How to stop making stupid plays?

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numark

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First post so hi all. I've been playing poker on and off for a while and I currently play 25NL zoom. I feel on a technical level I have this game beat. But I can't maintain a decent winrate because I can't stop myself making stupid plays & losing my stack.

e.g. Villain & I have 200BB and I have KK OOP, raise preflop & get called. Then I make pot size bets on the flop and turn, get called, and by the river it's:

78J29

So I have him on maybe AJ or with a 10 on a straight draw. Mmn I think, if he has a 10 and I bet, he will raise all in and I don't want to call it.

So I check, the plan being to call his bet. He makes a pot size bet and what do I do?

I forget my plan and shove all in like a donk.

Of course he calls, with T8, and I feel like smashing my own face in.

I know only a better hand would call a raise so why do I do it? These scenarios where it's my fault make me a 100 times more frustrated than a bad beat, cos I accept the latter as part of poker.

Luckily I avoided buying back in and going on tilt, so here I am. Just wondering where to look for strategies on controlling this? I find it really hard to quit until I hit an arbitrary target e.g. 3 or 4 buy-ins - even when I know I'm tired.

Cheers. :icon_albi
 
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twohaha

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Review your hands after every session, and look for hands where you make mistakes. Keep in mind these mistakes, and try to avoid them in the future. You'll be making less mistakes the more experienced you get.
 
MediaBLITZ

MediaBLITZ

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+1 - your mistakes repeat themselves. Once you know what they are the mystery is gone and you don't need to know why - you just see those situations when they reoccur and DON'T.
 
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numark

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Good points, I don't do this enough.
 
rifflemao

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Adding to the above comments: Taking notes on your mistakes can help you remember them and recognize situations. I use a replayer with a notes feature that adds my comments to the HH.
 
abzdolc

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zoom is not a king of game to make money, play cash better if u don't have much time for tournaments
 
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rrph3rtbkr

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u have to read a lot mate , go and find some gud poker books or some poker training or forum read some article ,there is so mutch to learn ,,we always make mistake ,just keep making some note where u had most difficult decision ,from ur post it seem like u have to work hard on ur post flop play,and to master it u have to read a lot and play a lot , u will learn with experience ,, keep playing ..
when u get tilt play some music ,just get away from table and relax because if ur tilt u r decision will be get affected and keep a eye on table what are they doing and play when u are normal
 
Arjonius

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It looks like you think your ability level is represented by how you play when you're playing well and not making the kinds of mistakes you want to reduce or eliminate. If so, you're confusing knowledge and ability. As a simplification, knowledge is what you know while ability his how well you actually apply your knowledge.

Since you're making decisions that you know you shouldn't before you make them, your problem is that you're not allowing your knowledge to benefit you as much as it could. I've certainly been there, done that many, many times.

When I'm tempted to make plays I know I shouldn't, I can usually stop myself by taking a couple of extra seconds before acting. If that doesn't work, I know I'm not playing my A game, and I stop asap.
 
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suitedslick

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Have a plan and stick with it.
you're wise enough not to buy back and continue to play
 
Balyev

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Just approach the game thoroughly, and focus only on the game.
 
XXPXXP

XXPXXP

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review hands, and ...correct bad play. make stupid play less and less to Zero.
GL
 
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The best advise for you is that you have to be more focus at crucial pots. Pay more attention. Be alert. Don´t make the same mistakes over and over again. This is my best advise for you.
 
etherghost

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When you're about to make a move, ALWAYS quickly re-evaluate if it's the right one. Avoid emotion based play at all cost.
 
okeedokalee

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Welcome Numark, zoom and rush are boom or bust games, and hard to use to judge your progress.
Tournaments allow you more time to play your moves and get a feel for other players skills.
Most times you are playing the players during tournaments and SNGs, whereas in Zoom you are playing your cards only...
 
blueskies

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Depending on situation, just calling is fine.
I've read online poker advice where they say betting/folding is better than calling... Not always. LOL

Don't inflate the pot with mediocre hands with showdown value.

If you're facing some turd who's never seen a hand he doesn't bluff with, then just call him. If he's bluffing, he'd fold to your raise anyway, and you gain no value.

I've seen self-appointed "sharks" get angry at people for calling their bluff. Like how could you call 3 bets with mid pair LOL. As if them having an AF of 20+ ain't asking to get called.
 
