Blog Post: C9 Rants about downswongz, leaks, mindset, & stuff

I don't have a blog, because I am lazy, and blogs are (for the most part) stupid. However, this is sort of a blog post in that I'm ranting about my personal experiences. However, you guys can benefit from this particular rant, so here it is.

Recently I've had an epic "downswing". I've lost about $2500 in 1.5 weeks. I put downswing in quotes, because usually people say downswings originate from bad luck. However, mine (almost all of mine) come from terrible play. Sure there is some bad luck mixed in there. My sets losing to gutshots, quads losing (lol, seriously), KK > my AA AIPF, ect. But I'm a good enough player that I should be winning despite these issues. And for the most part, when I'm in a downswing there are TONS OF THINGS I could change to massively win more.

Now what's important about this downswing is that it was set off by a few things. In fact, almost all of my downswings have been set off by the same factors. And since poker is a streaky thing (profits come in upswongz, losses come in big downswongz) we need to learn how to put off these terrible down streaks.

So here are the main factors that contribute to my downswongz:

1) I get over confident! I am a good poker player, and I'll have some really awesome upswings. I've won at 80bb/100 for 10K hands. However, when I get to the top of those upswings, I feel like God's gift to poker, and my ego gets in the way. I make mad $ bluffing in good spots, and suddenly I'm bluffing every flop texture and every player. Winning causes me to get straight up cocky. So when I go on a huge hot streak, I need to do session analysis of my hands regularly to avoid getting in an over confident mindset.

2) I get cold cards for a session, and force things. This correlates to #1. After winning for a while, I just assume that I should keep winning. And I try to force it. Knowing when to give up is the best skill you'll have in poker, and some sessions you just need to spend the whole day giving up. So instead of losing 1-2 buy-ins giving up for a session, I lose 4-5 bluffing my stack off in 200 big blind pots.

3) I do "the things you just can't do". No matter how laggy you normally play, or how well you think you read hands, there are some things you just can't do. You cannot make those crazy bluffs where you ship in 200 big blinds with 0 equity if you're called. They're not going to add to your win-rate, and you're never going to gain back that much from having a crazy image. So no matter how awesome & well thought out the bluff may be, it still is going to kill your winrate.

So yeah, if you learn anything about poker, its that poker is all about your mindset. If your head isn't right, your game isn't going to be either. You really have to pay attention to your emotions and get second opinions about your game. Use your peers to keep your game in check. Whenever you win a lot, lose a lot, or break even for a long time, you need to have other players check your sessions, because those events are going to alter your mindset. And keeping the mindset that allows you to play your A game is crucial.

[/rant]

QFMFT...

You read my soul...

5 stars

+1
I know what you mean...., and i have met some of thos players.

How true. It is usually the player who will beat himself, not the cards that do it.

Posting so it's in my user CP.

I think I'll read this before every session.

yes yes yes

Nice post c9! I think #2 is a big one for me that I need to deal with better.

What a great post, c9. SO many players complain about bad luck, bad cards, etc, and you rarely hear someone take responsibility for their part in their losses. I'm going to re-read this post often.

Bookmarked. Quality post

straight to the point and very well said.. excellent post

Another great post C9. Thanks for sharing, I believe many of us will benefit from this if they keep it in mind while playing.

Good one C9 -- at least some of us will benefit from your "downswing"... now let's hope you can swing back up yourself! GL on the tables.

Awesome post.

Question: is doing session analysis going to stop you from thinking you are god's gift to poker (when u are winning)?

Hard to say. It certainly hasn't helped previously. People would tell me they didn't like my play and I'd just ignore them. Or worse yet, I'd just say to myself "well, that play is spew, but the rest of the session looks pretty good." And I'd ignore the the fact that spew begets more spew.

The trick is not only recognizing the idiot spew, but the real key is to recognize the mindset that causes it. Don't just go "Oh, I called 3 streets on an Axxxx board with QQ, obviously spew". Think about what caused you to do that, and what triggered that behavior.

If I was as good a poker player as I am in hand analysis I'd be rolling in the money.

The key is to be able to sit down & maintain that zen-like state, where you're just putting players on ranges, and you're not emotionally attached to the outcome or the money in the pot. I'm not really sure how to maintain that mindset from session to session, but I do know that winning a ton, losing a ton, or breaking even for a long time does alter my mindset from that winning state. So I need to be aware of it, and take steps to fight that.

I haven't read "The Poker Mindset", but the more I play, the more I consider picking it up. Your mental state is just so important when playing this game.