I have lost 5 buyings in the last 2000 hands I have played at 25nl (losing $20/h). I think I'm playing ok for the most part, but I dont know. How common is this? Should I be worried?
thanks
I suggest you lower your buyin amounts for a while 'til you regain your skillset ... no use throwing good money after bad. The "worry" is becoming addicted to gambling.
I don't think losing 5BI's is uncommon at all. Pretty often good players will lose even more than that. I would think about moving down if 1) your bankroll can no longer support the stakes you're playing, or 2) you need to rebuild your confidence.
take a break...like a week off then then return to the tables. It could help your game alot more. That why we all have bankrolls to undergo the bad streaks
If it makes OP feel better, I just went through a -7 buyin downswing across about 4000 hands of NL4. You never want to be playing NL-freaking-4 and saying to yourself "thank goodness for rakeback." The space between my all-in EV line and my winnings line would have tilted many a good man.
I made it all back and then some in a 1,500-hand heater right after, thank goodness.
Generally up to you. Everyone's had downswings before it depends if your letting it effect your play and if your BR can sustain it. I generally take a break and go over my sessions and see if I can spot a leak then move down in stakes and build my confidence back up.