What do you do when your running bad?

T

Tobysonoma

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So I've had a rough week and went down 4800 this week. Went up 6500 the first 2 weeks of the year

I play a deep 2-5 game live (effective stacks are 500-1500+ typically)

Lately I have not been able to shut a hand down and keep getting sucked out on with no pot odds to call. I have been looking at my play and feel it's pretty spot on. Definitely some leaks and time has gone on but have lost to so many hands where the EV/pot odds are so far against villain and they still call with a flush draw with 1.7-1 odds or so and have hit every one...

I got called with 10-10 preflop when I shipped half my stack with aces and he was only getting 2-1 odds and afterward says I put you on aces but I new I might hit a set. Have shipped with sets on the turn to get called with a flush draw that hits with less than 2-1 odds 6 times lately (when I knew they were drawing)

How long of a break should i take? What is a good way to shake the bad JU-JU

I'll admit my play hasn't been 100% as the beats have come in but have as an effect played tighter in bigger pots and worked to shut down hands at the turn with no luck only losing more trying to block.

What do you do in this spot? I play a pretty nitty game and don't know what to do at this point. I even hero called someone with AK with just an ace when they were bluffing and had just a gutshot and of course they hit it for a $1400 pot. I'm at the breaking point where I can't seem to win a hand over $50 bucks and maybe 2 a session this last week. I took 2 days off. Do I need longer? What's the best method when your running this bad?
 
dopeddrgn

dopeddrgn

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Watch videos of others getting bad beats.
Take a few days off.
Exercise, exertion is good for you
Go for walks with the dog(s)
Bake some cookies from scratch
Watch re-runs of Columbo

Wait... did I just tell you all things I do when I run bad?
 
dagG1

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I try 2 relax , give for me some break - do tea or listen 2 music
Sometimes it helps when u are in trouble ,sometimes not )))
 
12551255

12551255

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I take a break. I find if I try and play thru it, I start to make thin calls or just the opposite and always think I beat. It's a tough play to be in.
 
veltins

veltins

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take Minimum 1 week break to Forget that loss...do excercise, go out with Family n friends.. after wk Analyse if u still think about that badbeats...if u still think of those beats take another wk off.. n so on..once if goes out of ur brain then u ll come out firing n win it...gll
 
H

HooDooKoo

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So I've had a rough week and went down 4800 this week. Went up 6500 the first 2 weeks of the year

I play a deep 2-5 game live (effective stacks are 500-1500+ typically)

Lately I have not been able to shut a hand down and keep getting sucked out on with no pot odds to call. I have been looking at my play and feel it's pretty spot on. Definitely some leaks and time has gone on but have lost to so many hands where the EV/Pot odds are so far against villain and they still call with a flush draw with 1.7-1 odds or so and have hit every one...

I got called with 10-10 preflop when I shipped half my stack with aces and he was only getting 2-1 odds and afterward says I put you on aces but I new I might hit a set. Have shipped with sets on the turn to get called with a flush draw that hits with less than 2-1 odds 6 times lately (when I knew they were drawing)

How long of a break should i take? What is a good way to shake the bad JU-JU

I'll admit my play hasn't been 100% as the beats have come in but have as an effect played tighter in bigger pots and worked to shut down hands at the turn with no luck only losing more trying to block.

What do you do in this spot? I play a pretty nitty game and don't know what to do at this point. I even hero called someone with AK with just an ace when they were bluffing and had just a gutshot and of course they hit it for a $1400 pot. I'm at the breaking point where I can't seem to win a hand over $50 bucks and maybe 2 a session this last week. I took 2 days off. Do I need longer? What's the best method when your running this bad?

Different month, same weak mental game. There is no such thing as "JU-JU", or "bad luck". There is only randomness, and randomness has no "memory".

If you are playing well and running badly, you shouldn't change anything. If you are playing badly due to tilt induced by "running bad", that is a different story.

In summary: getting your chips in good is the only way to win in the long run. Put another way, +EV decisions are ALWAYS +EV --- regardless how you're running. If you are consistently making +EV decisions (which I doubt), keep doing what you're doing and you will win in the long term. If you keep losing, it isn't because you're running bad --- it's because you're playing badly.

-HooDooKoo

P.S. Don't give me any of this shit about knowing "they were drawing". No good player would say this, because it just makes you look stupid. If you aren't hand-ranging your opponents (as opposed to putting them on specific hands/draws), then your game needs a lot of work.
 
Mr Sandbag

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Different month, same weak mental game. There is no such thing as "JU-JU", or "bad luck". There is only randomness, and randomness has no "memory".

If you are playing well and running badly, you shouldn't change anything.

^this

Taking a break isn't gonna change how you run. And tbh I don't even know if I can advocate taking a break because of tilt. An important part of poker is handling your emotions and avoiding bad decisions that may result from anger or frustration. You'll never take emotion out of the game and become a robot who doesn't care he just lost the biggest pot of his life. Just like anything else - the only way to improve your mental game is with practice. If you quit every time you feel angry or tilted, your mental game will never develop.

Also, I'm not saying never take a break. There are certainly a ton of reasons to do so. But breaks shouldn't be thought of as a cure for tilt or run bad.
 
