The Mental Game (tilt control), loose passive games, etc.

[mbrenneman0]

There is this concept called inchworm. I feel like I shouldn't discuss anymore, because I will do a disservice to the author. It's a great book.

No, you would be advertising the book and therefore doing a service to the author by discussing it more. Based on what I've read so far, it is a very important building block for the rest of the book, but still makes up such a small part of the real value to the book.

also, Jared published a detailed explanation of the inchworm model on his website for free

 

[Beanfacekilla]

Just initial thought, I may or may not respond to this thread again in more detail later after work.

Here in this bullet, it sounds like you feel like you deserve to win because the other players are so bad. I think you should use the logic that because of varience, it is entirely possible and almost even common to have a losing session against a table full of bad fish even if you are playing your best game. If you catch yourself mentally labeling another another player as a fish, that should be a warning to you that you are at risk of this type of entitlement tilt.

This is such a great comment. I have been told the same by my mentors. Spot on.

I must learn to play better, tilt less.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

So entitlement tilt is a problem for me.


24. HJ ($878) J-J. We raise to $12, 1c in LP, SB (same guy from last hand, we have hours with this guy, he never ever thinks we have anything), ships for $34. Folds to us, we 4b to $112 to iso, other dude folds. Board runs out, dude has 8-8, he hits FH on river. We lose. (-$34)


So, I talked trash to the guy with 8-8. I couldn't help it, and I don't know what got into me. I haven't berated another player in a while.

I have been under quite a bit of stress, with this month's events. It was $34. I don't know why it got to me so bad. I guess I have quite a poker ego, and I need to calm down with that stuff. This particular guy just thinks for whatever reason I never have anything, even though I am like the world's biggest nit.


How do I work on these things? I usually don't go on tilt and spew like crazy. I didn't spew today. I have become rather good at playing level-headed for the most part. Sometimes though, I act like an entitled person. What is wrong with me? Is it my bi-polar? Is it stress from bad month?


I need to read "The Mental Game of Poker" again. Maybe that will help.



I welcome any/all suggestions.


Edit: Now I can't stop thinking about my trash talk. I am embarrassed. Next time I see the guy, I will apologize. I am going to lose sleep over this probably.

 

[mbrenneman0]

So entitlement tilt is a problem for me.


24. HJ ($878) J-J. We raise to $12, 1c in LP, SB (same guy from last hand, we have hours with this guy, he never ever thinks we have anything), ships for $34. Folds to us, we 4b to $112 to iso, other dude folds. Board runs out, dude has 8-8, he hits FH on river. We lose. (-$34)


So, I talked trash to the guy with 8-8. I couldn't help it, and I don't know what got into me. I haven't berated another player in a while.

I have been under quite a bit of stress, with this month's events. It was $34. I don't know why it got to me so bad. I guess I have quite a poker ego, and I need to calm down with that stuff. This particular guy just thinks for whatever reason I never have anything, even though I am like the world's biggest nit.


How do I work on these things? I usually don't go on tilt and spew like crazy. I didn't spew today. I have become rather good at playing level-headed for the most part. Sometimes though, I act like an entitled person. What is wrong with me? Is it my bi-polar? Is it stress from bad month?


I need to read "The Mental Game of Poker" again. Maybe that will help.



I welcome any/all suggestions.


Edit: Now I can't stop thinking about my trash talk. I am embarrassed. Next time I see the guy, I will apologize. I am going to lose sleep over this probably.

Apologize definitely, but don't lose sleep over it, it's part of poker.

Im just finishing chapter 4 of the book, so its fresh in my mind (i would be further but i've been busy lately) Jared describes the adult learning model, which is an equally important building block for the book in my opinion, and he builds his for developing a mental game based on the adult learning model. Basically, you want to start by recognizing that you have a certain problem, then you can think about why you are having that problem, and what triggers it, then when you learn what triggers it, you have to inject logic into the situation when you recognize those triggers. As the inchworm model suggests you're not going to play your poker A game all the time, and in the same sense, you're not going to play your mental A game all the time, so dont put too much pressure to always play your best, just try to make your C game a little better, and youll see that translate into a better A game. Start by just trying to recognize during the moment when you feel that way rather than only recognizing it well after it happened.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

Apologize definitely, but don't lose sleep over it, it's part of poker.

