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FreakOfNature's picture
Advice on a losing streak

I've just had the worse session in the last few months. I'm down 13 BI's this session.

I'm not one to complain about bad beats and stuff, so I won't but I'm at the point of puking :)

I can clearly recognise when things are not going right and I never really tilt too hard, although it can effect a few of my decisions.

Anyway, I really still want to play and feel I'm still playing ok but it's getting pretty brutal and making me feel deflated.

Any advice? I might just play another site for a bit and see how I get on lol

DntCaltACmBk's picture
Boy do I know that

Boy do I know that feeling.
The usual answer on here is actually, I think, the best one: stop playing for a few hours.  If you still feel yourself steaming, maybe take the rest of the day off.  I've held back potential tilt fests in recent weeks by taking a step away as soon as I sense a losing streak beginning.  I remember RyPac posting something recently about how Phil Ivey quits as soon as he is down, or something along those lines.
It's painful to end the day down 13 buy-ins, so I understand the feeling of wanting to play through - especially when you know you have a huge edge over your competition.  I also know it's far more painful to end the day down 16 or more buy-ins because you were still steaming from your earlier beats.
If the damage hasn't been too bad and I still have the self control and the right attitude to play my A game, I might reduce the number of tables I play in the face of a bad run of cards.  Or load up three as usual but not load up another one as soon as one finishes, just try and play out the three and end up 2-1 or 3-0... Posting a win is usually the confidence boost I need to refocus myself and play properly.
This stuff is just what works for me, though I have no idea if it's "right" or "wrong", just thought I'd share my experiences with you.

Radeh's picture
On a 16BI downswing myself,

On a 16BI downswing myself, so I know how you feel ;)
I assume you've already heard the general advice people give you: 
- Take a break
- Spend time doing something else you like
- Don't be results oriented, as long as you keep on getting money in a head you'll be fine...
- Bud ;)
The biggest help for me was when I decided to increase my daily volume. Before I used to play maybe 10-15 games per day, so loosing 10 was a really big deal. But now that I'm putting in 30-50 games per day, it completely stopped bothering me when I lose a few games. It's just short term variance...at least if you go over your play and don't find any horrible "tilt play". Now if I lose 10 games, I just keep on telling myself that there's another 20-30 games a head and chances are I'll make up for it. Today's session graph has the form of a "U"...if I had stopped after 20 games, I would have been soul crushed.
 

__________________________

Goats!!! MORE GOATS!!!

FreakOfNature's picture
Thanks :) Yeah I know i

Thanks :)
Yeah I know i gotta stop, I just dont want to :) But I have and I will, I did just play another 2 on full tilt and lost them both too and both painfully.
Good advice with the volume, that is basically what I have been doing this month as I want to get the extra vpps in the UK promo. So the -13 is from 45 games today, I was actually up 10 BI's at the start so my down swing is actually like 23!
Gonna just watch some vids to get my poker fix!

DntCaltACmBk's picture
I'm just coming on here

I'm just coming on here right now to read my own advice... as the only thing that could've made tonight's session a losing one was if I lost three in a row to these awful players.  Andddd I did.  Moving up stake levels always kills me, it's like Stars is trying to beat me back down - I guess they don't want my rake.  Still up on the day but not even a full buy-in, still steaming about those three losses sooooo I take a break, go play some Wii for half an hour, and if I feel relaxed after that I'll put in one more session before I curl up on the couch with some wine and Craig Ferguson.
(Edit: Better yet... I'm going to try and find a good video on here on end game)

magnusnick's picture
Same here. I had a huge

Same here. I had a huge swing today. Yesterday i was up like 400$ or so playing only the 22's turbo's.

DntCaltACmBk... i've played you also by the way... didn't know you were a HUSNG member also. Hated when i joined you and sharkscoped you and noticed that you were a 20$ reg :) We made it 1-1 between us anyway.
 
Anyway, about the swing. Today i just couldn't get anything going. Dropped from like +400$ to +$120. It's like stars was trying to kill me or something. Lost all AI's PF in the end game with the best hand (AJ vs A5... A5 always wins for example), didn't hit any flops whatsoever so i was raising my button for nothing. Got called on every street when i had the best hand on the flop only for them to hit their draw/overpair on the river. Lost with flopping the nuts on the turn/river always (straights vs flushes and boats). Only AI's that i've one today (very few) were with the worst hand btw... worst hand seems to always hit. Lost like 10-15 matches or so where i had the guy down to 400 chips and then he won every fucking ALL IN on me regardless of the crap he had. It was insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know wtf to do anymore. What's killing me the most is that the 22$'s on stars are full of limpers that call PF raises with anything and almost always hit on their limps. + they chase any shit. It's like OMAHA ffs, you either play with the NUTS or you fold the fuck out. I'm so fucking pissed of, i almost broke the damn monitor.
Are the 22$'s just a limp / see if you hit TPTK type of thing? I would rather just deposit some more $ to afford playing at higher levels where nobody limps and calls with 6 high on A106 flops.
 
