How to get out of a funk
I'm looking for some advice as to what some people on this forum do to get their game out of the doldrums. Allow me to expand.
I wouldn't by any means consider myself a top-notch player, but I'm no slouch either. I really only play low-limit (mostly 1-2 online and 2-5,3-6 at the casino... I'm in school and therefore poor) but also play tournaments with some frequency.
And I understand that a poker player has several peaks and valleys in their play, where one week they will go on a big rush, and the next week they slowly give it all back. And thats what I've been on right now. Two weeks ago, I had been on a very profitable run where I believe I made something in the neighbourhood of $ 15 an hour playing 1-2 online, but this past week I've likely given back at least half of my winnings from that run. This has happened before where my play has bottomed out, but naturally I'd like to minimize these negative runs and maximize my positive runs.
I'm throwing it out there for suggestions as to how I should respond to my bad run as of late in an effort to swing it back the other way... should I just take some time off? Tighten up? Get more aggressive? What do people on the forum do when they're stuck in the muck like this? Any and all suggestions will be appreciated
I wouldn't by any means consider myself a top-notch player, but I'm no slouch either. I really only play low-limit (mostly 1-2 online and 2-5,3-6 at the casino... I'm in school and therefore poor) but also play tournaments with some frequency.
And I understand that a poker player has several peaks and valleys in their play, where one week they will go on a big rush, and the next week they slowly give it all back. And thats what I've been on right now. Two weeks ago, I had been on a very profitable run where I believe I made something in the neighbourhood of $ 15 an hour playing 1-2 online, but this past week I've likely given back at least half of my winnings from that run. This has happened before where my play has bottomed out, but naturally I'd like to minimize these negative runs and maximize my positive runs.
I'm throwing it out there for suggestions as to how I should respond to my bad run as of late in an effort to swing it back the other way... should I just take some time off? Tighten up? Get more aggressive? What do people on the forum do when they're stuck in the muck like this? Any and all suggestions will be appreciated
Comments
When I hit a downswing, I review my play using Poker Tracker (if you don't have PT, you could also review your hand histories manually, although it will be more time consuming). I basically want to see if I am playing well, or if I am off my game for some reason.
If you find you are playing well, I wouldn't change anything and just play through it, assuming your bankroll can handle the swings. However, if you notice that you are trying to recoup your losses by playing too loosely and aggressively, or if you are going on tilt, then I would take a day or two off...review some books, get re-focused, and then get back to your normal game. Nothing extends a losing streak better than a bad case of tilt.
Assuming you are a winning player that is just on a brief downswing, keep playing your game and everything will be fine.
Take some time off, exercise (I will have a post on this comming very soon) or drop down to ridiculously low limits for a few hours. The last will either net you many BB/hour & make you realize how far you've come or make you laugh at the plays & put some fun back in the game.
Theres nothing wrong with your game.. everyone goes through bad runs and they can last tens ouf thousands of hands.. If you really think you are playing bad, post hands..
'Time off 'and 're-evaluating' are all great things you should do all the time, not just when you lose a few sessions.
I think we need a thread of everyones BB/100 in graphical form posted in here so once and for all people can understand that winning players go through losing streaks as their over-all charts look like a straight line from bottom left to top raight.
Every time I go through a funk, I emerge a much better player. It's quite amazing -- it's almost a rubber band. It gets strechted on the down swing and when you hit bottom, wowza what a rush. The key is not to let the band snap -- like losing your bankroll or your confidence
a) The best suggestion is to review your play for leaks. Jot down how many BB you pissed away making poor plays. You'll be amazed at how many BBs you will find.Â
b) Read some books, magazine or something (web possibly) to get some fresh ideas or new plays.
c) Make some posts -- it helps to realize you can help others and it feels good too
d) At some point, get some time away from the game. This is really dependent on how long the funk is. It can last anywhere from one week to several weeks. After three weeks, I generally can't take much more and take a few days off or even a week.
e) Play different games -- short handed, one on one are my favourites. Go down in limits when you do this -- way down. It's a ton o fun to piss away 5 bucks on .01/.02 heads up NL play. You can put your fair share of bad beats on others, and you'll learn a few tricks.
f) when you're at a table, look for the best player and the one taking in a bad way. Push against the player with bad luck, and learn from the best player.
g) ignore all of the above, move up in limits AND play short handed. Well, I tried this a few times and mostly it didn't work. I wouldn't recommend it.
Cheers
Magi