Im just finishing chapter 4 of the book, so its fresh in my mind (i would be further but i've been busy lately) Jared describes the adult learning model, which is an equally important building block for the book in my opinion, and he builds his for developing a mental game based on the adult learning model. Basically, you want to start by recognizing that you have a certain problem, then you can think about why you are having that problem, and what triggers it, then when you learn what triggers it, you have to inject logic into the situation when you recognize those triggers. As the inchworm model suggests you're not going to play your poker A game all the time, and in the same sense, you're not going to play your mental A game all the time, so dont put too much pressure to always play your best, just try to make your C game a little better, and youll see that translate into a better A game. Start by just trying to recognize during the moment when you feel that way rather than only recognizing it well after it happened.

Thanks for the thoughts and comments.



Nowadays, I am able to identify tilt almost immediately at the table, in real time. A month or two ago, I would make blunders, and that's how I knew I was tilting (and/or game slipping). In the past few weeks, I have been able to recognize tilt quickly, and keep it at bay, for the most part...


I will just take a walk, or just simply force myself to play nothing less than primo hands, LDP (lock down poker) until I can get my emotions back in check (this is only if tilt is just setting in, while I can manage it on the table).

No one would even notice, but I am really going through a mental roller coaster sometimes at the table. I am good at controlling it, but I need to solve the problem, not manage it, if possible.


But I do get very irritated at the table with opponents. Sometimes, that smug look after they just suck out or something, I just wanna slap em.


I really have to get to the root of this issue. I can't be trash talking at poker tables, thinking of slapping people (I'm not violent at all, just imagination), etc.


Just writing this seems helpful to me. Maybe I'll do more of that.

 

[mbrenneman0]

EDIT:
just saw your last post, remember, you shouldn't be trying to control tilt. Tilt is not the cause of your problems. tilt is the symptom of a deeper problem, trying to control it is just deceiving yourself, which leads to another kind of tilt. when you tilt, don't think about how to hold it down, acknowledge and accept that you are tilted, and know that this acknowledgement is a good thing because it allows you to help identify the real problem. And the real problem is logical flaws in the way you think about the game of poker, that lead to tilt when reality defies your faulty logic.

Do you win when you play "LDP"?

 

[Beanfacekilla]

Jared Tendler Talks About Concentration and Focus in Poker - YouTube


EDIT:
just saw your last post, remember, you shouldn't be trying to control tilt. Tilt is not the cause of your problems. tilt is the symptom of a deeper problem, trying to control it is just deceiving yourself, which leads to another kind of tilt. when you tilt, don't think about how to hold it down, acknowledge and accept that you are tilted, and know that this acknowledgement is a good thing because it allows you to help identify the real problem. And the real problem is logical flaws in the way you think about the game of poker, that lead to tilt when reality defies your faulty logic.

Do you win when you play "LDP"?

LDP is the easiest way to win. It's ultra low variance, and there is always a few at the table who are oblivious to how tight I'm playing. $1/$2 can be beat for an ok rate just playing ABC, straightforward poker.

LDP is just tight ABC poker. Let the game come to you. Don't try and force anything. Just sit back, make value hands, and bet them. The only thing you need is patience and discipline.


Now I'm gonna check out this vido you posted.

 

[TimovieMan]

What does "lock down poker" or LDP entail?


@ BFK: how important is the money to you, and what kind of BRM system you use?

If you can distance yourself from the importance of the money, and have a nitty BRM-system that'll let you play indefinitely regardless of what happens, then an "It's just poker, it's not important." attitude will go a long way to reduce tilt as well...

 

[Beanfacekilla]

What does "lock down poker" or LDP entail?


@ BFK: how important is the money to you, and what kind of BRM system you use?

If you can distance yourself from the importance of the money, and have a nitty BRM-system that'll let you play indefinitely regardless of what happens, then an "It's just poker, it's not important." attitude will go a long way to reduce tilt as well...

Nitty BRM for sure. Not going broke anytime soon.


I would never usually care about losing $34 to a SS. I was very surprised it got to me so bad. That's why I thought it was relevant to post ITT.

Plus, I am just coming out of a nasty downswing (about 1500-2k). Break even month/slightly down for June. So I am grouchy I guess.


This entire thread is an honest list of my mental game problems. Do I have these problems every day? No. When I run bad, and have long stretches of cold cards/bad variance, I accumulate emotions.


LDP is a term coined by (I believe) Phil Laak.

I think of it like this... we are not gonna spew, we are not gambling, we are just trying to avoid giving any chips away. We just play conservative.

