Losing streaks

Seems like I am on my losing streak this past week..I havent won much than I used to and seem to lost over and over...I be a 7/3 fav. and lose more than 60% of the time many times over..and when Im 4/1 fav. I've been losing a about half many times over..Im usually playing SNGs so thats where many of my bad runs has beeen..I do know why thats why we have bankrolls but just wanted to get someone elses insight on this..

Sometimes the cards go cold.
Sometimes our play goes south a little.
Sometimes a run of cold cards gets extended by the bad play they set off. Repeat.

Stupid poker.

Usual advice: (you already know it)
1. Back off for a while.
2. Get that A game back as soon as possible and ride out the dryspell.

cAPS

cAPS

I know the feelin' really well!! I, too, was on a bad roll at SnGs too!! Was doin' OK at Ring Games and regular tournys (cept CC tournys! ), but today my luck (and style of play) changed and I just finished up winnin' one at UB! $10 buy in--won $50--so just hang in there and thing's will turn around! GL!

Swings are part of the game, deal with it.

If you're having any emotional reactions to swings, beats, etc... then take a day off.

Just relax and don't overreact and take a big hit in your bankroll. I've done that a few times and went from having decent money to going broke . Just play your game and the luck will even out when you go on a winning streak next week.

i understand the whole taking a day off thing but how can you when you know you have your A game and your losing with huge hands all the time. ive never had a good winning streak(not online anyways) seams like my usernames are just set to eat.

Also Pokerstars is owned by Martians.

Most people don't know that!

love,
cAPS

Thanks for writing this post, I've been on the worst 48 hour run that I've ever had. I was starting to second guess my play until I read this posting. Thanks for the post, and for everyone that responded. I wish I would have read this yesterday....hope is out there, just have patiences.

this is common. you cant win all the time and people having losing streaks that can last for weeks sometimes months...my suggestion is to take a break. you might come back and lose some more but taking a break helps with bankroll management and emotions. losing a lot over time can get to some players and basically put them on a tilt that makes them wanna just get back up to where they were, forgetting limits and stakes...

One thing you learn playing poker is the odds will always catch back up with you. There's no way to win all the time, or lose all the time. Losing streaks can seem long, just keep playing your way. It'll come back around.

I know the feeling.
I am going through it right now. (See my posts about bad beats).

Seems impossible go out of so many SNGs in a row with bad beats.

Just went out of 2 90-player SNG today with 13-1 shots late in the tournaments.

Yesterday lost 4-in-a-row to bad beats.

Surely it must turn, or else playing solid poker is not the way to go!!!
PS: I havent been playing long enough in real money SNGs to know if this is normal or not.

One of the most important tools to combat downswings is brutal honesty. So often a few bad beats can turn a player's A-game into their B-game without them noticing. Turn a critical eye to your sessions. Take a look at the odds when the money went in. Just because your hand was a preflop favorite, that doesn't necessarily mean you played it correctly. If, after going over your sessions you feel that you played the hands well, and just got unlucky, then you can return to the tables confident that you are doing all you can.

Luck of the cards with eventually turn around, but until you realize you are playing below your abilities, your A-game may never return on its own.

Dont let the badbeats (which are bound to happen) set you on tilt. Take a break, take a walk, etc. . Come back when ready, when I take multiple ones in a row I normally drop limits until I feel back in command. Many people try to move up and recoup losses. Not a good idea.

Losing streaks happen to everyone. Just keep your cool, have a day or two off then start again.

Having emotional reactions to a game beat can result in frustration meaning more loss of money. This will then lead to panick because of the loss resulting in you playing games you can't afford to lose meaning your account is emptied in a flash.

RK

Sucks doesn't it to be on a loosing streak. I find myself going a week or so of loosing then when it turns around I find that I place in the money several times during my winning streak. Keep playing the luck will change.

Everyone goes through the same thing. Just tighten up your game and ride it out. Take a break and think about the mistakes, if any, you made. Lots of times I have called a big bet knowing in my heart I was beat already and sure enough I was. That's a big leak for me. Everything averages out in the long run, so I play more often when I'm on a streak of good luck and less when it turns bad.

Bad beats happen all the time. Look over your hand histories and make sure you really had the odds and that you didn't miss something in evaluating your hand. If you played it correctly just continue on but if not try to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Reality check:

You can't always win at poker.

If you play poker for long enough, then you will witness some really streaky runs, up and down. There some exceptional players that can avoid prolonged losing/breakeven runs (either through good fortune or mainly through very good play. There are 2 or 3 players on CC that can qualify for that). But for most of us we have to accept that poker will have very frustrating swingy runs.

Let me put this into perspective, I class myself as a marginal winning poker player. In the last 12 months or so, I have had a +20 buy in d/swongs in cash games, several +10 BI d/swings. I've also had 100k hand break even stretches. In SnG's I've had many +10 BI swings and a 250 game break even stretch.

Some online pro's regularly have 100k hand break even stretches or even 1000 games at break even in SnG's.

The point of this post is, you need to practice very good bankroll management to be able to cope with these horrid runs, because for most of us, we have to endure them on a regular basis. You just have to learn to cope with them I'm afraid. The sooner you accept them as part and parcel of the game, then the sooner you can learn how to adapt and progress as a winning player.

