I have a huge problem of applying my own theory and discipline to my game?

This is my biggest struggle,
a huge one at that, obviously I'm not undermining that.

On my day I can be a fearless player who is capable of causing problems for almost any player I can adapt and mix it both pre flop and post flop against top quality opposition even against massively profitable players from much higher stake ranges.
I will feel at ease on the table, sometimes as if the higher buy in I play I find another level and go into this zone.
There is this ability to pin point my opponent's range with precise accuracy, make both skillfully disciplined and accurate folds and brave play's naturally switching gears and portraying my image to my style anticipating every exploit I come up against to the opponent's skill level and playing style.
It's such an unstoppable feeling at times and I do become extremely tough to beat, I'll rarely fail to be around abouts the final 100 onwards regardless of MTT field size when I'm in that zone

I can't stress the importance of bankroll management and discipline.
But I still allow myself to fall victim to my tilt and I get such a high feeling by taking risks,
It's like a drug and I can't kick it.
I'll work so hard to get my bankroll up to 4 figures, and I'll say to myself... ''If you risk that $1500 into one cash game or several large tournaments, it's going to be five figures one day...

And I just cant stop myself.
The problem is I know what I would do with a 10k bankroll and I know how hard and how disciplined I would be with it.
it's just I want it so bad I am letting it effect my game to the point I keep blowing bankrolls I work hard for...

try to cut feelings out of the equation, at the poker table they are your worst enemy. The only feelings that i would consider good ones are "gut" feelings, which stem from many years of experiance, sometimes you just know someone is at it or you just know what the best move is without thinking too much about it.

your mind is tricking you here, do you really think you wouldn't search for that high of winning 10k+ by doing it again?

you can do whatever you like obviously, as long as it doesn't affect your real life situation then i say do what makes you happy, if that is working your ass off to take shots at winning big, i say go for it, but again, don't let it affect your real life financial situation, nothing good can come of that.


fwiw- i also had this same feeling when i first started playing poker, the amount of times i thought i played really good to run $50 up to 5-1k is amazing... But then i'd get sick of playing the stakes i was playing and thought, why not just put it all on one table, even though i knew it was bad, i just wanted that feeling you are talking about so i'd put it all on the line and 9/10 i'd lose it all... in any case, those feelings deserted me without me having to think about it. the biggest thing that helped me get rid of that urge to play higher was setting goals, both long term and short term, usually volume orientated or you could set an amount of hours to play or something. Now i'm focused more on hitting goals and getting my game to where it needs to be so i can play higher stakes and be able to profit at them too. hopefully that helps..

Your main game is MTTs? Those are notorious for variance.

Ivesaid this a dozen times. You're bankroll isn't what you have in your account, it's what you can afford to lose. If you have a $100k/year job, why limit yourself to playing $5 tournaments just because you only have $100 in your account? Unless you're bankroll a pro, you're playing for recreational reasons, fun! Some people like to make a game out of building their bankrolls and that's all well and good. Others are looking for the thrill of possibly banking a big tourney for big money. Which are you? Play with what you can afford to lose and don't sweat it when you bust. Also, don't forget that variance doesn't always work against you.

cotta777 said:

I can't stress the importance of bankroll management and discipline.
But I still allow myself to fall victim to my tilt and I get such a high feeling by taking risks,
It's like a drug and I can't kick it.
I'll work so hard to get my bankroll up to 4 figures, and I'll say to myself... ''If you risk that $1500 into one cash game or several large tournaments, it's going to be five figures one day...

And I just cant stop myself.
The problem is I know what I would do with a 10k bankroll and I know how hard and how disciplined I would be with it.
it's just I want it so bad I am letting it effect my game to the point I keep blowing bankrolls I work hard for...

Click to expand...

I would call it a rite of passage and wouldn't beat myself up about it (or only enough to initiate change). What I would do is continue reading up on the topics of tilt and bankroll management to reinforce the right way to do things. Also, keep studying the math and logic to help keep your decisions rooted in good fundamentals. In other words, distract your brain with useful info that can override the urge to gamble and chase.

Hi! I play poker for a lot of different reasons sometimes besides winning money (social, the "rush", passing time). So, to get more serious about my game (after spending many hours playing and having lots of fun but not really a lot to show for it) ... this is what I started doing ... It may or may not work well for you or interest you ... I think everyone has to find their own way that works them, but it works for me.

