Bad Beats Rule!!
The truth is....I love em.
I have been playing online now for just under 3 months. Almost exclusively sit n go's. Tried the NL cash games and they have been profitable but I am a bit freak so I find the tourneys more satisfying. They begin then they end. Nice and neat!
My only deposit has been $25 in Poker Stars and the $100 Free Bankroll at Party. I cashed $100 out of Party and opened an account at Poker Room so I could chase down the Free NJ Custom Chips through Poker Source. I now have north of $800 spread across the 3 accounts. I am pleased with my progress.
I have tracked every tourney and cash game since I started. Have read as much as possible about the game in the last 3 months and I have been systematic about implementing new strategy to my game.
2 weeks ago I moved up to $10 Sit n gos. Over the next 21 tourneys I was:
ITM 15 times with 8 Wins
My ROI was 229%
ITM 71%
Win 38%
In the last 10 tourneys I have cashed twice a second and a third. Not quite as spectacular. But my point lies here somewhere...oh yeah here it is...
For 10 tourneys I have been thumped mercilessly by bad beats in the defining moments in every tourney.
Last night I had built my stack to $8500 with 5 players remaining in a 10 man tourney. AVG stack was $3000. With in 3 laps of the button I had my money in 3 times vs an All-In with the best hand and got sucked out on. 2 were dominated: My AJ vs A4 and my 99 vs. 44. After being busted down to $1100 in chips and an M between 3 and 4 play folds to me with AJs so I push and BB calls with QQ. Not a bad play but definitely bad timing.
Anyone who plays enough has these stories. But do you stick to it? Tell everyone you know? Rant about it in the chat window until everyone puts you on ignore? Start to gamble every coin flip in sight because you have no controll any way? I guarantee you that you have sucked out on someone huge in the recent past and have forgotten about it before the next hand is dealt.
Why do I love bad beats? Because they can't happen unless I am making the right moves. If I making solid plays with the best cards that is all I can controll, the rest is up to the cards and I can't argue with them. Right now I am putting some serious bad beats in the bank and when it is time to cash the out I will go on one hell of a run.
I hope this helps someone. Its been cathartic for me write it!
Play well. Hold your own and hopefully some the other guys too!
Caddy
I have been playing online now for just under 3 months. Almost exclusively sit n go's. Tried the NL cash games and they have been profitable but I am a bit freak so I find the tourneys more satisfying. They begin then they end. Nice and neat!
My only deposit has been $25 in Poker Stars and the $100 Free Bankroll at Party. I cashed $100 out of Party and opened an account at Poker Room so I could chase down the Free NJ Custom Chips through Poker Source. I now have north of $800 spread across the 3 accounts. I am pleased with my progress.
I have tracked every tourney and cash game since I started. Have read as much as possible about the game in the last 3 months and I have been systematic about implementing new strategy to my game.
2 weeks ago I moved up to $10 Sit n gos. Over the next 21 tourneys I was:
ITM 15 times with 8 Wins
My ROI was 229%
ITM 71%
Win 38%
In the last 10 tourneys I have cashed twice a second and a third. Not quite as spectacular. But my point lies here somewhere...oh yeah here it is...
For 10 tourneys I have been thumped mercilessly by bad beats in the defining moments in every tourney.
Last night I had built my stack to $8500 with 5 players remaining in a 10 man tourney. AVG stack was $3000. With in 3 laps of the button I had my money in 3 times vs an All-In with the best hand and got sucked out on. 2 were dominated: My AJ vs A4 and my 99 vs. 44. After being busted down to $1100 in chips and an M between 3 and 4 play folds to me with AJs so I push and BB calls with QQ. Not a bad play but definitely bad timing.
Anyone who plays enough has these stories. But do you stick to it? Tell everyone you know? Rant about it in the chat window until everyone puts you on ignore? Start to gamble every coin flip in sight because you have no controll any way? I guarantee you that you have sucked out on someone huge in the recent past and have forgotten about it before the next hand is dealt.
Why do I love bad beats? Because they can't happen unless I am making the right moves. If I making solid plays with the best cards that is all I can controll, the rest is up to the cards and I can't argue with them. Right now I am putting some serious bad beats in the bank and when it is time to cash the out I will go on one hell of a run.
I hope this helps someone. Its been cathartic for me write it!
Play well. Hold your own and hopefully some the other guys too!
Caddy
Comments
Edit: i still hate bad beats, nothing worse than getting sucked out on for all the money you had accumulated in 3 hours at a cash table
By this I mean the bad beats will seem to come more often becuase the more you improve and the smarer you get the more ften then not you'll get your money in while ahead.....
Another thing to be careful of is your aggression levels slowly changing your style of play...
I used to be a very TAG player.. As my game improved ( the ability to read the table, the players, and use cards and players aggression/passiveness against them) I found I have gradually turned into a LAG. Now this can be very profitable but it also means I get more money in the middle with weaker hands then I used to play as a TAG.. I know I have a tendancy to mark players and Go After Them because of reads I have on them..
What I mean is this.. My style of play has me entering pots with hands that are less of a favorite then before. I'm still good at reading the table/players but playing looser has me playing more pots and hense getting drawn out on more. Playing more hands mean the beats will happen more often but they can tear away at a Bankroll especially if your running bad..
Basically I'm saying if you found a style that works for you try hard not to stray off it... I'm having a hell of a time right now trying to tighten up my play and get my my game back to what it once was..
Those numbers are brief glimpse over a real hot couple of weeks. I am not claiming to be an idiot savant, however sometimes I am an idiot.
My true ROI over 113 Sit n go's is 47% with an ITM of 40%. I could probably afford to move up again in stakes but I am still finding tons of room for improvement at my current level and enjoying success so I have no desire to rush myself. I have only been playing poker for 3 months.
I really don't think so however I can very much appreciate the point that you are trying to make. This could very well prove to be a problem for many players who enjoy some success and growth as a player and begin to feel that they can play like Daniel Negraneau.
I have opened up in what starting hands I am willing play so I am a bit looser than I was even a month ago. When I decided to make this change in my game I also realized I had to be more willing to let go of these speculative type hands when the flop didn't hit me hard.
I will only bet out after hitting middle pair on the flop if I think i can out play the player.  Most of the time I will let it go. If I do bet out against a player and get called or raised I am done putting money into the hand. Unless of course the turn hits me hard after a call. I don't need to win every pot just the last one. Everything you do at the table should have a purpose.
Everytime time I review my results I ask the same basic questions:
Why do I play poker?
What are my strong points and how can I better capitalize on them?
Where can I improve?
You obviously take the time to review your game and you have a great grasp what is going on with yourself. How have you tried to adapt since making this realization? Do you bet on reflex at times? I definately struggled with this.Â
I broke the habit by creating a new one. I take a deep breath and riffle a stack of chips twice before I do anything (even fold 7-2o from UTG). May sound goofy but if works for me.
Best of luck on your game and Happy fishing!
Caddy