Do I have a bad poker disease?

[Spaded]

My overall winnings since i bought pokertracker in november 04 (by date). As you can see, my troubles started 15th of may:


I think I've either gone on a losing streak or there is something fundamentally wrong.
Here is $1/$2 6max, all of the losing occurring after reading in the short handed forum about being aggressive. Maybe a little too aggressive? My PF raise is low (7%) but maybe I'm just lacking in post-flop play. If I fold to a $1 bet on the flop after a raise or a limp, people ALWAYS bet into me because they think i am weak and will fold to any cheap bet, so i usually call.


And now $2/$4 limit, which i started playing once i hit $1100 (slightly underbankrolled, i know)


And $25 and $50 no limit 6max graphs are no less unimpressive, I've got some kind of poker disease!



My VPIP's: $25NL 6max: 27%. $50NL 6max:24.5%. $1/$2 limit 6max: 23.5%. $2/$4 full ring limit 13.3% (low i know, but sample size only 2200 hands.)
All graph peaks occurred at or near May 15, now $400 poorer at June 16.

I remember reading somewhere that there are 4 stages of a successful poker player's life. First stage is the tight-passive/aggressive stage where you first learn which cards to play and you begin to understand position.
The second stage is the stage when you realise that every decent hand can have value. You play more hands postflop and try to get value for small edges. Most players will not survive this stage.
The third stage is where you know exactly when the cards have value and you know exactly when to use this knowledge.
The fourth stage is poker stardom.

I believe i'm on the 2nd stage and i'm in a downward phase, calling down people whom i think are bluffing and watching my good cards turn to dust. Any encouragement would be much appreciated! [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[smartalecc5]

I'll let others give you a detailed response, but I'll sum it up for you in one word: Variance.

[Spaded]

[ QUOTE ]
I'll let others give you a detailed response, but I'll sum it up for you in one word: Variance.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea but it's a big loss in every single level i play in, all at in the span of a month; it seems a little fishy.

[einbert]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'll let others give you a detailed response, but I'll sum it up for you in one word: Variance.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea but it's a big loss in every single level i play in, all at in the span of a month; it seems a little fishy.

[/ QUOTE ]

IMO online poker is rigged.

But it could be variance, maybe.

[witeknite]

I don't know...does it burn when you pee?

Seriously, you don't have more than 10,000 hands in any one level. Also, you tend to play short handed which mean more variance than full table. For example, I goof off at lunch playing 1/2 limit 6-max on party and the over day dropped 50BB in a little over an hour. The next day, again in a little over an hour, I made back 30 of them.

That being said, I do know you're limit 6-max game needs work. My PFR is 13 and I'm looking for more places to raise. Also, when you say fold on the flop for one bet, are check/folding or folding to someone in EP betting into you? You should usually not check the flop after a PFR in 6-max. And many times a raise is the correct play. If the whole table called and the flop was 8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and you had the A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] than you shouldn't bet. From there it begins to get greyer. How many saw the flop? How likely is it that they connected with the flop? How likely are they to fold if they didn't connect/hit bottom pair? If you really want to play 6-max, go start reading the HUSH (Heads-up, short handed) forum.

WiteKnite

[Spaded]

I agree my 6max needs work, i might be too passive. I almost never check the flop after a raise, but when i bet the flop i'm almost always called down by someone with low pair and they take down the pot. If my raise preflop didn't knock anyone out, i'm less inclined to bet after the flop because there are more chances that someone hit it. On the flip side, i tend to call people down too often with small pair and get beaten by top pair when i think they are bluffing.

[witeknite]

That's just the small sample size in action. Play more hands.

Also, when you say called down by vilian, are you betting the river when in position after villian check/called flop and turn and checked the river? I almost always take the free showdown here (extremely extenuating circumstances have to be in play for me to bet one last time, i.e. read that he folds river to much or a board that counterfeits his probable low PP) This is with a big A hand. If it's a K-high hand, I tend to take the free turn card since there's a better chance I have to hit to win.

WiteKnite

[Spaded]

Usually they just check/call because they know i have ace+large or king+large and they are gambling that i didnt hit with my 2nd card.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
Here is $1/$2 6max, all of the losing occurring after reading in the short handed forum about being aggressive. Maybe a little too aggressive? My PF raise is low (7%) but maybe I'm just lacking in post-flop play. If I fold to a $1 bet on the flop after a raise or a limp, people ALWAYS bet into me because they think i am weak and will fold to any cheap bet, so i usually call.

[/ QUOTE ]

This doesn't sound very aggressive to me. Your PFR is about half of where it should be and you should be raising weak flop lead bets at least as often as calling it.

[Spaded]

The reaason for my downswing was probably because I was playing many levels at once. Before the downswing i was playing $25NL for 8000+ hands, then suddenly i started playing all kinds of levels. I guess focussing one one level should be my goal.