I have a bunch of money on Lock (which doesn't pay out). Unless I'm a complete idiot, I will never lose it all. I have lots of friends there and there are a lot of laid back people there - so if I want to socialize or try an initial test of a new strategy ... I do it there.

My other sites I have my own plan for how much I will allow myself to invest in a game based upon my bank. I track my bank and my games on paper as I play them along with notes about why I think the outcome of the game was what it was. It is not "fun" at all to write it down, but it makes me far less apt to tilt because at the beginning of the game I'm facing the end goal consciously and at the end of the game - I'm tracking my progress towards it.

Also, I would recommend looking at each loss (in a serious game) as a learning opportunity vs. a failure. If you lost was it due to natural odds (no one can win all the time, right?), lack of self-control (you know you shouldn't have but you did it anyway), or because you were outplayed? If it's the first. Welcome to poker. If it's the second, you shoulda played on the other site where you don't care about the money, think about what your outlook was at the start of the game and why you really started to play that particular game to begin with - if you gotta - start writing your mood down when you start as part f your game log!! If it's the third then figure out what to do different/study/try the next time when the exact same situation comes up and try to make your game even better!!

Whenever I play live I have no issue because I'm 100% into the game and as long as I don't choke -- it's my best play. Maybe because I haven't played that much live and it takes like ALL of my concentration (and then some).

There's nothing wrong with playing poker for most any reason. There's nothing wrong with losing money either. But if you go after different "goals" at the same time, and the outcome is different for each of them you aren't going to get anywhere. It's like sitting at two opposite ends of your canoe at once and paddling in different directions .

Good BR management means much more than poker skills. To win a battle, the basic thing is to keep yourself alive all the time. The best killer is not the one who can win 1 vs 10, but win 1 vs 1 or even 10 vs 1 for thousands of times.

WiZZiM said:

try to cut feelings out of the equation, at the poker table they are your worst enemy. The only feelings that i would consider good ones are "gut" feelings, which stem from many years of experiance, sometimes you just know someone is at it or you just know what the best move is without thinking too much about it.

your mind is tricking you here, do you really think you wouldn't search for that high of winning 10k+ by doing it again?

you can do whatever you like obviously, as long as it doesn't affect your real life situation then i say do what makes you happy, if that is working your ass off to take shots at winning big, i say go for it, but again, don't let it affect your real life financial situation, nothing good can come of that.


fwiw- i also had this same feeling when i first started playing poker, the amount of times i thought i played really good to run $50 up to 5-1k is amazing... But then i'd get sick of playing the stakes i was playing and thought, why not just put it all on one table, even though i knew it was bad, i just wanted that feeling you are talking about so i'd put it all on the line and 9/10 i'd lose it all... in any case, those feelings deserted me without me having to think about it. the biggest thing that helped me get rid of that urge to play higher was setting goals, both long term and short term, usually volume orientated or you could set an amount of hours to play or something. Now i'm focused more on hitting goals and getting my game to where it needs to be so i can play higher stakes and be able to profit at them too. hopefully that helps..

Click to expand...

I definately think setting goals long and short is a great way to keep organisation and focus.
Like every morning and every night
just to get into a solid routine

The most important thing is that you understand what the problem is. Now we have to work on yourself and you will do it.

I had a coach a while back, not that it's done me nuch good lol, but the one thing he said that helped is similar to one response already said but with a twist
Set yourself a couple of goals, lets say $500 and $3000 When you reach said 1st goal, put half aside then focus on the same goal again. If you loose your playing BR then dip into the reserve but only if you loose the 1st half of your initial goal.
Keep doing this until your rech the point where you set your higher goal this then allows you to play the bigger buy-ins with a bigger BR behind you.

nice coach..i think that putting aside half of the earnings.. will help you in many different situations..good advice Martinez

Whenever you feel like tilting,try to stay calm and remain focus on your goal.And maybe you could take some break to refresh yourself.

The worst part is to recognize it, and you already made it! Try to asks someone support like a friend (or wife depending of the case) to be your bankroll coaching/manager for a while. Maybe it can help you.