ITH Poker Forum

[Llanlad]

Hi all

I have no idea what to do next ...

Im probably on the verge of quitting poker ... without actually wanting too ..

The last few months have been just horrible ... and no matter how many breaks im having ... when i come back .. its just the same ..

I have this allmost resigned feeling when it comes to poker nowadays ... I cant remember the last time i had a great day on the tables ..

My game has not gotten that bad as for me to allmost stop winning overnight ..

Ive had yet another break and decided today to play some MTT's and after playing 4 of them ... and about 280 hands i once got AK, AQ and AJ once each and all missed the flop and only AJ won when unimproved .

I dont get PP's anymore or even SC to push with .. and when i do get my money in with these types im allmost allways rivered by the preverbial A ..

This is not the usual moan as i only lost around $60 today and thats nothing in the grand scheme of things ..

What gets me is just the total nothingness thats going on .... I just keep getting the likes of T4o, J2o, 73o, 23o .

This routine has been going on for months .. so much so now ... I actually expect it to happen .. and therefore dont feel like playing ..

Again . .this is not a moan .. its just i dont get any enjoyment out of poker anymore .. the last 4 months has destroyed my love for this game ... and im not sure ill get it back ..

Its like its left some kind of mental scar and even if i start winning again .. i wont forget how much i hated poker during this last 4 months ..especially the last month all the rivered 3 outers where idiots call my UTG raise with A7 and wont let go on a A flop .. only to river the 7 ... its happen so many times i just feel im starting to feel cheated or something ..

Nobody needs to reply to this post as i know what everyone is going to say .....

Yes the poker road is a long one ... and ive not even lost that much money over the last few months ... but there is no reasonable reasons as to why i can keep running so poorly for so long ..

I loved poker a few months ago ... but im on the verge of truly hating this game now ..

OK .. im done ... back to heckling hawk

[the_hawk]

Hi all

I have no idea what to do next ...

Im probably on the verge of quitting poker ... without actually wanting too ..

The last few months have been just horrible ... and no matter how many breaks im having ... when i come back .. its just the same ..

It's exactly the same for me.

My bankroll is all but gone (well not really, but it's nothing like it was) and I am just tired of the game.

I am totally at the mercy of the cards. I can play pretty much identically every time and occasionally go on a small heater but most of the time just slowly bleed chips to assholes who outflop me, chase down weak draws and hit, etc., etc.

Some might say "that's poker". I call it a f*cking lottery. And I have had enough.

I'm uninstalling all the software and sticking to heckling Llan from now on. I'm not even contributing to strat threads - what's the point when I so obviously suck?

F*** it.

[Willem]

Again . .this is not a moan .. its just i dont get any enjoyment out of poker anymore ..

I don't think it's possible to get a positive balance in terms of emotions in poker. At least, not in the short run.

Poker is not a zero-sum game in terms of positive and negative emotions. Poker makes a lot of people feel miserable. And even the winning players have an equal amount of good and bad times. Suppose you get all-in and someone hits a 2 outer on you. Next hand, you get all-in again and now you suck out. In monetary terms, you are completely break-even (not counting rake). But emotionally, the hand you lose bothers you way more that the hand you win. And the amount of wins and losses will always be roughly 50/50. Or maybe you get sucked out on more often as your opponent chase more longshots. So the net balance in terms of emotions will always be negative, at least in the short run. I think it's a big mistake to look at playing poker as a source of happiness

And maybe you should quit poker. Can you really expect to get yourself out of this hole by continuing to play full time? Does it actually make sense to continue like this?

[Llanlad]

And maybe you should quit poker. Can you really expect to get yourself out of this hole by continuing to play full time? Does it actually make sense to continue like this?

I dont play full time anymore ...have not done for a while now ... I work part time because i did not have the discipline to play all day ...

I dont think i play poker for a source of happiness, i play only to make money ... I started to play poker because i thought i could be good at it ... and ive made more money out of poker than ill ever lose ... so i believe it was obviously the right decision..

Obviously ... i would like to enjoy poker when i play ... whatever i do .. id want to enjoy doing it ... whats the point in anyone doing something they dont enjoy ?

I watched a mate playing on my poker stars account the other day .. and i swear he had a run of cards that hit flops etc that ive not had in months ... I just could not believe it !

I honestly cannot remeber the last time i hit a OESD or even a flush ... ive had soooo many lately that have missed its sick ... and even the last 2 sets ive flopped got done . .the last by a runner runner straight ..

Ive played poker long enough to be able to accept these things ... but 4 months of it ? ... its too long to accept to just ignore it as simple variance .... its can wear you down ..

I can walk away from the tables feeling a bit pissed off, but after a while .. im ok ... I dont tilt on the tables, i dont start looking at A4 and thinking . .wow thats my first A in ages and that EP2 raiser might fold to my reraise .. Im not silly when i play ... in poker terms .. i do have common sense and think about certain situations ...

I wont and cant quit poker really ... in today's climate in the UK ... any form of an additional income is too much of a good thing to just ignore ... even if it does drive you mad at times ....


Im trying everything in my power to get out of this crap run ... Ive started running, i do the weights, im eating better to give myself a more positive outlook on life itself !! ...

