Thinking about taking an extended break from poker

I still enjoy playing the game, but not the losing money part. I only play live & only MTT so far. I've only cashed once since July. That's out of over 10 tournaments. Maybe even 15. My spreadsheet isn't on this PC. I know you won't cash even close to every time, but I feel like I just get worse as I try to open up my game. However, I do tend to be pretty hard on myself when I am not succeeding at something (Regardless of what it is) I've always been a very competitive person. Maybe that's why I sell for a living & enjoy racing my cars.

Seems like I was doing well for a while, but now seem to be playing progressively worse the past couple outings. My set of 8s being counterfeited by a set of queens last weekend knocking me out surely didn't help either.

Today I went against my gut feeling & shoved on a 667 flop (I had J7s). Guy calls & turns over A6. That put me in the red zone & I was out shortly after.

A few weeks ago I went out on the bubble. Guy that was shoving very wide shoved again. I was sure I had him beat, and I was right, but then a 3rd player shoves behind me with AKc & rivers a flush.

I know I need to play more hands & be more aggressive, but it seems like the more I go away from my original playing style of pretty tight, the worse things get for me.

I guess this is just a vent post, but I'd, of course, love constructive feedback.

It's a very small sample size. Seriously. I mean if you feel you are playing bad... then lucky you (imo).. because there's all sorts of things you can do to learn to play better.
... when you say you shoved w J7 on a 766 flop, no clue how bad that play was w/o knowing the stack sizes, etc. (but sounds like a spot you're only getting called by hands that beat you... folding out everything (most everything) you're ahead of).

Back to the 'small sample size'. 15 tourneys.. no cashes since July. Disheartening no doubt. But Tournament poker can be a real bitch... even if you are playing GOOD.... or even "GREAT".
I play mostly online (live when I'm able to). I love the convenience of it and you can play for soooo much cheaper than live & you can play in soooo many more tourneys/games/cash tables, etc. etc. (not as much if from USA... but there's still alot more than live obv.). Today I was going to play a fair amount of tourneys (25-30), but one site was lagging my computer so badly it changed my plans. So I played maybe half that many... around '15',... same size sample as your's.

I did cash a couple times 'but'... over & over & over.. just TERRIBLE stuff today. You can be playing better than everyone on your table & win nothing. It's just the way game is (especially tournament play.. where crucial spots can fk you out of the tourney, have you end up min-cashing, etc. etc.).
I could give many examples (just check my HH for the day)... one I did cash in... 8 players paid of a field of 55 entrants. There were 5 of us left, payouts weighted heavily towards the top. 3 players had <10bb's, myself & the other w ~25bb (the 3 ss's were 5bb, 7bb & 9bb). Villain raises... I shove.... he calls with small pr. (a terrible call re ICM)... he gets there!! I'm out, lol. Would I call in his spot.. never! It was a losing play. (I did happen to leave that one up on the screen in the corner... you'd think at least with his 55bb stack vs. the other 3 ss's he'd at least almost locked up 1st & at worst 2nd.. but he was actually the next one out which is pretty insane).

Reason I'm giving that one example is > you can make the right plays... you can pick the perfect spots (based on many factors) & still lose... but not just 'lose'.... 'lose repeatedly' .. many times over!

If you feel you have lots of room for improvement this is a good thing! (a common theme is players thinking they are much better than they really are). There are many, many avenues one can take to work on their game. Just a matter of motivation & putting in the time. Then all you need is a bit of 'rungood', lol.
Big part of the game is poker mindset. Today I had a good oppurtunity to work on it (however I would've preferred to just run good).

Maybe grab a few books from local library (they will likely get them via inter-library loan if they don't carry them on their shelves). Watch some poker training vids. Post some HH's. Read some other posted HH's. Review your own. Find a friend to 'talk poker with'.
Playing online is actually a good avenue to get in a ton of practise (cheaper investment, smaller time committment).

Good luck in the future!

Take a break, and study up, and re-assess your game. It can't hurt.

Once you get into a better mindset, go back to it.

Take off for the holidays and then come back refreshed in 2013.

i never could play only tournaments i feel the losing streaks would drive me insane.. its so easy to get a bad beat and than that tournament is done over.. maybe you should try adding cash games into your schedule.. Its alot easier to handle bad beats in a cash game because you just reload and than you have another chance to make that money back

going in with j7 is a bad move,even more with a 667 flop its just bad poker practice, i know how you feel when you get rivered,bubbled or simply lost to a donk,its a pain in the ass,but like everyone says ''thats poker'' if we could all win every hand that we consider good or great poker would be boring, to me poker is like women, cant live with them can live without them,hope you enjoy your holidays and get your game moving forward,we all have bad days,weeks,months,but learning from those beats is the most important part to avoid them in the future.

