Combating downswings

fishfood80

fishfood80

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What are some things you do to get through a downswing? Been having a severe downswing the last week and a half or so online. Just keep losing flips, bad beats, getting it in bad, etc. I normally just power through til I get to the other side of it. But seems like forever since i cashed in a tourney online. Any tips?
 
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Smart_Hand

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I would say maintain a healthy bankroll. (>500 abi)
Smaller field tournaments to get back on winning.
You are going to lose a lot more often than you are going to win; that’s the nature of poker tournaments.
If you start to feel a negative mindset coming on, you should stop registering take some time off tables, enjoy life and get back on grind.
Subscribe to training sites or take a coach to help your game.

GL
 
TheDude6622

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fishfood80 said:
What are some things you do to get through a downswing? Been having a severe downswing the last week and a half or so online. Just keep losing flips, bad beats, getting it in bad, etc. I normally just power through til I get to the other side of it. But seems like forever since i cashed in a tourney online. Any tips?
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Do anything in your power to get to happiness. You got to take a break, clear your mind, go outside, or meditate, just do anything to get out of the funk. Do not continue to play feeling like that. You will only make more mistakes when you play with that mindset.
 
Deedgee

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Well, they say that the first step toward dealing with a problem is recognizing the existence of a problem, and chasing losses is definitely a problem. I think there's a big difference between downswings in casino poker and online poker. When playing live poker, the physical toll, especially the lack of quality sleep that accrues over long playing periods, also conspires to feed downswings. But the rapid-fire pace of online poker can also be dangerous for a player who is desperate to get even.
 
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Anglermeister

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At such times, a break is the best I think. I do it the same way.

I then focus on my hobbies. I also go to the gym and or jogging. After a few days you will be full of energy again. :)
 
MrPokerVerse

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Losing flips and bad beats happen, it is just part of the game, regardless of it's frequency. Getting in bad though, might be part of frustration. If I'm making correct calls and not winning, I'll keep going. Making questionable calls or getting in bad is whole different matter.

I'll spend time going through hand history to look for those flips if they could be avoided and analysis those bad calls to see why those were made. Long bouts of variance can be tough and hard to handle. Coming to grips without getting to emotional will determine the direction it takes you. More you go through it, easier to accept as being part of the game. It is that way with all long term poker players, regardless of the skill level.
 
Killdalimper

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I still remember how I was when I first started playing poker. I'd lose a couple of buy-ins only to find myself tilting off my entire roll on nl50 hu cash games! :D
Nowadays I just close the software and do something else to keep my mind off of my losing session. Taking a break from the game indeed helps. Be it an hour , a day or a month!
Good luck.
 
TheDude6622

TheDude6622

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MrPokerVerse said:
Losing flips and bad beats happen, it is just part of the game, regardless of it's frequency. Getting in bad though, might be part of frustration. If I'm making correct calls and not winning, I'll keep going. Making questionable calls or getting in bad is whole different matter.

I'll spend time going through hand history to look for those flips if they could be avoided and analysis those bad calls to see why those were made. Long bouts of variance can be tough and hard to handle. Coming to grips without getting to emotional will determine the direction it takes you. More you go through it, easier to accept as being part of the game. It is that way with all long term poker players, regardless of the skill level.
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That is also very important. Realizing you played correctly is 90% of the battle. You just have to leave the table knowing you made the correct decision. Take notes on every aspect of the game and try to go back and figure out if you could have played a big hand differently.
 
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