What do you do when your hit a bad spell?

[The Chuckle]

I’ve wanted to post this for a few weeks now but (as you may have guessed from the title) I’ve been going through a bit of a lean spell and wanted to come out of it before I asked other what they do… can’t for the life of me think why I made that decision. Ego I guess, wanting to sort out my own problems. as it happens I now don’t think I am out of if but one lucky win has made it look better than it is.

I wondered what some of you guys with more experience than me do when you hit a barren spell?

I’ve had 6 out of 7 losing weeks after never having gone worse than 2 losing in 3. as it happens the winning week almost wiped out the 6 losers but I still feel my game has been affected.

My ‘cycle’ has gone something like this…

1.   Doing ok playing my usual ‘tight aggressive’ game (honest!!!)
2.   Started to get more than my fair share of bad luck (the usual stuff – out draws, not winning a race for weeks, etc etc)
3.   Started making more than my fair share of bad decisions
(this may have come before or at the same time as the bad luck but I became more aware of it at this stage)
4.   Tried to modify my game a little as I got fed up of not cashing
5.   Found myself playing looser than usual
6.   Making more errors
7.   Got very lucky several times in one tournament and thought I’d cracked the bad spell
8.   Continued to miss the money spot
9.             So worried about my decision making that I stopped.
9.   Decided to take a couple of weeks off (one week no poker at all and one week only reading and watching it)

I’ll let you know how the return fares!

I do wonder whether this 'cycle' may be the norm for a tournament only poker career where one win can wipe our months of losses. Maybe the 'long run' is longer than I think.

What do you do?



For those interested in a deeper version of my situation the following is a brief account about me – maybe you can spot similarities. For those not interest – stop reading now!

Just for some background information…

I’ve been playing poker online for use as (part of) a regular income for almost exactly one year know. I started poker 4 years ago at Poker School Online.

I play mainly Multi-table tournaments, some Single table SnG’s and the odd cash game here and there. All mainly No limit hold ’em but occasionally trying to expand my résumé. I get through maybe 15-25 games a week, many of them whilst I’m doing something else (especially in the early stages) as I work from home and buy-ins range from $10 to $50 with the occasional ‘biggie’ if I win a seat in one (I tend to pay more attention the bigger the tournament is) and I’ve had a couple of $2,000+ cashes

My game is a tight one (I like to think!) and I’m currently trying to develop a more ‘rounded’ approach.

My 12 months overall figure will look something like plus $24,000 which seems ok and comes in handy as additional income but works out at under $30 profit per tournament played (at 2-4 hours a time you can see why I do something else or play 2-3 at once).

I occasionally venture live and have a better win ratio than online (cashing over £1,000 four times) but generally can’t be bothered with the travelling and other inconveniences.

I keep detailed records for every game I play and how I played (things I did wrong, whether I was robbed etc) and I break my results down by game, site buy-in, weekly, monthly and soon yearly performances.

[TightEnd]

 


a lot of this sounds familiar from this board over the months...I myself posted along these lines

I took a week off as much to rid myself of bad habits as anything

By the time I fired up the sites again I was raring to go!

Another thing is to talk stuff through a lot...if Blonde can be a help with that, put up hand histories etc and we'll see if we can spot some leaks...well I won't but the good ones will! 


 

[Dingdell]

I agree - taking some time away is a good idea - I was having a few bad beats and my head was going crazy -WHY WHY WHY all the time - so I had a few days away from the tables and when i got back it was as if it had all never happened - all of a sudden the cards were my friends again 

A change of scene is a really good idea and no poker - we went to Jersey - didnt realise until we go there that they don't have any casinos - but we made the best of it, had a great time, and felt much better for it afterwards.

Good luck,

Tracey

[byronkincaid]

I broke even in May and thought that was as bad as it could get. i was wrong. I broke even again for the whole of Sept and Oct I am overdrawn blah blah blah. I think it's something you have to work out for yourself probably through experience but these are some things I think have helped me.