I know variance is supposed to be high but come on. Today was like playing black jack or some shit like that.

DntCaltACmBk's picture
Hey man, I have absolutely

Hey man, I have absolutely no answers for you.  All I can say is I've been there myself, playing the same stakes, and I've come out of it alive.  I'm even rolled to play the $33s, I just moved up today in fact (bad news: the play is just as bad).
So I guess you can look at it this way: I've been through the same shit as you and broke through, managing to build my roll and move up in stakes - and I'm the worst poker player on earth!  So there is DEFINITELY hope for you.
 

magnusnick's picture
Yeah, i've been at the 33$'s

Yeah, i've been at the 33$'s myself. It's the same just that they tilt you harder since you are losing more. I'm guessing it's grind the 20's and deal with it untill you can afford 40 buyins or so for the 110's. Yeah, i'm sure i can survive the 22's but the only thing i need is deal with my temper when i drop 3-5 buyins in a row. I just need to stop playing cose after losing 3 in a row i end up on monkey tilt and just start playing VERY aggresively and throw money left and right.
 
I found today that it helps a little if i just play some 0.25/0.5$ cash game full handed or a tourney after taking a big swing in HU. It helps just chilling out, relaxing and waiting for a hand instead of trying to hit with everything.

jackoneill's picture
Bad timings and constantly hitting expensive 2nd best hands

I know the feeling very well, and I'm still trying to recover from my last huge downswing which kicked me from the $100's back to the $30's.
For me, it wasn't just suckouts, but a series of very bad timings paird with constantly hitting expensive 2nd best hands - especially when playing against really bad opponents. For instance, a guy openshoves 4-5 times in a row, I call the 6th or 7th time he does that - and run into Aces. Or a guy constantly mindonks flop and turn into me - not folding to any raises no matter how big they are - and makes a huge river donk most of the time. Then, when I finally have a hand, he wakes up with something completely ridiculous like 23o which just hit runner runner gutshot. Often, I even raise for value since I have a strong hand myself and the only thing that beats me doesn't make any sense for him to have.
When this happens to me, I usually have a hard time quitting the guy, since I do not only want my money back, but also think I have a huge edge over the guy, so it's just short-term variance. Unfortunately, most of these sessions end losing some 5+ more buy-ins.
I already tried increasing volume, but this only made matters worse for me - because I was less concentrated and less focused on the individual match, which led to me making mistakes and thus losing even more.
The only thing which really helped me was immediately quitting the session when this happens and walk away for the computer. Sometimes, a couple of hours is even enough and I can come back fresh.
Jack


Radeh's picture
Secret

Secret tip:
SACRIFICE GOATS BEFORE EVERY SESSION.
It's important to use goats and NOT baby seals, the whole baby seals thing is a giant missconception.

__________________________

Goats!!! MORE GOATS!!!

contraSol's picture
False.  I'm from Maine, so

False.  I'm from Maine, so I know the benefits of clubbing baby seals pre-session.  Don't try to keep all of the baby seals to yourself, I can see your mind working from here.

Radeh's picture
Wrong! I had a lengthy

Wrong! I had a lengthy discussion about the benefits of goats vs baby seals, and goats win hands down.
1) Goats are more readily available.
2) They're cheaper: Paying 2k+ for a baby seal when grinding the low/medstakes is kinda pointless!
3) Goats don't fight back...baby seals are vicious little buggers.
4) The poker gods have a fetish for goat corpses! Giving them baby seals is like giving Jessica Alba to a gay dude.
 
 

__________________________

Goats!!! MORE GOATS!!!

PrimordialAA's picture
wow contraSol, where in

wow contraSol, where in Maine are you from ?
 
<---- lives in New Hampshire

magnusnick's picture
It's official. Stars

It's official. Stars doomswitched me. I can't win a fucking flip.... no point in even playing if you can't win a flip.
 
http://i43.tinypic.com/2r7u3ig.png

contraSol's picture
I'm from Saco.  do you ever

I'm from Saco.  do you ever play at Seabrook?

PrimordialAA's picture
used to quite a bit when I

used to quite a bit when I was living in Dover, but im in central NH (Danbury) now so like 1.5-2 hrs away

Radeh's picture
I think luck comes and goes

I think luck comes and goes in annoying cycles. I had a 20BI downswing earlier this week, but today I am up in the 11s, won a HUMTT, and got accepted at my #1 choice uni...just a matter of closing your eyes and powering through while trying to stay calm.

__________________________

Goats!!! MORE GOATS!!!

RyPac13's picture
Nice job Radeh.

Nice job Radeh.