T

Tobysonoma

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To everyone thanks for the advice. I'm still figuring it all out of what to do. Taking time off is essential I think. While playing through it might be the best option.

To HooDooKoo

I really appreciate all your advice. But when I've played 100 plus nights of poker with villain (weak player that likes to gamble) and I know how he plays I have a pretty good read, maybe not 100% but in that hand I put him on a big flush draw on the flop when he bet 35 into a $70 pot OOP as a blocking bet. I made it 90 and he flatted I was 90% positive. When I ship/overbet the pot on the turn after he checks with no club by 70% and he turns over his cards and says well it's getting late and I do have a nut flush draw (king high)I'd say my read was accurate. Live is a bit different from online in my view as you get to see a persons mental state. And FWIW I average about $40 an hour playing 2-5 and occasionally 1-3 when there's a lot of dead money there, not enough to brag but good for a rookie I think and means I can't be that bad. I don't feel I always put it in good but no one does. I've only been playing a year but luckily started out making money and have only had one losing month (-2845) every other month has been break even or a winner. I definitely need to work on my mental game but who doesnt.
 
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Millways

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Just my two cents... JuJu is a real thing if you buy into the concept of life being a series of cycles (which I do). Good things come and good things go. statistics don't lie in the long run but in the end statistics is just a way to understand and calculate swings of juju. I feel some people rely too much on statistics and don't spend anytime developing intuition. Have you ever had a moment where you just felt in your gut that a loved one was in pain or in trouble? no statistic would ever tell you that they needed help. you just knew they did. If poker was only statistics than it would be the most boring game ever played, if you ask me. The human side of the game such as emotions, personality and psychology are what makes the game interesting for me. Back that knowledge up with statistics and you will make a damn good player.

Downswings are an inevitable part of the game that one must master. Learning to understand how you react to stints of bad luck is just another skill any good poker player must have. Many poker players spend time learning about pot odds, or how to play certain hands in different positions, and learning to navigate the ebb and flow of luck is no different than that. Its a skill that you must work at and will hopefully improve over time.

I think its a positive sign that you came in here to discuss your experience. It shows that you are willing to look into your game and your willingness for improvement. poker forums are a sort of "poker therapy". People go to therapy when life throws us curve balls and the same is true for poker players. The only difference is that we end up in forums talking about our sorrows instead of on a shrinks couch. (maybe some of us end up on both :p)

One of the tools of poker therapy that i utilize besides surfing forums is to watch videos on the subject matter. you can find some pretty good videos on youtube talking about downswings. Sometimes i like watching videos of players' sessions where there are getting tons of bad beats. It sort of eases the pain to know someone else is going through what I am. Emotions are powerful things that are part of the human condition and managing them is a life skill. We all know how poker can be a metaphor for life. And i swear that when things in my life are going bad it will always show up on the poker table too. So learn to ride the ebb and flow and stay in awe of the possibilities of life.

Anyway, there's my two cents. I know its not filled with technical jargon but poker psychology is an important part of the game. This link has a list of 5 good poker videos on "dealing with downswings". You can find all these videos on youtube but if you want to see what I watch when i'm downswinging to help put my head back in check than check it out. Good luck!

http://calipokerrooms.com/how-to-deal-with-downswings.html
 
MilosNCAA

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Stay focus and try to stay patient...If you try to force your money back, you will lose all...
 
H

HooDooKoo

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To everyone thanks for the advice. I'm still figuring it all out of what to do. Taking time off is essential I think. While playing through it might be the best option.

To HooDooKoo

I really appreciate all your advice. But when I've played 100 plus nights of poker with villain (weak player that likes to gamble) and I know how he plays I have a pretty good read, maybe not 100% but in that hand I put him on a big flush draw on the flop when he bet 35 into a $70 pot OOP as a blocking bet. I made it 90 and he flatted I was 90% positive. When I ship/overbet the pot on the turn after he checks with no club by 70% and he turns over his cards and says well it's getting late and I do have a nut flush draw (king high)I'd say my read was accurate. Live is a bit different from online in my view as you get to see a persons mental state. And FWIW I average about $40 an hour playing 2-5 and occasionally 1-3 when there's a lot of dead money there, not enough to brag but good for a rookie I think and means I can't be that bad. I don't feel I always put it in good but no one does. I've only been playing a year but luckily started out making money and have only had one losing month (-2845) every other month has been break even or a winner. I definitely need to work on my mental game but who doesnt.

I have no problem with you assigning a high probability to villain having a draw. My problem is with your saying that you KNEW he had a draw (before he flipped his cards over). Furthermore, your hand reading isn't nearly as good as you think it is. Like most people, you remember the times you're right far better than the times you are wrong. This phenomenon is not exclusive to you. It applies to 99% of all live poker players --- and messes with most of their heads without them being aware of it.

No one said that you that you're a bad player. I simply said that your mental game needs work and that, if you continue to lose, it's because you're bad --- not because you're "unlucky".

