Hitting rock bottom

Hey guys,
i've been really struggling with my poker game of late. I'm playing for 1.5 years already. The first 6 months i had a decent run but after that it went downhill.
I've watched a lot of videos on Cardrunners and Deucescracked but i have the feeling that i even got worse. I don't want to stop playing poker cause i really like the game. I'm still playing 50nl but i might even have to drop down very soon. Last month i had my worst downswing ever..
Anyone got any suggestions to get back on top?
Thx!

Rockbottom + 50nl = does not compute

Try some tracking software if u don't use any.
Play low limits for a while then go higher if you won some cash.
Read some articles about bankroll management.

seanDCFC said:

Rockbottom + 50nl = does not compute

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Maybe kind of exaggerating but i feel really bad about poker at the moment.

Use good Bankroll management and the downswings are managable and everyone who plays poker has them, there is no way to avoid them, they are an inevitable part of poker.
When you are in the middle of a downswing it seems like it will never end, but it does, it is hard to do but try and make good poker decisions all the time, winning or losing.
Never be afraid to move down a level, at NL10 you should lose a lot less in a downswing than NL50, dont think twice about moving down a level but think twice and then again about moving up, but if you use proper bankroll management as I say you will be ok.
You say you love poker? Well dont give up just realise that poker is very rarely easy

Confused, multiple accounts?

Also, "rock bottom" is a term often used by addicts. Maybe you need to change your perspective of the game, focus on your play not the results.

Oops, logged in under my brother's account
Yeah i've noticed that i'm not being able to concentrate as i've used to. Maybe i should take a couple of weeks of and rethink my approach.

JamesSayer said:

Oops, logged in under my brother's account
Yeah i've noticed that i'm not being able to concentrate as i've used to. Maybe i should take a couple of weeks of and rethink my approach.

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Maybe.

Im reluctant to jump on the downswing wagon and say your losses are purely down to a downswing.

Im more inclined to think that you just arent playing that well than are playing well and getting very unlucky because the avearge 50NL player isnt all that great to begin with.

I dont like to start bringing the term variance in until we can first establish that you are indeed playing really really well.

I think varience is self defeating, if you attribute all your losses to bad luck and all your wins to skill then there isnt anything to improve on in your game. I think unless your a 1000NL reg then there are tonnes of things to improve on so I think varience is just a term used to cover over leaks in your game.

Most people seem to find that the more hands they post and the more feedback they get the less varience they suffer.

Usually what's happening is you get outdrawn in a few pots and you hit the top of someone's range in a few more and you attribute all your losses to those few big pots, ignoring all the 5bb her and 15 bb there pots that overtime dwarf your losses in big pots that you get sucked out on.

Stu_Ungar said:

Maybe.

Im reluctant to jump on the downswing wagon and say your losses are purely down to a downswing.

Im more inclined to think that you just arent playing that well than are playing well and getting very unlucky because the avearge 50NL player isnt all that great to begin with.

I dont like to start bringing the term variance in until we can first establish that you are indeed playing really really well.

I think varience is self defeating, if you attribute all your losses to bad luck and all your wins to skill then there isnt anything to improve on in your game. I think unless your a 1000NL reg then there are tonnes of things to improve on so I think varience is just a term used to cover over leaks in your game.

Most people seem to find that the more hands they post and the more feedback they get the less varience they suffer.

Usually what's happening is you get outdrawn in a few pots and you hit the top of someone's range in a few more and you attribute all your losses to those few big pots, ignoring all the 5bb her and 15 bb there pots that overtime dwarf your losses in big pots that you get sucked out on.

Click to expand...

I think I now realize that there are only two essential behaviors to being a successful poker player.

Bankroll management
AVOIDING TILT

Quite simply a player cannot afford to go on Tilt.

variance is when you lose multiple hands that you were a favorite to win, especially after all the money is in and skill can play no further part in the hand.

A good poker player's skill only gives them a small edge over a bad one, probably 55/45 or something. Variance can remove that edge. Tilt can actually reverse that edge.

I'm guessing 99% of all Poker players suffer from tilt with the inevitability that Agent Smith speaks of. Therefore to succeed one must be absolutely in tune to one's own feelings and nip incipient tilt in the bud. Failure to do so will result in a rapid degradation of one's bankroll. So when you get AIPF w/ AA vs KK and villain flops a set of Kings you either need to honestly be able to carry on without being affected.

or you need to get off the tables.

So, if you are feeling sorry for yourself and think you are cursed with bad luck then you have no business playing. You will just tilt away more money.

Trust me. I have been there.

Eminem

Just my two cents here but maybe you should drop down to a lower limit and try to feed off somebody who is tilting? Also, if you can isolate the one guy at the table acting like a calling station/chasing everything that has helped me especially at the lower limit games I mostly play at. A few nights ago this guy was apparently already fuming mad and after playing a few hands we got into a showdown and he pushed all in chasing a 10 high straight while I had pocket KK. I took his money and I think that just helped me to gain my confidence a little more since I had been afraid to lose money more now since my BR is so small. Hope you can get back at it soon, good luck!

I hate rock bottom, stay up homie

Stu_Ungar said:

Maybe.

Im reluctant to jump on the downswing wagon and say your losses are purely down to a downswing.

Im more inclined to think that you just arent playing that well than are playing well and getting very unlucky because the avearge 50NL player isnt all that great to begin with.

I dont like to start bringing the term variance in until we can first establish that you are indeed playing really really well.

I think varience is self defeating, if you attribute all your losses to bad luck and all your wins to skill then there isnt anything to improve on in your game. I think unless your a 1000NL reg then there are tonnes of things to improve on so I think varience is just a term used to cover over leaks in your game.

Most people seem to find that the more hands they post and the more feedback they get the less varience they suffer.

Usually what's happening is you get outdrawn in a few pots and you hit the top of someone's range in a few more and you attribute all your losses to those few big pots, ignoring all the 5bb her and 15 bb there pots that overtime dwarf your losses in big pots that you get sucked out on.

Click to expand...

this is one of my favorite posts on this entire forum that i've seen yet...couldn't agree more...as long as you avoid going on tilt, the percentages will work out in ur favor (in the long run)....you've gotta b able to roll with the punches of the ridiculous 1 and 2 outers that people are gona inevitably catch on you, and stick to the game plan that you know is profitable...once you start deviating from that plan then you're opening the door for a world of potential trouble...variance cant be used as an excuse for a bad run, because it represents the percentages that we have to base our actions on...tilting after a few hands where the percentages dont fall in our favor is the main cause for most bad runs that last longer than a few hands...

with that said, bankroll management is also one of the more important aspects of a profitable strategy...personally, im horrible at bankroll management...i tell myself that micro stakes aren't profitable enough and i start playing HU sng's that i shouldnt be playing, and variance bites me in the ass...then i start tilting and lo and behold im back to freerolls and watnot...a little bankroll management goes a very long way, and it could b the biggest improvement you make....so yea, downsizing might be a really good idea for the time being, just dont start missing the larger profits from the higher stakes and stick to your game plan, slowly u'll get back to where you wanna be