This doesn't mean we play fit or fold postflop. We don't roll over and let people run us over. We just play really good cards. No light 3b, no floating (without equity of some sort), no high variance plays. Let the game come to you.

This is what I would do if I start to realize I am getting frustrated, antsy, tilty, etc. I would do this, until I feel better. I try not to get up too often in good games.


I am really hard on myself. I want to eliminate tilt issues. I take them very seriously, because tilting even a little is terrible for a full time poker player. I have made huge improvement to my mental game. This is an attempt to continue to improve.

 

[vassiriki]

I haven't made any mistakes yet today. I'm gonna try and keep it that way.

this statement is crucial imho. you're afraid to make mistakes and when you do, you get angry because you're punished by losing money. i believe you should try to learn what poker really is instead of gambling. you should try to learn what to expect when. we've all been through such difficult positions but you get through if you blame yourself for your mistakes and control yourself. don't be afraid to make mistakes, but just see them as a learning material when things go bad

 

[Dorugremon]

What does "lock down poker" or LDP entail?

Nit it up. Sometimes, it's the best way to play. If you get a vill like the one I had two nights ago, on the passive side, a real calling station who would never get out with any piece of the board, or any pocket pair, then this becomes basic: play just the good hands, forget about stealing, when he calls your c-bet, you don't put another cent in the pot. It seems exploitable as hell, but these players don't exploit, like, ever. They don't even seem to notice what's going on.

The yutz decided he would take me on HU after a game broke where I just couldn't get anything going. Even HU, I ran card dead as can be. After an hour of back and forth, I pop OTB with A9-o, flop 9,9,2 and GII on the turn. He paid off like an ATM, and made that session. After I clipped him for anther few BBs, he finally realized he was the worst player taking on the best player, and saving the rest of the stack he luck boxed (he had a 380BB win after starting short I got half of it) would be a real good idea. It was the smartest move he made that night.

 

[John A]

So one of my favorite free videos I like sharing is this on from Jared Tendler. It's in leak buster, but I really liked some of the points and posted it up on youtube. I particularly like how he talks about entitlement tilt. I think this is a common form of tilt for most people (just reading any forum). Any ways, highly recommend watching:

 

[Beanfacekilla]

@ John A.

Thanks for posting that video. I can really relate to alot of the things he talks about in it. It also helps me to realize how far I've come with my mental game.



So right now, my motivation is very low again. I am struggling to put in volume. I just can't seem to break free from run bad. Last month was slight loser, this month is already off to a crappy start. My opponents just don't seem to ever miss... whatever.


I don't know how to shed the accumulated emotion from run bad. I can't just take time off every other day. I don't go on raging monkey tilt, and spew chips. The problem is, I just feel very negative about poker right now. I just think to myself "what's the point of playing? I can't even hold in 70-30 or better spots?"


The only way I will overcome this is to put in volume. It will correct itself eventually (who knows when).

Poker is pretty tough sometimes.

 

[Dorugremon]

So what would you suggest on a table where 8 villains will call $19 opens?

Edit: my notes are from real time, but CO and BTN called also, I just didn't note that.

There are a couple of options: you can raise higher, find that tipping point where they won't call. That can be damned expensive, though, and there are no guarantees these fish won't still run you down, or that they won't keep comin' on when you do miss.

The other choice is to apply your best FLHE strategy. This game, like FLHE, is going multi-way to the flop a lot. Therefore, you need big cards most of the time to flop hands with staying power. OESD, NFD, sets and top pairs with strong redraws. One advantage NL has here is that you can bet big when you do connect. Fishy players like this are also likely to pay you off.

If you open for $19 and still get 8-way action, then you might as well limp: they're gonna come in anyway, so save the extra $$$$. It's a lot cheaper when you miss and have to fold bad flops. In FLHE play, open limping isn't the "sin" that it is in no-limit, and for this reason. In FLHE, you don't have the fold equity that you do in no-limit since your opponents always know how much a hand is going to cost them, whereas they never know in NL play. Once that fold equity goes away, then it's much like FL play.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

There are a couple of options: you can raise higher, find that tipping point where they won't call. That can be damned expensive, though, and there are no guarantees these fish won't still run you down, or that they won't keep comin' on when you do miss.

The other choice is to apply your best FLHE strategy. This game, like FLHE, is going multi-way to the flop a lot. Therefore, you need big cards most of the time to flop hands with staying power. OESD, NFD, sets and top pairs with strong redraws. One advantage NL has here is that you can bet big when you do connect. Fishy players like this are also likely to pay you off.

