STREAKS: TO BE... OR NOT TO BE?

Are there such things as losing/winning streaks?

99% of you will say yes. I SAY... ABSOLUTELY NOT!

"Losing streaks" can be one of the most frustrating aspects of poker, but realizing they don't actually exist will drastically improve your winrate! Streaks are an illusion.

The mind (and you) says I'm full of crap, because the mind feels the real pain of the past losses and fears of future losses... but the mind is wrong. To say a streak exists is to say yesterday and tomorrow exist, but they don't! Yesterday is gone, win or lose... and tomorrow hasn't happened yet.

In poker, we only have this hand, right now, this moment!!!! To move to the next level (whatever that is for you), learning to only focus on THIS HAND, no matter what has happened previously, or what you're afraid of in the future, will create "total zone."

Good luck,
Dayne

Great post, 100% true. Welcome to CC, hope you enjoy it here, and luckily more than 1% of CC members understand this concept. Downswings and upswings only exist when they already happened. You can never be in the middle of one simply because you don't know what will happen the next hand. Whether you've won or lost 20 coin flips in a row, the next flip is still 50/50.

Thanks Zach. I look forward to getting involved. Site looks great!!

I agree totally.

I am also, however, a believer in Phil Gordon's take on streaks: that is that while we might not believe in streaks, we have to acknowledge that other players do believe in them, and we should be ready to adjust our games accordingly.

Great point Oz!

IMO, believing in streaks, and playing accordingly is -EV, so I allow them to keep believing!

"My favorite hand is J3o cause I won w/ it 7 mths. ago" is exactly the same as...

"I can't believe the freakin losing streak I'm on right now!" -or- "I will never lose again, because I haven't lost in 2 wks!"

I adjust by laughing inside, and saying, "you're right."
-Dayne