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Katipo's picture
What are your worst poker mindset mistakes?

For me, it's about tilt, bankroll management and focus. Too often, I'll rematch an opponent over and over again when losing... sometimes even after 10 buyins. Moreover, I don't move down in stakes when my bankroll and play suggest I should. Finally, I often play when not focused, such as too late at night when I'm about to fall asleep and playing terribly (just trying to end games with big moves or bad hero calls). For instance, just a few hours ago, I played a session during the morning (not that I slept) and lost almost $500 at the 52.50s to players I'd normally crush. The sad part is that most of it wasn't luck.Having outlined this publicly, I hope to make the necessary changes.1. Don't play when you feel tilted, take a break. There are certain physical signs I notice when I begin to tilt and even though I can control their effect on my game, it is tough and not wise... especially playing someone with momentum. In fact, maybe it's best not to rematch someone after two straight losses because of the momentum making it harder for me to play well. On the other hand, if it's a fish, perhaps I should suck it up and play more games anyway. This is a really tough question. If you see a losing player with -5%+ ROI and lose two games... should you really stop when it would be expected you have an edge and you don't feel tilted?2. Move down with less than 30 buyins if you're not extremely comfortable. Never play with less than 15 buyins unless you want to bust 99% of your roll and have to play the 10s again.3. You know when you're tired and not likely to play your A game so just cut it out. Stop the one more game to get to a "pretty round number" syndrome. It never ends well. And even after I get to that number, I talk myself into playing more at far less than my normal game.Stop making dumb assumptions based on what you'd do! Just because you'd raise someone's first limp thinking it's weak doesn't mean he's doing it with air or that you should reraise, bet the flop and shove the turn when he calls. Similarly, a paired board doesn't mean everyone's bluffing you just because you always try to bluff them. Stop 4-betting their 3-bets with J8o on 449r and you'll save a few stacks. If the board turns really nasty and your opponent fires big or even goes all in, don't call because you think he knows you can never call with your top pair and that the value bet is thus too big to ever work as more than a bluff... they just have it. Stop being a hero, you're not actually saving lives. This all goes back to focus! 

Roamus's picture
wow.... after reading this,

wow.... after reading this, im asking myself if in my sleep I made a new account and make this thread while sleeping... exactly the same things has me.... and now im playing the fucking 10$ back.... was crushing the 55, got a big downswing and now I cant play 2 games in a row without tilting.... I just cant believe how bad I run now...

Oliver's picture
well my biggest problem is

well my biggest problem is impatience. i know that if i play patiently/objectively and in effect wisely I will win, but instead I often lose patience and try to end the games quick... hero calls and big bluffs... its stupid i know but i cant help it ... any advice? :S

thepuminator's picture
I used to play like u just

I used to play like u just described Oliver and while I had a decent ROI it was swingy and no where near what it could have been. Once I got a taste of how good it feels to just play really good and solid poker while thouroughly outplaying your opponents I coudn't go back. It just feels so good to be inside your opponent's head all match long. For about a month after I really started to play good poker I just felt high on life and it didn't hurt that with good poker comes good monies :P.I guess the thing that got my mindset to switch was thinking about the money that could be made if I really put my nose down and worked at poker and also the freedom that playing poker for a living, or for a second source of income gives you.I think i messed something up in there because half a sentence showed up after my last sentence but im too tired to look for it so if something doesn't make sense sry.

ConcreteDonkey's picture
1. Turning off my brain when

1. Turning off my brain when facing a bad player. I'll find a simple method that will defeat them and then not think for the rest of the game. The problem with this is I'm not maximizing my winrate, and I'm also not getting much practice at the game. At the $31.50 husngs there are still a huge number of losing players you can beat without thinking much. But if you don't think and practice every moment you play the game, it takes much longer to advance your skills and move up the learning curve. Plus a lot of the best players say a large % of their winnings comes from exploiting fish better than most.2. Playing when tired/hungry/whatever reason I can't concentrate.3. Thinking about results, instead of 100% skill. Skill always wins in the long run, so results are completely irrelevant and don't deserve a moment's thought. At the end of the month it's ok to think about results, but not before then.