Give a load of money to charity even if you're skint. (good karma ying and yang and all that sort of stuff)
Realise that the long run is probably several lifetimes and therefore anything can happen in the space of a few weeks.
Also realise though that having bad beat after bad beat will affect you somehow. I am a very relaxed chilled out kind of person but looking back I think I was pretty much on tilt for the whole of May and probably October as well.
Tilt isn't just when you're steaming it is anything that subtley affects your game even without you realising it.
My lowest point was playing 6 sngs and losing 5 of them all in holding AK against AQ. Lost the 6th to a coinflip.
I am now reading a few pages of a book called Way of the Peaceful Warrior in between sets of sngs, just to keep me ultra chilled out and focused on playing poker rather than letting my mind wander.
The most important thing is to enjoy playing. Some people take breaks, I can't do that I need the money. I played some 6 max cash games and enjoyed it, I think I was just so bored of playing sng after sng I would have rather been doing anything else instead.
When I first started playing sngs I was getting up early in the moring to play a couple then as soon as I got home after work I played some more I absolutely loved it. For almost a year after I gave up my job I used to wake up in the morning and be totally delighted that all I had to do was play games on my computer for a living. Gradually it becomes a grind and then total boredom. So you need to find something to enjoy about the game again to get that delight and childlike enthusiasm back.
These are just things that helped for me. You may need to be thinking about totally different stuff. I think of playing poker as being a kind of business that I have set up. There are zillions of different reasons why businesses go bust every day, you've got to work out what's going wrong with your's.
Oh and whatever you do don't go around saying stupid things like "I could teach a monkey to make 2 grand a month playing sngs" I have learnt my lesson

Hope I'm not teaching granny to suck eggs Good luck

[Graham C]

moved back to cheaper sng games

[thetank]

My gran didn't know how to suck eggs.

[thetank]

Switching your focus from cash games to tournaments can help.

Agree with what was said above though. Nothing beats a break.

[snoopy1239]

I posted this on another thread. Hope it helps.


Okay, this is a topic that I feel I have had some experience with.

I currently consider myself to be working two jobs. I work full time during the day and then hit the poker tables at night. I am the proverbial candle burner.

At first, this was a real struggle. The late nights, fatigue, lethargy, etc, effected both my game and my work. I was irritable during the day and totally zapped at night. My job became more of an effort and my poker diminished in quality.

To combat this, I decided to make a few changes:

(i)   Play less live poker

If you play live and do well, you probably won’t be seeing beddie byes until 3-5am. Maybe even 6am if you have far to travel. Personally, I need at least an hour to wind down, otherwise I just can’t get to sleep.

If you throw into the mix petrol, smoky clothes, few games, etc, then perhaps it would be best to frequent the online tables. There’s nothing wrong with playing live, but if you have to get up at 8 the next morning, then the sleep deprivation will eventually catch up with you.

(ii)   Play less multis

Multis are very time consuming and can often drift into the early hours of the morning. They also don’t allow for too many breaks. If you’ve been working all day, come home, have your tea, and then spend 4 continuous playing a multi before going to bed, then you’re really not giving your brain enough rest.

My suggestion would be to focus on cash games and STTs. Obviously with cash you can come and go when you please and breaks aren’t dictated by a clock. Unlike multis, STTs won’t last much longer than 45 mins, therefore giving you ample time between playing to take a break.

(iii)   Get healthy

One reason why work and poker doesn’t mix too well is because the individual isn’t looking after himself. Don’t let poker take you into the early hours of the morning. Get some early nights so you can feel fresh tomorrow, both for work during the day and poker in the evening.

Do some exercise. It’s an old cliché but it really rings true with this sort of problem. ‘Healthy body, healthy mind.’ If you feel good, you’ll play good. I always play worse when I’m feeling down, angry, frustrated, etc. Put yourself in the right frame of mood by doing some exercise and feeling good about yourself.

Eat properly. Eat breakfast. Plenty of fruit. Don’t cut out meals. Don’t eat tea at an ungodly hour. Don’t let an obsession with poker control when you feed yourself. It’s very hard to cook when you’re in the middle of a comp.

(iv)   Play in moderations

When you’re working, there is often the tendency to play more than you should. People think they have less time to earn their poker wage and must do it asap. Not true. Don’t force the issue. Don’t play as soon as you get home to the time you go to bed. If you only feel like playing for an hour or two, just play for those 2 hours, no more. If you’re tired, don’t play. Take a day off. Take the early night instead and ambush the tables the next day when you feel on top of your game.

(v)   Be Patient

If work is taking up a lot of your potential poker time, then you’re just going to have to build up your bankroll gradually. Don’t play out of your comfort zone and don’t sit down with more cash than you can afford. Patience. Patience. Patience. Both within the game and in your every day life.


