When running bad I......

Ok, I've been playing pretty consistent poker over the last year. I rarely tilt and am able to accept variance and that things run their course.

The last 2 weeks have been really bad. I've been getting all in with the best hand 80% of the time either pre or post flop. The hands trailing seem to catch and I'm seeing my play get bad due to frustration of bad beats.

The step I have taken to fix is playing freerolls and no cash tourneys or games.

Is it better to

A. play freerolls and wait for the bad run to end.
B. take a week or two off from playing
C. talk to people that have watched me and see if their is a flaw I'm not seeing.

Thanks,

Jeff

Sometimes if you do a search, you can find a thread where someone has already talked about this subject. Here is a good one on this:
https://www.cardschat.com/forum/learning-poker-57/how-do-you-handle-a-run-374781/

All options are wise but C it will help you a lot to see your mistakes ,GL

Options B and C, but do reconsider your game...

When I get a bad run of cards that last more then a month. i simply stop playing for a while let it past. I have no specific need to play poker weekly to get through it.

Bad beats are a part of poker. Just keep trudging through you will hit.

Dealing with a bad streaks

Poker purists will tell you there is no such thing as having bad streaks. That every hand has the same odds of winning regardless of how you variance has been running. I, personally, believe that if variance holds true then there will be as many lucky days as unlucky days, but there will still be unlucky days. You can't have the same luck every day or it would not be called "variance".
To get over bad days, weeks, whatever, I try to lock myself down and play more disciplined. I don't stop playing because if you stop then how will you know when it's over?
Asking people you play with would be the best idea as even if they haven't noticed anything it could open up a conversation about your playing style in general.
Whatever your approach is, there is something very key to consider. just because a bad streak ends, it does not mean a good streak starts. Do think that just because you've had a winning session or two that you can open your game up because that is just asking to get felted over and over again. Not only do you need to play strong poker during a downswing, but you need to continue playing good poker once it ends or you'll find yourself tilting for days on end and that doesn't do anyone any good.

jefrock21 said:

Ok, I've been playing pretty consistent poker over the last year. I rarely tilt and am able to accept variance and that things run their course.

The last 2 weeks have been really bad. I've been getting all in with the best hand 80% of the time either pre or post flop. The hands trailing seem to catch and I'm seeing my play get bad due to frustration of bad beats.

The step I have taken to fix is playing freerolls and no cash tourneys or games.

Is it better to

A. play freerolls and wait for the bad run to end.
B. take a week or two off from playing
C. talk to people that have watched me and see if their is a flaw I'm not seeing.

Thanks,

Jeff

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take a week or 2 off, the freerolls may give you some bad habits. The alternative is refrain from allins for a while and see the flop.

agriggy said:

take a week or 2 off, the freerolls may give you some bad habits. The alternative is refrain from allins for a while and see the flop.

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Thanks everyone for the help. I placed in the Jackpot freeroll. and played a .55 on demand and bubbled. Two hand stuck out that I misplayed (both from the BB)

Guy standard raised and I had 33 he had 2 callers. I tightened up on bubble and folded. Flop came out with a 3 and i would have won the hand.

2nd one was when I bubbled. I had A7 suited from BB. Button min raise I called. Flop came out 743 rainbow. I bet he puts me all in I call he flips over QQ and i bubbled when all I had to do was fold a couple hands and be ITM.

I was 8th out of 10 at the time of the all in.

So taking a couple-few days off to sit back. Going to play under control more. I noticed when I play smaller bets all the way through I am more successful than when I call or shove pre flop

Study ranges, arsenal of moves for position, so you have a strategy and you will see that does not get bad cards.

You should find your mistakes ..if you played good than you just have to take a small break and keep playing.

For me when running bad I get passive and give villains a chance to hit.

Here's an example of a hand tonight.

I had A3 suited clubs on BTN. 2 limpers in front of me. I decided to just flat call, which isn't bad in that spot. Flop comes TcJcJd. Checked around to me. I should bet here. Instead I check. Club comes on the turn. Blinds check and UTG bets. CO calls. I raise. UTG folds, CO calls.

River is some harmless card. CO leads out. Now, I really should just call here because on a pair board on that texture, what is he really leading out with? If he had a flush, he likely would have raised the turn.

Stupidly I raised, and he shoves his remaining like 5 BBs, so of course I gotta call. He hit a set of 5s on the turn. If I bet the flop, he might have folded.

The reason I checked was I was scared to get check raised.Passive mentality after getting beat down after a few bad beats.

As played, I should have called the river even though I had the nut flush.

Stuff like that is why I lose more than I should during bad runs.

the option b and the c not always strong hands are the best you have to close your range but if you are already winning do not let them see more cards make them run

When I'm having a bad run, I usually take a break from poker --sometimes just a short break, like a few hours. Other times, several days off, just to shake off any bad feelings about poker, bad beats, etc. It almost always works like a charm. I come back fresh, with a positive attitude, and often get on a good run.

As someone else already cautioned, be careful playing the freerolls, as you can develop bad habits. Good luck!

Downswings are inevitable. I will typically take a few days or even weeks off from playing and spend that time studying. Watching videos, reading, going over hand histories, etc. I find I usually come back with a fresh mind and some new ideas. When you're playing poor;y and know it, walk away and invest more time studying your game.

Hey Jeff! When I'm running bad, I will back off from buy-ins and spend time studying the game more. Will use the freerolls to experiment with my game since there's no risk involved. It can help as long as you stick to your basic game don't become one of the bingo players seen so often in these games. This allows me to break from the money games but still get some hands in. Your option 3 is a good choice also. Can sometimes help to get a fresh set of eyes to notice things that you may be doing. Just make sure it's someone you know and trust. Wish you all the best on the tables!

Take some time off and come back fresh and focused to start playing again.

Option B: you need some rest from the poker. Then come back refreshed and look at the game from different angle.
The solution is always somewhere nearby.

Check in with how you are feeling and your emotions.

If you accept the loss as part of the game and are in a position to understand it for what it is, then I would say continue playing as long as you please. A little bit of frustration is fine.

If however you are experiencing negative emotions like sadness or anger best to give it a break until you can regain your perspective.

Thank you all for the input. Lots of great advice to think about. I have slowed down on how much I play. It makes it a little easier to see the good and bad.

I decrease volume, if it continues, I take a break from poker. Still continues - I cash out (sometimes it helps ), if not, then leave this room and play in others for a while.

jefrock21 said:

Ok, I've been playing pretty consistent poker over the last year. I rarely tilt and am able to accept variance and that things run their course.

The last 2 weeks have been really bad. I've been getting all in with the best hand 80% of the time either pre or post flop. The hands trailing seem to catch and I'm seeing my play get bad due to frustration of bad beats.

The step I have taken to fix is playing freerolls and no cash tourneys or games.

Is it better to

A. play freerolls and wait for the bad run to end.
B. take a week or two off from playing
C. talk to people that have watched me and see if their is a flaw I'm not seeing.

Thanks,

Jeff

Click to expand...

I would say probably all of the options will help but you just need to realize runs like this will happen whether you like it or not. Sometimes you will have runs where you can't miss hitting and other runs where you can't hit anything at all. The trick is realizing its just part of poker. If your profiting over time you just need to deal with it!