If you open for $19 and still get 8-way action, then you might as well limp: they're gonna come in anyway, so save the extra $$$$. It's a lot cheaper when you miss and have to fold bad flops. In FLHE play, open limping isn't the "sin" that it is in no-limit, and for this reason. In FLHE, you don't have the fold equity that you do in no-limit since your opponents always know how much a hand is going to cost them, whereas they never know in NL play. Once that fold equity goes away, then it's much like FL play.

Thanks for posting this. I like it.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

20. BTN ($265ish?) A-A. Limpers, loose dude in CO raises to $5, we 3b to $25, 3 or 4c. Flop 5-6-8r. UTG donks for $45, all fold to me, we call and close. Turn 2. UTG checks. He has about $70 back, we shove, dude calls it off. River K. We roll, UTG rolls KK FTW.


This is what I'm talking about. What can I do? No matter what I have, they win....


This is really making it hard to play. At some point, I'd think I could hold 95% fav.

 

[MinhANguyen]

Yeah, I know how you feel. I've lost a lot of all-in pres with AA/KK vs retarded hands like J10dd/98hh the past few weeks. Or playing hands really tricky and getting sucked out on OTR by runner runner hearts after putting the money in really good (AA vs KhQx).

Not much we can really do but put in more volume and hope that our runbad stops. I had 8/10 winning sessions before this week and a 36BI upswing at 100NL, and for the past 6-7 sessions I only won about 2. Went on a 9BI downswing, but recovered some of it back today. Coolered and set-up all the time... One pretty ridiculous hand yesterday where I was 130bb deep, raised UTG with 77, and got min 3-bet by BTN. Flop a set on A75cc I check-call, turn 6c I check-call a large bet, river 5c he overbet shoves I call it off and see 34cc for a straight flush. I mean if he had AA then good for him, but seriously? Min 3-betting UTG with 4 high?? Yeah, of course the 5c comes on the river. Any other card and I stack him, or I fold. Also losing flips over and over, and can't hold a lot when im all-in with 70%+. Poker is a cruel game, and there's not too much we can do about it unfortunately .

Do you ever plan on moving up? What's your BR like? You've been playing for quite some time.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

Yeah, I know how you feel. I've lost a lot of all-in pres with AA/KK vs retarded hands like J10dd/98hh the past few weeks. Or playing hands really tricky and getting sucked out on OTR by runner runner hearts after putting the money in really good (AA vs KhQx).

Not much we can really do but put in more volume and hope that our runbad stops. I had 8/10 winning sessions before this week and a 36BI upswing at 100NL, and for the past 6-7 sessions I only won about 2. Went on a 9BI downswing, but recovered some of it back today. Coolered and set-up all the time... One pretty ridiculous hand yesterday where I was 130bb deep, raised UTG with 77, and got min 3-bet by BTN. Flop a set on A75cc I check-call, turn 6c I check-call a large bet, river 5c he overbet shoves I call it off and see 34cc for a straight flush. I mean if he had AA then good for him, but seriously? Min 3-betting UTG with 4 high?? Yeah, of course the 5c comes on the river. Any other card and I stack him, or I fold. Also losing flips over and over, and can't hold a lot when im all-in with 70%+. Poker is a cruel game, and there's not too much we can do about it unfortunately .

Do you ever plan on moving up? What's your BR like? You've been playing for quite some time.

I guess we all go through it.

That's a pretty sick beat with 7-7.


As for moving up, maybe in a couple months or so. Not ready yet. Need to at least pull through this downswing, and get back on track. Downswings are pretty tough, and I need to build mental muscle to handle them better. Downswingz will be much more costly at higher stakes.

bankroll isn't in danger. I would like to keep it that way.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

Table was crappy, a couple seats open for a while. I went to dinner, and came back. Table had a couple new guys, and they had some loot. I thought I'd stay a while and try to make some $$.

The villain from this hand, I know from some sessions. He is pretty loose, stationy, in general, he is a bad player. Rarely plays with a full stack, and plays the shorter stacks really bad. So, I have a fair amount of knowledge about him. We do respect one another. He is really nice




15. UTG, 5-handed ($305) 5s-4s. We raise to $10, 3c (SB, BB, and BTN). Flop Ks-8c-3s. Blinds check. We bet $25, BTN calls. Turn 7s. We bet $50, dude asks me if we hit flush, we say nothing. He asks if we want a call, I nod. River Ad. We bet $50 (dude probably has about $75, and I have seen him make calls and be wrong, and leave himself very short after), trying to get value from Kx and 2p with Ax (like As-Xx) He asks again, do I want a call, I nod. He calls. We roll, he has 9-high flush, we lose. (-$137)


Thunder clap after he shows down. I hate thunder claps. FML.