Briefly, this is what I do:

Work 5 days a week, full time hours. Get back around 5.30-6pm. Play online for a couple of hours. Relax. Play for an hour or 2 more. Now and then, if I feel in the mood, I’ll take on a multi or 2. Watch tv or read a poker book in between poker. Go to bed 12.30-1am.

If there is a festival, big freezout, etc I want to play, I make sure I can get leave for the day after. I don’t want to have to be going to work shattered, win or lose. I also try to target weekend live comps. The Walsall £300 2 day event for example.

I do my best , although often don’t succeed, in  eating well, exercising, going to bed before 1am, and relaxing my brain. Anything to avoid morale or energy levels from dropping.

This formula enables me to make a steady and consistent profit online, and take the odd big win live.


I have often considered chucking my job in and playing poker full-time, but it’s currently too much of a risk. You need a sizable bankroll to do this and a great deal of consistency in your game. A more realistic option is to play semi-professionally and work part-time, so if you hit a run of cold cards, you’ve at least got some sort of income to depend on. However, before you decide, carry on as planned. Play in moderations, remain patient, and see how much you earn. Then after a while, reassess your situation.


Good luck. Hope that helps.

snoops

[ariston]

I have not bothered to read this thread I am just answering the title--USUALLY SELF ABUSE MORE

[Nakor]

I have been there as have most.
I posted a similar thread and took the advice from the fellow Blondites back in September.  Had 1 whole week with nothing poker related except Harringtons books, no TV, no blonde, no games, no casino. I spoilt the misses and rested.  2nd week I surfed every site I could find, watched players like RED-DOG, Flushy, AJ and others, read as much as possible, read Blonde and went back through my records.
I came back refreshed having spotted some things to try, went back to my core games and to be honest have not looked back since.

So my advice would be go for the break, get some good books and get back to basics.

[snoopy1239]

Good to hear it worked for you, Nakor. Top stuff. 

[Nakor]

Indeed.

I guess I owe you a Drink should we bump into each other at the Blonde comp in Jan. 
Maybe I could try and get some more advice on the cheap 

[snoopy1239]

Indeed.

I guess I owe you a Drink should we bump into each other at the Blonde comp in Jan. 
Maybe I could try and get some more advice on the cheap 

Swap 'Drink' for 'Ferrari' and I'll think about it. 

[The Chuckle]

Yup thanks for the replies/tips guys. Alot of this helps.

Currently I've been unpokered for a week and about to start my reading only week this weekend...

Beginning to get the itch though!!

[matt674]

(ii)   Play less multis

Multis are very time consuming and can often drift into the early hours of the morning. They also don’t allow for too many breaks. If you’ve been working all day, come home, have your tea, and then spend 4 continuous playing a multi before going to bed, then you’re really not giving your brain enough rest.

My suggestion would be to focus on cash games and STTs. Obviously with cash you can come and go when you please and breaks aren’t dictated by a clock. Unlike multis, STTs won’t last much longer than 45 mins, therefore giving you ample time between playing to take a break.

Completely agree with all of your post apart from this point. It nearly even got me to use the  smillie for the first time, however as an MTT player who plays nothing but MTT's i have to argue that this point could in fact be the cause of the bad runs.....

I soon discovered when starting to play poker that there are three disciplines in poker, ring (cash) games - STT's and MTT's. All 3 are completely different animals and require different styles to become profitable on a regular basis. I soon learned that my style of play is more suited to MTT's than ring games or STT's and so i only ever play MTT's. I think that once you discover what discipline of poker is most profitable to you then concentrate on that only, there is no need to constantly make a decent profit at MTT's only then to fritter away the profit in a cash game and by taking a MTT style strategy into a cash game chances are frittering away profit is more often than not what you will be doing.

If you appear to be running bad then take time off to recharge the batteries then before you thrust yourself back into the tournament arena, analyse your tournament hand histories to see if you can spot where you may have been going wrong so you can work on that once you start again.

I agree with Snnopy that MTT's can be time consuming so only enter tourneys when you know you will have enough time to play and not play tired. I dont think that by switching away from your most profitable form of poker to a form of poker that may not suit your game is a good idea in the long run.

Out of curiosity chuckle, why do you play MTT's mainly?