Sephus]

it shouldn't. it's dumb.