This didn't tilt me, just a little depressing. I don't like playing short handed. I went to MGM today, but I usually go to Motor City Casino. The tables weren't very good all night. I wish I would have went to MC, because I could still be playing, instead of leaving the 7-handed meh game.

Session -$34. 5 or 6 hours.

In general, missed setmines, missed flops multiple times with A-K, A-Q, K-Q, and some other hands I can't recall. Sometimes, I cbet bluffed, and it got through. Other times, we can't cbet bluff, check/give up.



This hand was almost a call, but I thought better of it....


The dynamic I am referring to between this V and I: I was messing with him a little, he was smiling and taking it well. I was saying "yo, you can't leave yet, I need to double through you sir". He was showing bluffs frequently, and him aND I were just kinda joking with each-other.

He seemed competent, and like he thought on a higher level than most of the other droolers I usually sit with.

I almost leveled myself into calling, but I kept coming back to K-J. That was my first instinct, right when he shoved. I ended up just laying it down. We can't be good. I felt it.




9. MP ($427) Kc-Qc. We raise to $12, 2c. Flop Kd-8d-4c. We bet $22, LP calls. Turn 5s. We bet $50, dude calls again. River Jc. We check (might be calling any reasonable river bet), dude shoves for like $260ish. We tank forever. There is a dynamic between him and I. I finally make the fold. I feel like he has A-K or K-J. If he has missed diamonds, NH sir. He has been showing bluffs, and he mucks this time. (-$84)

Edit: he looked cool as a cucumber when I was tanking. He seemed comfortable. Either he has a reckless disregard for mone (sorta like me), or he is not bluffing, ever.

 

[mbrenneman0]

Table was crappy, a couple seats open for a while. I went to dinner, and came back. Table had a couple new guys, and they had some loot. I thought I'd stay a while and try to make some $$.

The villain from this hand, I know from some sessions. He is pretty loose, stationy, in general, he is a bad player. Rarely plays with a full stack, and plays the shorter stacks really bad. So, I have a fair amount of knowledge about him. We do respect one another. He is really nice




15. UTG, 5-handed ($305) 5s-4s. We raise to $10, 3c (SB, BB, and BTN). Flop Ks-8c-3s. Blinds check. We bet $25, BTN calls. Turn 7s. We bet $50, dude asks me if we hit flush, we say nothing. He asks if we want a call, I nod. River Ad. We bet $50 (dude probably has about $75, and I have seen him make calls and be wrong, and leave himself very short after), trying to get value from Kx and 2p with Ax (like As-Xx) He asks again, do I want a call, I nod. He calls. We roll, he has 9-high flush, we lose. (-$137)


Thunder clap after he shows down. I hate thunder claps. FML.


This didn't tilt me, just a little depressing. I don't like playing short handed. I went to MGM today, but I usually go to Motor City Casino. The tables weren't very good all night. I wish I would have went to MC, because I could still be playing, instead of leaving the 7-handed meh game.

Session -$34. 5 or 6 hours.

In general, missed setmines, missed flops multiple times with A-K, A-Q, K-Q, and some other hands I can't recall. Sometimes, I cbet bluffed, and it got through. Other times, we can't cbet bluff, check/give up.



This hand was almost a call, but I thought better of it....


The dynamic I am referring to between this V and I: I was messing with him a little, he was smiling and taking it well. I was saying "yo, you can't leave yet, I need to double through you sir". He was showing bluffs frequently, and him aND I were just kinda joking with each-other.

He seemed competent, and like he thought on a higher level than most of the other droolers I usually sit with.

I almost leveled myself into calling, but I kept coming back to K-J. That was my first instinct, right when he shoved. I ended up just laying it down. We can't be good. I felt it.




9. MP ($427) Kc-Qc. We raise to $12, 2c. Flop Kd-8d-4c. We bet $22, LP calls. Turn 5s. We bet $50, dude calls again. River Jc. We check (might be calling any reasonable river bet), dude shoves for like $260ish. We tank forever. There is a dynamic between him and I. I finally make the fold. I feel like he has A-K or K-J. If he has missed diamonds, NH sir. He has been showing bluffs, and he mucks this time. (-$84)

Edit: he looked cool as a cucumber when I was tanking. He seemed comfortable. Either he has a reckless disregard for mone (sorta like me), or he is not bluffing, ever.

