ITH Poker Forum

[AlamedaMike]

I have always found it interesting how poker can expose problems in our psyche. Our true psychological strength is very often put to the test at the poker table. You should be the one that doesn't falter in these areas if you want to do your very best. Try to understand yourself. Try to understand what makes you tick. After you do that, try to enjoy watching your bankroll grow.

[AlamedaMike]

Well, winning streaks do not last. Y'day I was handed my hat and shown the door not because I was no longer welcome but because it was time for me to cry uncle and take a break.

I should have seen the writing on the wall when my first hand KK lost to a flopped full house.

This post is not about my 20-30 bad beats but about the way I tried to control my emotions and play my best game. After a bit I could not play my A game but I did manage to play my B+ game.

Played { 66+, A8s+, KTs+, QTs+, JTs, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s, 54s, AQo+ } by position and would only call a raise with { 99+, AJs+, AKo }

Now that is pretty tight, I think. I also played the fit or fold strategy. The problem is that it would fit and I still lost - e.g AJs and flop a Broadway and then the Jack on the turn splits the pot 3 ways.

For example AA lost 3 times and the nut flush lost 2 times. TPTK lost so many times I lost count.

I played for 7 hours and lost $280 from early on and never recovered my losses. So, I finally tossed in my hat and picked up my $120 of my $400 and went home. They gave me my hat back.



This is not an unusual poker session, just not one that I have had for about 3 weeks.

Try as I might to stay off tilt it was not easy. I did manage to not tilt off my chips but I did make some bad decisions - e.g. Ad-Jd UTG and I did not raise. The flop was 3 hearts anyway.

One player that I know rivered me about 5 times in a row and that was getting on my nerves. But, I kept checking and calling him anyway.

Note - I would like to fold against him when he is OOP and the flush card hits the river and he bets. I know he will play any 2 suited cards and he is very lucky. It seems that he win a lot of his hands. But, I still call him to see the flush. I have KQs EP and I raise he calls my raise with K2s MP and rivered a 2.

My emotions took a toll yesterday but I managed to maintain a modicum amount of control. But, try as I might I just keep getting beat. I stayed at a -$280 for 5 hours. Win a little and then loose a little. e.g. I get 66 in the blinds and flop a set and turn a FH. Lost it back next hand when my nut flush got beat. Like that.

So, does anyone care? We have all had this happen to us. The trick is to quit when you are not playing you best game or in my case my next to best game. I think that very few of us can really take that many losses and still play our A game. If you can then kiddos to you. Who are we trying to kid here? Your KQs loses to K2 when a 2 hits the river. Unless you are a ZEN master you are not going to be happy.

If each of these takes a 1% toll on you emotions then 20 of them add up. Well, not really 20 more like 17.

Then your are happy to actually see a playable hand like As-Js Then the flop is 3 of the wrong suit.

So, 280/7.5 = -$38 hour - ouch.

[simmo5050]

Nside is right. If your head starts going after any sort of loss, or any sort of win, also, then it may be time to get up.

I have recently had an unpleasant combination of fog-descending tilt and a tiny bit of running bad, mostly tilt, though, I fear, and, in retrospect, doing ANYTHING other than playing poker would have been 100% +ev compared to my table time. Shame I wasn't practising what I was preaching and taking a break.

simmo

[Stuey Brainy]

Sometimes, if you have taken a major drawn out beating, it's okay to take a moral victory win by quitting when you're ahead.

This practice won't change your long term EV and variance.

However, it could give you a chance to get the confidence back if you've recently been demoralized by a losing streak.