And, in answer to your final statement/question, I don't need to work on my mental game. You can look through all my posts here and you won't find ANY complaining about bad beats or bad luck, because I don't do it. Variance is part of the game, and I accept that completely. Like everyone, I get frustrated when I run bad --- but I don't complain about it, nor do I tilt. Ever. That's one of several reasons that I'm playing for a living and winning.

NO ONE should EVER post asking what to do about getting cards in good and running bad. EVER. You can't control the card runout, and either can anyone else (that isn't cheating). All you can do is get your chips in ahead and then let randomness do its thing. If you do that consistently, you will win in the long run. Guaranteed.

Stop playing the victim and accept variance. Evaluate your play based on how you got them in, not the results (AIA your win/loss amount). When you can consistently do those things then you have a chance to be a good player. Until then, best case is you're mediocre.

Good luck.

-HooDooKoo
 
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kozikpro

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bad beats its normal if u play good u dont need to have bad day for few looses
 
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You need to take a break. Take a week...its like a vacation. Always good to replenish yourself. Don't worry to much about it. When you are ready to get back in there watch a few videos read a few articles. Get your game sharper then sharp before you get back in there. No one wants to lose because they are playing hands they would not normally play or making calls or raises they normally wouldn't. Poker is physcological make sure your mind is clear make sure your still not mad. Anger kills lots of poker players bankrolls
 
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YouPay4MyCrack

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I usually just take a break for a bit, usually fixes things right up.
 
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exostenz

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Running Bad

Some people advise to stop when you lose X amount of buyins. Im not a winning player so im not sure about anything but my advise would be to look at your graph particularly the portions where your downswings are. What is your average Downswing size in buyins. Then take this average as a point at which to say. "hey ive been DOWN this path before and on average I continue to go down" and then quit for T amount of time. What a good T is I havent got a clue. but this should at least be until youve slept on it I reckon. Thats my feeble attempt at an answer. GL hope u run good more than you run bad!!:)
 
Sil3ntness

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I switch to a different poker network when I'm running REAL bad. AKA if I'm losing on Carbon, I go to America's Card Room or Black Chip Poker etc.

If I'm running bad on all... it's time to take a break haha
 
John A

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cry... a lot... and hold my Binky.
 
John A

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Speaking of running bad. What do you do when someone online chats and gives information about how you've been playing to other players while you're in a hand? I had that happen today in a critical spot today and it pissed my off pretty good. I was bluffing, and I know for a fact the info this guy was saying effected the guys decision to shove over. I know he was weak as well, I had a bead on the guy and the play. I was running pretty LAG, but wtf... that would never happen at a live table w/o some people stepping outside. Just ridiculous. I'm still steaming from it. lol
 
alittlepoker

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you can try some different games try the cash games you can make up some loss there and you can just slow down playing as mush
 
Sil3ntness

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Speaking of running bad. What do you do when someone online chats and gives information about how you've been playing to other players while you're in a hand? I had that happen today in a critical spot today and it pissed my off pretty good. I was bluffing, and I know for a fact the info this guy was saying effected the guys decision to shove over. I know he was weak as well, I had a bead on the guy and the play. I was running pretty LAG, but wtf... that would never happen at a live table w/o some people stepping outside. Just ridiculous. I'm still steaming from it. lol

I don't think you can report someone for calling you a bluff heavy type player. NOW if they started saying " I folded XY cards" while you are playing a hand that would be messed up. Can you report that scenario to the administrators since it affects the hand in play?
 
4soul

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This means that you're exhausted and you need a break. Do thing that you've done them before you meet the poker. Will give you cool memories and for shure you become more patient. Don't force to comeback in this shark water for more days.
 
dagG1

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If you'll try to get *some revenge* in that day - small chances get a good game after all of that
 
K

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i told u something about few minuts ago ;)
i play play play and +/- have 10$ in 1 hour on stake 0.10$/0.25$
i get QQ some one go allin i call he got AA nice i lose , its ok
NEXT HAND THEN
i have SAME HAND QQ LOL ANOTHER GUY GO ALLIN i call
whats then ??? he got AA

hand by hand but no drama still playing :D
but im angry :) its normal
 
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HooDooKoo

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Speaking of running bad. What do you do when someone online chats and gives information about how you've been playing to other players while you're in a hand? I had that happen today in a critical spot today and it pissed my off pretty good. I was bluffing, and I know for a fact the info this guy was saying effected the guys decision to shove over. I know he was weak as well, I had a bead on the guy and the play. I was running pretty LAG, but wtf... that would never happen at a live table w/o some people stepping outside. Just ridiculous. I'm still steaming from it. lol

I doubt that any online poker site would do anything about this if you reported it, but I don't think there's any harm in doing so. FWIW, I agree that the guy's behavior was completely inappropriate and I'd be pissed, too.

-HooDooKoo
 
PapaC

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I've been running bad up until yesterday. Don't know what I was doing wrong except for catching 2nd best every hand. Also I was playing on FF, ACR, and Carbon at the same time everyday. So what I did was to play only on 1 site at the time and as far as FF goes it has worked. Also won a little yesterday on full ring table at Carbon the same way, but did not make the money in a MTT. And someone simply said change somethings up so I did and it has worked so far.
 
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