live play reduce online skill?

I have very little to base this idea on. Through all of September so far, I've been multitabling to unlock the $50 bonus at fulltilt, and it's been going unbelievably well. I've played more consistently than ever before and have learned a lot about how to play which hands when at what types of tables. It's been fun.

Last night, I played heads up at the kitchen table w/ my bf (who is usually better than me in live games), and I kicked his butt. After all I've learned online, it was so friggin' easy! But my online games today have been awful. Ok, so I've had 3 distinct really bad beats on the river today, but I think most of today I've just been playing poorly. After a few weeks of playing better than I've ever played before, I'm wondering if that one night of playing live has dented my focus or my discipline in some way.

Does this line of reasoning sound realistic, or am I probably just imagining things?

You probably are just imagining things. I don't think I night of playing HU with your bf will have much affect on your game at all.

Heater?

First, this is a very short sample size so you can't make any meaningful diagnosis from it.

Second, one heads up game with the boyfriend shouldn't change how you play at a full table.

Third, getting bad beat does not mean you are playing bad. It means you are playing well and getting the $ in with the best hand.d

HOWEVER, there is "winner's tilt." Like Scotty Ngyen a couple years ago at the WSoP, he thought he was indestructible and stuck his neck out too far, getting it chopped off before the final table.

People sometimes play different when they are ahead. They often loosen up because they're "only going to lose winnings." I know I used to make calls I wouldn't normally have made when I was ahead.

Sounds like you have been on a rush. It's hard to say from what you've given us whether you started chasing too much and just got lucky a lot and now the law of averages has started catching up with you. Or it just may be that you are getting drawn out on by someone else's chasing and getting lucky. That's part of poker. Hang in there. In any event, I don't think live play hurts online play.

I have found that live play has helped my online game because it has taught me/reinforced

1) Patience
2) How to look for patterns/tells (timing, betting amounts, etc.) and see how the translate into the online world
3) The need to be constantly paying attention.

The only way I can see playing your boyfriend may have hurt your game is that may have made you feel that your game is actually better than it is and that may make you play a little trickier than your current skill level or style dictates.

I have been certainly guilty of that. When I have been on a heater and killing the table, I will find myself playing yucko hands that I normally stay away from (like 9 7 os, etc) once I get a big stack and more often than not, I lose a good chunk of what I earned.

Once I realize what I'm doing, I just take a little break reassess and go back to how I was playing in the first place and that helps correct the ship.

Anyway, try and take a good hard look at your game. Sounds like you had some bad luck on the rivre, but it also soundsl ike you feel there's a leak in your game right now. Look at your hand histories and be honest with yourself. In time you'll be back to making some $$$$. Good luck!

Thanks for your insight, guys.

What's a heater?

A "heater" is when you win several hands in a short period of time, and usually fairly convincingly. Your chip stack explodes in front of you and you get very giddy about life, the universe, and everything...


BTW - the reverse of your thread title is the real secret. Online play absolutely makes you a better live player. (It has for me.)

It's not just an online vs live difference you've experienced, BTW - heads up, whether live or online, is a very different game from multitabling full ring or 6-max. You can't make the same plays and use the same aggression levels for both, you'll either end up being too tight at heads up or way too loose and spewy at full ring.