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jj20002

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check your postflop game

numark said:
First post so hi all. I've been playing poker on and off for a while and I currently play 25NL zoom. I feel on a technical level I have this game beat. But I can't maintain a decent winrate because I can't stop myself making stupid plays & losing my stack.

e.g. Villain & I have 200BB and I have KK OOP, raise preflop & get called. Then I make pot size bets on the flop and turn, get called, and by the river it's:

78J29

So I have him on maybe AJ or with a 10 on a straight draw. Mmn I think, if he has a 10 and I bet, he will raise all in and I don't want to call it.

So I check, the plan being to call his bet. He makes a pot size bet and what do I do?

I forget my plan and shove all in like a donk.

Of course he calls, with T8, and I feel like smashing my own face in.

I know only a better hand would call a raise so why do I do it? These scenarios where it's my fault make me a 100 times more frustrated than a bad beat, cos I accept the latter as part of poker.

Luckily I avoided buying back in and going on tilt, so here I am. Just wondering where to look for strategies on controlling this? I find it really hard to quit until I hit an arbitrary target e.g. 3 or 4 buy-ins - even when I know I'm tired.

Cheers. :icon_albi
Click to expand...


you don´t have to let the villain see the river a so low cost, so your hand was played ok until the turn appeared, there you should raise your bet, so the cost to villain is to big so he better fold, and if he bets you lose this one but playing correctly, and in the long run you will win

but the way you play after the turn was not so fine and you paid for it
 
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10 helpful poker tips

ITS a very common thing among many players playing poker ,,I myself have got into this few times ..it happens when our emotions get hold of our mind ..a lot of patience and correct judgement is required to win a game ..I am not a big gamer but still here are some tips that I follow to keep me stable in the long run .
1- First check and prepare urself for the players that are registered in a tournament

2-Create smaller goals ..so that u keep ur pace balanced throughout

3-Always choose a calm and comfortable place to sit without distraction for long hours

4-Before playing a game a good breathing exercise and maybe even listening to music can help u to relax and have a stable mind for the game

5-you can have some snacks but dont overdue it as it makes ur brain slow ..rather have some juice or water handy that will give sufficient amount of oxygen to ur brain
:)
6- Never bluff and avoid All -INS at the start of the game and play pretty tight(out of five rounds play one) and aggressive when u have a high card pairs on the table with top kicker (ex-if u have AK and the blinds are 15/30 at the start of a game..the first card is crucial and u should check if the card on the table gives u sufficient lift to get aggressive or play passive )

7-playing less hands but the effective ones will help u to get u sufficient odds while playing with the big bullies .

8-when u get great pairs and u feel an adrenaline rush to go ALL in ,,just take a min away from the game ,take deep breaths and look for the highest possible card on the table ,,prefer check/raise but in a way to make others call to create a huge pot.

9-Make a habit to copy ur games for further analysis so that u wont do the same mistake in the future .also u will know when to check when to raise and how much?

10- practice play and never fear to loose but do learn from ur mistakes ..you are your best teacher than anyone can be..

I hope this post will be helpful in someway or the other ..enjoy!!! POKER!!!playy!!!!
 
Vhyre

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I can't add much here except to say reviewing your sessions and considering your mistakes works. Until I began doing this I couldn't understand why my bankroll fluctuated so wildly. I guess what I'm saying is become not just a student of the game, but a student of your own game.
 
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A couple of suggestions. Slow your game a bit. Take 4-5 seconds to make a decision and review it. Keep your hands off the table or away from the mouse until your have completed the first two.
 
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The one thing I didn't see in your OP was your read on the player. How many hands do you have on him? Any fancy plays or aggression? If you are using a HUD, what stats did you have and did that play into your decision making? Were you IP or OOP to the villain?

Even without a HUD, you should be able to, after time or X number of hands, be able to tell someone(meaning yourself) what kind of player he is. If he is really a LAG, then KK on that kind of flop would need to go slower. If he is a TAG, then that will change your strategy.

I have been married to KK to, but I have tried to keep it to a preflop marriage :) Once the flop hits, I try and figure out if I cbet/delayed turn cbet, as I am OOP, what does his action mean? Is he bluffing or repping a good hand?

It takes time to figure out the players. I know I get all fussy when I have stats and the player balances his range out side the VPIP or PRF stat. Drives me bonkers. But I let that hand go and make good notes.

Hang in there!
 
ChipEaterMan

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Learning all you can reading CardChat's forum threads
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