my struggle

I

ionized77

Rising Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Total posts
22
Chips
0
on and on i have treaded the live 1/2,2/5 nlhe at my local casinos and charity rooms. i go through serious ups and downs. long term, id say i lose or break even and want to be able to become a winning player.a big issue of mine is losing focus. for a while during my sessions i can pretty much assign ranges and hand read well, but after a bit,i stop focusing on that and just brainfart. its killing me.i start bluffing too much. pure bluffs way too often(little to no outs), i draw for the wrong price and dont even think about what my opponent has let alone thinking about what he thinks i have.this is my tilt playit happens when i miss in a big pot, run a bad bluff, or get sucked out on, or play a hand badly.i bought jareds book, the mental game of poker. its helping but i am also a superstious freak wich is another thing that kills me. not at the table but leading up to the game. so lets just face it. im a donk.does anyone have any suggestions on how i can stay disciplined, and focused so that i can slow down and think through every hand?pretty vague i know but i really want to improve and stop with the stupid mojo b.s before i play and be able to consitantly be logical about every desicion i make.i love strategy, i love the game, i just have a demon and it is a degenerate that i must kill to be able to bring it to the next level.thanks in advance to the serious replies
 
D

DunningKruger

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 7, 2013
Total posts
1,030
Chips
0
Sure, I'll reply. Why not.

Not everyone has the patience required to play strong poker over a long session in a live setting. It's also not easy to gain if you don't already have it. It may come down to having too much pride in yourself as a player to give in to gambling tendencies and that you'd have to tell yourself you're not good enough to mentally approach the game the way a pro does by necessity. It may simply come down to being sick of losing out on the hundreds of dollars you know you're costing yourself at the tail end of these sessions. If you want donk around, make bad bets/calls, and get your money in with a negative expectation, head over to the pit games (roulette or w/e) instead of embarrassing yourself at the poker table. You can't conquer other players if you can't conquer yourself.

Try to lose the superstitious approach too, but you knew that already. Poker players have enough to think about while they're trying to play without paying any mind to stuff like that. Anyway I don't really know what to say I'm just here 'cause I felt bad that no one else wanted to reply to your topic.
 
Aces2w1n

Aces2w1n

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 3, 2013
Total posts
5,781
Chips
0
Hmm make sure you workout and go to the gym a couple times a week.... Also when your starting to bluff or fall off your game plan... Get up and sit out for a while and regather.
 
masondub

masondub

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Total posts
601
Chips
0
Well it kind of sounds like you already know what your doing wrong.. Dont bluff as much and when you do, pick better spots. If you feel like your getting impatient, you cant make yourself keep focus and you cant stop yourself from playing any two cards then maybe its time to take a break and come back later.

If you do some searching around on these forums you can find some pretty good information that you can use to improve your game.

Hope that helped a bit!
 
P

ph0n3_j4ck

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Total posts
222
Chips
0
I've never had this problem playing live. I've sat through multiple 12hr sessions and the problem of focus hasn't even come up. It's probably because i love the game so much that I can't lose focus. You should definitely get back to play online cause live play is not your setting. Learn how to focus another way outside of poker and losing hundreds of dollars.
 
I

ionized77

Rising Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Total posts
22
Chips
0
Thanks for the replies everyone. it's not easy to look at myself in a non biast way when you know what is there may not be pretty, but looking at what people have said has given me new insite as well as a plan. im going to buy an electric dog collar and shock myself every time I make a bad decision. j/k.... seriously, i will take off for two weeks or so, and getting back to the gym is a great idea. I'll make new rules to follow that focus on discipline, i.e, no gym, no poker.... forgot to make my bed,oh ok, no poker. well, it's an idea anyway,i didnt say it was a good one. I'll figure it out, im just glad, whether people only list because they feel bad or not, at least I can vent. thanks again
 
D

detourglr

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Total posts
229
Chips
0
Also sometimes I like to take a short by taking a walk around the casino.. I also dont get my free pop from the waitress, I like to walk to the help yourself pop station. Sometimes those little things will help... at least for me it is.
And dont be afraid if you see yourself losing focus. Just gather up your chips and take a break... becuase it is all about your profit margin.
 
Rappyness

Rappyness

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Total posts
289
Chips
0
It is not easy on a tournament to focus because most of us do lose focus. I tend to do things like you are now late in tournaments. I think you just have to find a way not rush things and let it happen naturally. Control yourself and for me I listen to music while I play and that helps me focus to be honest unless you are someone that talks with other players a lot. At least you know your problem and I am sure you will find the solution in time.
 
I

ionized77

Rising Star
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Total posts
22
Chips
0
hola inized77, tu juego no tiene problemas si podes llegar hasta cierto punto en una mesa de juegos, el problema que tu tienes esta en tus ansias en tu tranquilidad en tus emociones, pude leer uno de los comentarios mas arriba en que te aconsejaban hacer un poco de ejercicio para liberar y tranquilizar tu cabeza, es muy buena idea podría funcionar te, pero mi consejo aparte de esto es que tenes que aprender a decir basta hasta acá llegue hoy levantarte de la mesa vallas ganando o perdiendo, y volver al otro día o a la semana o cuando sea pero entero, todos dicen que de los errores se aprende si es verdad pero también lastiman asi que hay que tratar de no errar y sin concentración es imposible..
espero de verdad te sirva mi opinión un abrazo desde arg.

dude, thanks for your reply but i have no clue what you said haha
 
G

GWU73

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Total posts
785
Chips
0
Try using down time to pay attention to your opponents, especially when they watch the flop and proceeding cards. I make a game of picking their hands as if I am still in the pot. I cannot put into words how much this will help your play. If that is not enough, try sticking to a pre determined strategy thst does not include dry bluffing, or chasing - ever.

One other thought: When I was learning, I dealt myself thousands of hands, and practiced folding every hand not on my list, and playing aggressively with my approved hands. I played myself face up with 4-8 hands. It was very enlightening, making decisions on both sides of the bet.
 
Top