I find it's best to just give it a break for a bit, I tend to get frustrated and don't play my best game, then when I come back I'm a little more refreshed and ready to give it my all again.

im on a bad streak right now also so im limitting myself to freerolls and i tbl s&gos i even played pl omaha for a change seems to help (freerolls i just play for the fun of it get knocked out by stupidity mostly lol)so ride it out there are other ways to relieve stress on a downward streach than risk your bankroll good luck

I'm sorta on a bad streak. Recently played a 150+25 live tourney two saturdays ago, and a 300+40 the following sunday. Perfect situation in the 150, I check-raise the flop of 10-7-3 Rainbow from the big blind, guy pushes allin with Jacks. I call with my Set of 3's. Insta turn jack on me. Placed 15th out of 160 in a top 10 payout.

Very next day in the 300+, I get allin on the flop, Q's vs my 10 J. 10-J-6 Board. Dude turns the perfect drawing card. King. rivers another King. Counterfeito. Out 12th of 60. Top 10 payout.

Just a couple of depressing rail finishes. I want a big pot already! grrrr

The level of play on lower limits tends to reveal some mistakes that I, myself am making, and if your streak continues, you won't be losing as much.

There is no such thing as a losing streak.

I have had a big losing infact I lost all my money on Pokerstars. I lost it most likely because I bluffed a lot and got caught and I had some bad beats not getting flushes etc, getting beat by higher kickers. I lost all of my bankroll which i had left aroun 41 dollars. I didn't really care because I didn't deposit one cent of that 41 dollars I made all of that money. Yesterday I didn't even care if I lost all of it for some reason it wasn't like I was going to cash out. I played every hand and lost a lot of money just limping in. I don't know I guess I'm getting kinda bored of poker.

Man.. there are so many things wrong with this is it amazing. Do you see them? I just want to help, not hurt... so take these words in that tone.

You need to re-examine the definition of bad beat, and you need to do some thinking about when it is ok to chase flushes.

This happens most often to me when I play hands like A6 and the flop comes AAX. Sound familiar? That is why you want BOTH cards to be good, or work together for you before you even enter the hand. Brush up on starting hand strategy.

Hey $41 bankroll with no deposit is really really cool! Good job. But where were you playing? $41 is good for 01/02 cash on pokerstars or for 1 or 2 dollar SnG and tourneys. But I have a feeling you might have lost it a little more quickly, at a bit higher stakes, yes? Bankroll Management is a foundational pillar for winning poker.

Loose passive play is a very common form of TILT. Expect to lose when you play this way... and more quickly than you might imagine just "limping in". There's always that top pair showing up, and then the guy drawing out, right? Tilt control is another foundational pillar.

When I say all this stuff along with things like "It's just a game" "It's not really big money" etc... I am fooling myself into thinking I am not really a loser. Now "loser" is a terribly stigmatic word but for me it has often been true. Until I came to grips with that, I wasn't able to improve.

I wish you the best. Take a break, and if you come back... come back stronger!

cAPS

Yep take a break if you need too...I took a break because I was to busy to play...and then I came here to read some posts to get back in the flow and was so much more patient...now I am on a winning streak...guess thats how it goes...

GL...

Don't we hate when losing streaks come :\ I've seen guys with 5% go into the river and catch the card. Try taking a brake, if you still keep losing with the best hand, oh well, jjust make sure you don't tilt cause that makes it worst

I hope you get trhough this hard time, I can't complain about mine lol
I'm in second in a tournament at full tilt, it's a low prize pool but I believe I can get it
=)
gl man

I hate it when it happens too but luck swings both ways. Drop down a level in stakes if its eating up too much of your bankroll. Take some time off. Tighten up your game. I wonder when somebody says they are playing their "A" game already. It seems to carry the feeling that they already know everything and have no room for improvement and we all should know that we each have our own leaks.

Post some hand histories to get some opinions of whether you are getting a run of bad beats or not.

dont feel alone on that one. been there all year. till i realized i was playing on weekends and during the evening. basicly playing aginst recreational players that are just having fun. then i started playing during the day and my cashes improved. recreational players are at work. real players are working theyer skills and bankroles during the day. you cant bluff a player that dont care if they win or not.

Every 2 motnhs it will be happend me to, but after i always stand up, and dont play a few days,after i win again.... so that happend every poeple, who play a poker so relax someday... and after play again. Good luck for everybody who lost a bid money

yeah everybody have bad streaks....its very difficult to afford it but this is poker.. one day you win the wsop ( maybe never this is an example) and another you lose in the first hand.... this is poker...

i understand the whole taking a day off thing but how can you when you know you have your A game and your losing with huge hands all the time. ive never had a good winning streak(not online anyways) seams like my usernames are just set to eat.

it's always good to take a day off and have a good sleep b4 u play again play smart and when u play and have the nuts all the time then u know you'll bounce back from a losing streak

You will have swings when you play I am currently on one right now with a losing streak in the sngs. So I took a break from them and play live tables and switch the game up..

When you hit an unlucky streak the best thing you can do is take some time off. The worse thing you can do is chase your losses. If you aren't willing to take a break, try a different game. If you usually play NLHE, switch to Omaha or Stud. The streak will break, we all go through the good and the bad.