You have NO IDEA how much this pains me, but I'm going to have to agree with PO here . You say you haven't cashed since July - which at first glance seems terrible - but then reveal that you've probably only played about 10 tournaments since then. Going 0 for 10 is nothing out of the ordinary in tournament play. If you're playing less than 2 tournaments a month you can expect some VERY long spells in between cashes. That's even if you're playing pretty well. Throw in a couple of marginally played tournaments here and there and I'm sure you can see how your streak could easily stretch for months and months without a win or significant cash.

There really isn't a single, simple solution. Try to play more, study, etc, etc, but realize that by their very nature tournament play can lead to long stretches of not cashing for anything significant. Online you can overcome this by playing much more volume. Live, especially if you have limited time to play, this is going to be difficult.

I'm kind-of in the same situation as I rarely get to play live (less than once a month). For that reason I generally play cash games when I play live. At 1 tournament a month I might very well go a whole year without a win. I think that would drive me insane so I save the tournaments for online and play cash live. Not the ideal solution if you prefer tournaments, but's it's the only practical way that I know of to eliminate (at least to a very good degree) to potential of long, long losing streaks if you can only manage 1-2 live sessions a month.

Poker Orifice said:

... when you say you shoved w J7 on a 766 flop, no clue how bad that play was w/o knowing the stack sizes, etc. (but sounds like a spot you're only getting called by hands that beat you... folding out everything (most everything) you're ahead of).

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I had villain covered by about $3,500.

Back to the 'small sample size'. 15 tourneys.. no cashes since July. Disheartening no doubt. But Tournament poker can be a real bitch... even if you are playing GOOD.... or even "GREAT".

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The cash didn't come in July. It came in November, but still just that one cash between July & today.

I play mostly online (live when I'm able to). I love the convenience of it and you can play for soooo much cheaper than live & you can play in soooo many more tourneys/games/cash tables, etc. etc. (not as much if from USA... but there's still alot more than live obv.).

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I am in the USA. I've been thinking of trying Bovada or Lock, but I am unsure due to all the problems with getting your money out + I don't want to be putting in a ton of hours to win pennies.

If you feel you have lots of room for improvement this is a good thing! (a common theme is players thinking they are much better than they really are). There are many, many avenues one can take to work on their game. Just a matter of motivation & putting in the time. Then all you need is a bit of 'rungood', lol.

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I most certainly have holes in my game & will be the first to admit it LOL. I see so many videos etc online catering to online play, but I don't see much for live players.

domeburglar said:

i never could play only tournaments i feel the losing streaks would drive me insane.. its so easy to get a bad beat and than that tournament is done over.. maybe you should try adding cash games into your schedule.. Its alot easier to handle bad beats in a cash game because you just reload and than you have another chance to make that money back

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Problem w/that is I'd play $1/$2 NL. Min buy is $60. The MTTs I play are $75 so I'd only play cash with about $120 & once that is gone, I am done for the day. Would it even be worth it? From what I've read, cash games normally start out with pots of at least $10 & maybe even $40 or so. I'd be done in a few hands with this kind of betting LOL

NeverEnough said:

I am in the USA. I've been thinking of trying Bovada or Lock, but I am unsure due to all the problems with getting your money out + I don't want to be putting in a ton of hours to win pennies.


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You can also think of the time investment as an investment in one's poker education. When you think of it this way, it's a cheap oppurtunity for a ton of experience! (& you might even win more than pennies!)

It might also be worth taking a shot at getting into the Cardschat Freeroll Club. There are weekly games played on US-Friendly sites - with games having a mix of players of all different skill levels (there's some rookies, some not too bad & some who are quite good). On average the level of play might be somewhat similiar to how a $5 - $10 online MTT might play out.

I'm not sure taking a break is likely to be a good solution. You're frustrated after a string of 10-15 non-cashes over nearly half a year. That's barely playing at all; it's roughly an average of one tournament every couple of weeks. So you're already taking breaks.

What you seem to need is to learn to accept that non-winning streaks of 10, 20, sometimes 30 and more are unavoidable; Th variance that causes them is part of how tournament poker works. This is easy to understand and accept at a rational level, but accepting it emotionally can be more of a hurdle.

NeverEnough since you are able to play live poker. I am assuming that you could also play sit n go tournys at that location.

You know, it takes luck as well as talent to cash in those MTT's. So many bad beats, etc. And so many hours lost when you do not make it to the cash! Believe, me I understand what you are feeling!

I would suggest you either take a break, or play some cash tables. But play low stakes and "just for fun". This will change your mind set. Play for fun!~

Then I would suggest you play the sit n go tournys only for a while, they are fun and fast and can be very profitable!

Good Luck!

We all...no matter who you are need a break from to time, even if it's just a few day's. The thing people tend to forget is poker is a job. If you went without a break from your job eventually you wold crumble...same thing with poker, not only is poker mentally stressful sometimes it is also physically stressful as well. If you feel you are playing bad or not up to your potential, take a break, it works wonders.