And no matter what .. the cards just wont turn around ...

[Llanlad]

My bankroll is all but gone (well not really, but it's nothing like it was)

That infamous trip to Moscow did not help

I'm uninstalling all the software and sticking to heckling Llan from now on. I'm not even contributing to strat threads - what's the point when I so obviously suck?

Looks like the heckling between us might esculate out of control ... even ive stopped posting in the NL section because of this recent run ..

I dont care what people say .. you DO start to question your game after such periods like this ...

I can honestly say .. i think my game has improved lately because i went back to basics and had a really good look at my game and improved certain aspects ..

But putting in a 4xBB UTG raise with AA and getting called by the BB with 96o .. ( yeah sure this guy knows all about position ) only for the flop to be 962 and wham bam ... the guy thinks hes great and you think ... when is this sh*t going to end ?

[the_hawk]

I dont think i play poker for a source of happiness, i play only to make money ... I started to play poker because i thought i could be good at it ... and ive made more money out of poker than ill ever lose ... so i believe it was obviously the right decision..

LIkewise I've made far more than I will ever lose, but that's not a reason not to stop... not least 'cos I've spent all of those profits - on Moscow jaunts and the like

Obviously ... i would like to enjoy poker when i play ... whatever i do .. id want to enjoy doing it ... whats the point in anyone doing something they dont enjoy ?

Exactly.

I wont and cant quit poker really ... in today's climate in the UK ... any form of an additional income is too much of a good thing to just ignore ... even if it does drive you mad at times ....

That's precisely the problem - even if it's only a few hundred bucks here and there for some nice things from time to time... I dare say in my case it will be another break and I'll probably get back on the horse - but I simply don't want to play right now.

Im trying everything in my power to get out of this crap run ... Ive started running, i do the weights, im eating better to give myself a more positive outlook on life itself !! ...

Funny thing is that I am a relaxed and extremely positive person "in real life". Trust me, it's f*cking useless

I dont care what people say .. you DO start to question your game after such periods like this ...

I've convinced myself I'm not much better than long-term break-even at my stock limits these days. (It may be true). I was never crushing the limits at the tables - but the days of plentiful, easy-to-clear bonuses are long behind us and that definitely makes a big difference to someone at my level.

I can honestly say .. i think my game has improved lately because i went back to basics and had a really good look at my game and improved certain aspects ..

The past few days, I KNOW I have played solidly and my stats (except the one that ultimately counts) reflect that. I've been slaughtered out of sight. Short-term results, whingeing, blah blah. I can't take any more of this shit right now.

[Piemaster]

Llan, do you mainly play on sites that support PT?

[Llanlad]

Llan, do you mainly play on sites that support PT?

As it happens Pie ... ive been looking for a site that does not allow you to use PT ... and ive found one such obscure site ..

The traffic is very poor, but the players are not very good either .. its very early days and ive not got many hands so far ... basically because i cant be bothered to play !

But previously .. yes i used PT .

[PauliF]

have you thought about playing tournaments instead
they are much less frustrating than cash games
you almost always win in them

I am fed up too
but got a busy 6 weeks so looking forward to the break and coming back to it


see mate ... once you are in you are in...
poker is the very definition of a love hate relationship

for me it is worth losing money on a regular basis for the perspective it puts on the rest of my life...
all those 3 outers mate... you are just saving them up... and when you have a run of doing it to other fellas... you will love poker again

when a man is tired of poker he is tired of life

word

[Llanlad]

This bloody welsh summer weather is not helping my mood either

I feel sorry for me lad ... i bought him a lovely new bike on his birthday in July and due to this awfull summer weather hes hardly ridden the damn thing ...

I might move to Spain ..anyone from ITH live in Spain and has room for a grumpy welsh lad ?

There are no guarantees ill behave though ..

[Piemaster]

But previously .. yes i used PT .

Any way you can post your starting hand distribution since the bad run began?

[Llanlad]

I tried to post my PT stats before but could not get them to show well here . .they where miles too small ..

I was using the all you can upload website ... it seems thats now stop and ive got webshots .. ill try and use that and see if its any different .

Im quite willing to post my PT stats although it would have to be as individual ipoker alias's as PT3 screws up big style when i put 2 alias's together .

what stats are you looking for Pie , just the starting hands ?

Bugger it .. ill post as much as i can if it works

[Llanlad]

Nahh .. its still too small ..

If anyone can give me an idiots guide to copy PT stats onto paint and then save in picture folder .... and then post through webshots and make it look like normal ... Id be happy

[Piemaster]

Was just interested whether you really were getting worse than average starting hands during this period, or if it was all in your imagination.

[Llanlad]

Was just interested whether you really were getting worse than average starting hands during this period, or if it was all in your imagination.

hehehe .. i know exactly what you where thinking Mr Pie ...

I will try and figure out how to get a proper sized screenshot on here of my PT stats .. I will ask in the Off topic section ..

Im quite willing to show the stats .. if you or anyone else pointed out that it was indeed me over reacting ... then in someways it would be easier to deal with ..

I may indeed get my fair share of big hands .. but im pretty sure they are not holding up as much as they should ..