Cold Streak BRRRR

Hey I am currently experiencing a cold streak at the tables and I am wondering what my best option here is do I go cold turkey and perhaps take a break and reevaluate, or just play through it and go from there? I mean we have freerolls all week long so I do not have to wager any money and could maybe make some of my lost $ back, I was also playing cash game which is a big no no for me haha. How do you guys get through your cold streak?

I don't believe there is such a thing. Each event is independent from another.
(if I flip a coin & get heads 10x in-a-row, the 11th time I flip that coin my chances are still 50-50 I will get tails (or heads). < same thing in poker).

Yeah I can usually roll with the blows but sometimes I cant win when I'm ahead or behind lol

IMO, the key is to evaluate how you've played during your bad run. If you find you've been making decisions as well as usual, and thus that you're just experiencing the negative side of variance, there's no reason to change. The main challenge may be avoiding the temptation to try things unnecessarily.

Otoh, if you've contributed to or caused your bad run by developing leaks, there isn't a panacea that works for everyone. So do whatever works for you, whether is taking a break, playing less in order to study and review more, etc.

Good advice Arjon, thanks for your input

Taking a break is sometimes nice to become calm and cool and think about your decisions. If (like me) you have been on a nasty 10-12 BI losing streak live BUT got your money in AHEAD, then there is nothing you really can do.

Part of the game unfortunately.

cold streak

Know your enemy and know yourself and you will not fear the results of a thousand battles, Sun tsu

Your poker instincts are telling you to take a break and evaluate your play if you continue to lose money you'll go into the poker table with a self defeating attitude.unless,you play like a robot,your mental state can affect your play.

is rough when you touch the variance, but do not stop playing unless you have large losses, otherwise you have to play freerolls or lower limits but noperder much money, but the best thing to do is get puesde think if you're making good decisions when to bet or raise. nothing better to do a self analysis, greetings

Thanks for the suggestions, I think my plan of action will be to stick to freerolls for a little while that way I cannot stress about $'s being lost

MTCashman said:

Thanks for the suggestions, I think my plan of action will be to stick to freerolls for a little while that way I cannot stress about $'s being lost

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I'm very familiar with dropping down when I run bad, so I'm not about to suggest that you don't do this.

However, I think you may want to consider that the more you focus on avoiding losses, the more you limit your potential to make money. This way of thinking is sometimes called fear of success.

Or maybe think of it this way. At any given level, do you think the best players hesitate to continue playing their usual games when they're running bad but are still playing fine and are still properly rolled?

Yeah I hear ya but I was putting in a lot of volume and it was becoming more of a chore to play everyday rather than be fun and enjoyable, I am just going to cut back and refresh then hit the tables hard again

online poker, cold streak is very much normal. As if pokergods are punishing you. My suggestion sir is to play cheap, meaning just play freerolls for tourneys and very low stake at cash games. You dont want to hurt your bankroll with your present condition. Going backwards is good so that you can evaluate for a long time whats really the problem.

Goodluck...

Two schools of thought for me. Sometimes I power through. I keep playing to shake out the variance. Other times I go cold turkey. During the cold turkey times, I do other competitive things I know I am good at. I try to book wins at madden, rummy, chess, whatever. It helps with the confidence and will help with your game.

Snapping a Cold Streak

I have to agree with Jdawg0913 here, using other competitive outlets during a cold streak can help you maintain confidence and avoid continued frustration.

If you feel like its not influencing you mentally(which i think it is cause you made this thread), i would suggest to put more volume in and if your playing good/solid, the positive result's will come.

MTCashman said:

Yeah I hear ya but I was putting in a lot of volume and it was becoming more of a chore to play everyday rather than be fun and enjoyable, I am just going to cut back and refresh then hit the tables hard again

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The part about being a chore is the big killer. All the things that go wrong seem to seem to pile on more negative thoughts -
...I knew I should of called, but didn't.
...I knew I should of folded, but didn't.
...why do I even bother?
...I'll just lose what I got left and call it a day.
The break ya need to take is the one that consists of you getting rid of that 'chore' feeling.

I am going through the same thing currently, just seems like I can't win. But I know it will pass. I know I'm playing well, and "getting exactly what

I want," but the outcomes just haven't been favorable. I do agree with Poker Orifice, they are independent of one another. They just happen to

be happening all at once it seems. Sometimes I will take a day or 2 away, but currently, based on some promos, I need to be playing everyday. So

I'll just continue to play, and know that things will even out (hopefully sooner than later.) Best of luck on things turning around for you.