I'm taking December off from playing live so I decided to try my hand at some online poker. I deposited $50 on ACR on Wednesday & have less than $20 left. Some 0.02/0.05 cash games, some $1.50 SNGs & some micro MTTs. I am seriously wondering why I play this game at all now.

I know I played a few hands badly, but it just seems like every-damn-time that I get a good hand, someone else gets a great hand. Get AQ & get dominated by AK. Get AK & lose to AQ. Flop a set & lose to a flush. Get pocket Kings & get sucked out by crap.

Last hand I played today I was down to a whopping 0.29 in a 0.02/0.05 cash game. I am dealt A9o. I shove & get called by 82o & he wins. WTF?!

I knew I wasn't a great player, but I didn't think that I was terrible. Maybe I was wrong.

If you can't tell, LOL, I'm VERY frustrated.

& now ACR balance is ZERO. Apparently, I really am just terrible.

I sent you the message about freerolls. If I were you I would take a week off from poker and just enjoy the holiday season. A lot of poker is having confidence in yourself that you can play good and wont get sucked out on. When you have a lot of bad beats or cant cash for while your confidence goes away and then you begin to make bad plays.

credsfan03 said:

I sent you the message about freerolls. If I were you I would take a week off from poker and just enjoy the holiday season. A lot of poker is having confidence in yourself that you can play good and wont get sucked out on. When you have a lot of bad beats or cant cash for while your confidence goes away and then you begin to make bad plays.

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I'm still taking the rest of December off from live. I may not ever play online for $ again. It was a joke IMO.

MediaBLITZ said:

Take off for the holidays and then come back refreshed in 2013.

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Good idea! My husband gets frustrated like this and needs to take an extended break... Sometimes I need to take a few weeks off and get my head right... Even if you're winning 1 outta 10, you still feel ripped off... And no one plays well when upset...

NeverEnough said:

I'm still taking the rest of December off from live. I may not ever play online for $ again. It was a joke IMO.

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Cash games online are fishy, IMO... I would rather go to a casino if I'm trying to make some real money.

you seem EXTREMELY negative... i know your going through some tough times in your poker game but if you enjoy the poker game and want to be a winning player you cant let these losses get you down soo much..

MOST players will lose alot when they start out its all a part of learning... You wouldn't expect to pick up a guitar and start rockin out immediately, or get on a golf course and be shooting par ur first round.. Everything takes practice and poker is something that you will NEVER EVER stop having to learn and adapt..

id say dont completely eliminate yourself from poker this month, instead take the time and read through the forum, post some hands for analysis from your little bit of play online, let the people who are better explain things you may be doing wrong or could be doing better... Ive been doing this for like 1 1/2 now and i cant even explain how much ive learned about poker and my game.. and how to improve!! Keep your head up.. get better and get back in the game

I find that a short break to recharge the batteries helps a lot. You need to get back to playing your "A" game. When you play too much you see too many bad beats and you start playing too reckless. Not saying it happens to everyone, but its a form of long-term tilt. You don't even realize it because you in a constant state of tilt. I call it "Life Tilt", lol....Keep Grinding Brother

domeburglar said:

you seem EXTREMELY negative... i know your going through some tough times in your poker game but if you enjoy the poker game and want to be a winning player you cant let these losses get you down soo much..

MOST players will lose alot when they start out its all a part of learning... You wouldn't expect to pick up a guitar and start rockin out immediately, or get on a golf course and be shooting par ur first round.. Everything takes practice and poker is something that you will NEVER EVER stop having to learn and adapt..

id say dont completely eliminate yourself from poker this month, instead take the time and read through the forum, post some hands for analysis from your little bit of play online, let the people who are better explain things you may be doing wrong or could be doing better... Ive been doing this for like 1 1/2 now and i cant even explain how much ive learned about poker and my game.. and how to improve!! Keep your head up.. get better and get back in the game

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I'm extremely frustrated. It's really that simple.

I would try mixing my game up a little bit Chris. Don't play aggressive all the time. Or tight all the time. Sometimes play aggressive sometimes played tight keep them guessing. Good runs and bad runs happen to us all. I wouldn't let it discourage me if I was you. And sometimes taking a break from a problem help you figure it out. Good luck at the tables !

aa88wildbill said:

I would try mixing my game up a little bit Chris. Don't play aggressive all the time. Or tight all the time. Sometimes play aggressive sometimes played tight keep them guessing. Good runs and bad runs happen to us all. I wouldn't let it discourage me if I was you. And sometimes taking a break from a problem help you figure it out. Good luck at the tables !

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I tried this with my online play. As you can see, it didn't get me anywhere LOL.

NeverEnough said:

I'm extremely frustrated. It's really that simple.

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Trust me ive been in your same position before especially when i transitioned to playing online.. it was just a whole new world i wasnt used to.. but instead of getting myself more frustrated which is just more counter productive i threw my ego out and started really looking into my weaknesses.. Just think positive and instead of thinking about whats so bad think about what you can do to be good