How do you feel about your mental game lately? sounds like you're pretty level.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

How do you feel about your mental game lately? sounds like you're pretty level.

Much better.


Strangely, what really tilts me is making mistakes. For example, if I called with K-Q hand, and he shows K-J, I would be very very upset with myself.

I think a bad/inexperienced player might immediately look at things differently. They make the river call, dude rolls K-J.

They go crazy, bitching how lucky he got, "how can I lose to K-J here, 3 outer??!!!!"" they might ask... They might even tell themselves he sucked out, they just got really unlucky.

However, all of that would be lies constructed to protect their own ego. Many players would fail to realize they made a mistake. Yes, the villain made a mistake too, calling two streets with an inferior hand. But they played the river well. They swung for that fence, and hit it out of the park. They got a call from someone with only a pair of kings. Mission accomplished.





So, when I play well, I usually feel good. It does suck to lose, and it can be very tough when running bad. However, if I ever manage to play a mistake free session, it will be a good day.



In response to your question though, I have been working on tilt for a long time. I do tilt sometimes, but generally not too much. If I make mistakes, it's usually past 5 or 6 hour mark in the session. But I don't think you would ever see me just spewing off chips, tilt raising, going berserk after a bad beat. I just don't do that.

If I make a mistake, it's usually mental fatigue, optimistic hand ranging, making a bad call/read. I feel sometimes i just make a bad read (always late in session, or when tired). I don't do too much of that either. I've been trying to stay aware of my game after 4 hours. I just think about it, how am I playing. How do I feel? Sometimes, you can feel your game slipping.

Frustration, irritability, hot head, boredom, not paying attention, etc can tip me off that I need to straighten up, or stop playing.

I have become pretty good at recognizing signs of tilt coming. I simply can't allow myself to give away chips. I am trying to exploit others who do this.




My tilt is usually internal. I steam inside, sometimes with short lived seething hatred for the villain who just sucked out so horribly. But, I just take a walk, sort it out, and try to get back in there. If I get really upset, and I know I won't be able to make good decisions, lunch break, or even end session if need be. I'll do what I have to do. I'm not giving anything away if I can help it.

 

[Broon1234]

Stop cbeting stop semi bluffing and just bet for value. Lose some preloaded preflop ev by raising more conservatively to allow yourself to leverage your skill edge postflop

 

[Samsamsonite]

mental game

me personally, it was card selection and showing all my bluffs(stopped that, big difference. for online games,I'll just say this: I went from $40 to $9000 on full tilt in two months. I tried several sites absurd as I write this I went all in w QQ guy called w A10 hearts. guess what came down. nobody loses a flush or a straight chase on me(allin only situations?!!) on all these sites. went to live casino 3 straight winning sessions. seriously thinking stopping online poker. sorry for rant.

 

[Beanfacekilla]

me personally, it was card selection and showing all my bluffs(stopped that, big difference. for online games,I'll just say this: I went from $40 to $9000 on full tilt in two months. I tried several sites absurd as I write this I went all in w QQ guy called w A10 hearts. guess what came down. nobody loses a flush or a straight chase on me(allin only situations?!!) on all these sites. went to live casino 3 straight winning missions. seriously thinking stopping online poker. sorry for rant.

If you decide to play live more, I would never show cards unless you must show them.


Live is slow. It takes discipline to play well. Patience.



Live is better though, IMO. Online poker doesn't even feel real to me. And the players are awful, that's the best part.


As for QQ vs A-10.... tough beat. What can you do? About 30% you lose. Just brush it off and keep playing. Hopefully, another 70/30+ spot is right around the corner.

 

[vassiriki]

from my personal experience, i've learned that i might still lose even if i make the correct play all along the way and i had the best hand till river. it's part of life and poker as well.

as a beginner, i really got pissed very much of losing, it didn't matter if i had the best or the worst hand, i was always pissed of losing pots and money. but as i learned more about the game and understand the possibilities, my game got better and i won money and also i was way more less pissed of losing a hand. still, i always blame myself if i lose a pot if i made a bad play. for the ones that i played good and got unlucky, i think it's ok because i know in the long run if i play good i will win more. so one should only concentrate on being a better player. it's actually that simple!