Tips for losing well

[GreenDaddy1]

I'm terrible at losing at poker. My discipline goes out the window and I totally lose control of my emotions. Anyone been in this position for a long time repeating the same crap over and over, and eventually managed to get to a point where they are ok with losing and don't throw their toys out of the pram every time they run into a horrible session of bad beats? What was it that managed to turn things around for you? How do sit there and smile while getting destroyed 5 or 6 times within an hour by crazy suck outs that wipe out a few days of hard grinding? I just can't find that happy place when the dung hits the fan.

 

[perrywh]

I say: Show me someone that don’t mind losing and I will show you a loser!

 

[deadguy2]

The one thing I am good at is losing. For me I just brush it off and go buy a new mouse.

 

[GreenDaddy1]

Just feel so sickened. Half my account balance gone within hours and cant win to save my life and hours of grinding flushed. Second guessing everything. Making almost no money when i do have it, losing way too much when i dont. Just makes me sick that i could have not logged on and been so much better off. That same old story when the downswing hits, i cant handle it. Maybe the first 4-5 buy ins were bad luck, but the next 5 were just bloody bad play. Getting in too loose and then getting run over, calling off with second best like an idiot. Despairing when folding and seeing people showing up with junk i had beat, losing my mind when my AA and KK get folded to pre every time. Absolutely shattered and upset at myself for getting suckered in yet again.

I find myself dealing with this sort of blow up every couple of months. Blew a $100 bankroll on Boxing Day after running bad and then just losing my mind. Two other times similar has happened this year. And now again today.


One of two things happens when I hit this point, either I punt the rest off in anger or I just withdraw what is rest and lament that I don't have the mental game for the downswings, best I take the withdraw option today I think while I have regained momentary control. Building up from freerolls etc again and see how far i get before the next mental explosion. Sad but true.

Just does my head in. Suppose it just shows how much control is needed to play well, and how easily we can slip into playing disgracefully, and how quickly the money disappears when we do. To spend so much time studying and playing to have it eclipsed through having such a poor response when things are going badly, just seems like a waste of time and energy. Wish I did not love the damn game so much and could let it go. These episodes destroy any faith I have in my ability to be a long term winner.

Seriously if any decent cash game players have suffered through this sort of crap and come out the other side of it would love to hear how you did. I am no poker genius but minus these insane mental blow ups I have a decent win rate at micro stakes, it seems a shame to be giving most of it back on the off days. I have some ideas of the typical stuff I should be doing to have a better mental game, but I seem incapable of actioning any of it or having the discipline to follow through.

 

[JohnnyCash22]

Look, man, loses happen. I've had games where I'd get cleaned out an hour in. It's all about how you address the loss. My thing is to look at loses as a learning experience. Since I'm a trader during the day, I've drawn a parallel between losing a game of poker and opening a bad position in the market.

When we make bad calls as traders, we call that "paying the tuition". Every loss you suffer in poker is just you paying the tuition and learning a lesson. Business insider did a great piece on losing, which should resonate well with competitive poker players. Check it out, https://www.businessinsider.com/6-lessons-from-losing-2012-12

 

[GreenDaddy1]

Roger that, will check it out thanks

 

[Zapahlohotrona]

Do as I do. Delete the client and forget about poker forever.

 

[Candyman0007]

I just laugh me head of win or lose

 

[WickedFRoST]

I always had this problem. I started playing poker as a cash game player like 12-13 years ago.

All and all, I am quite good in the game, I know how to play, have developed a solid strategy over the years, and probably could have made a lot of money. BUT!

Whenever I faced a series of bad beats, I just could not help it. I always get tilted, and go on splashing. I've had numerous sessions where I would lose 3-4 months worth winnings in one session, just because of a single tilt.

I tried to handle my emotions, read books on mental state management, anger management etc. It did not help. I am still easily tilted in cash games occasionally.

This is why I switched to tournaments. And believe it or not, I have not had a single tilt in tournament sessions. No a single one, despite the higher variance, I seem to keep my calm in any situation. Its weird but it really helped me.

I can still play a cash game session from time to time, and guess what, sometimes I go on tilt)))) So switching to tournaments was the best thing for me. I do not think it will work with everyone, but who knows, maybe you should try it as well.

Good luck, stay calm, and keep crushing

 

[MakTrue]

I'm terrible at losing at poker. My discipline goes out the window and I totally lose control of my emotions. Anyone been in this position for a long time repeating the same crap over and over, and eventually managed to get to a point where they are ok with losing and don't throw their toys out of the pram every time they run into a horrible session of bad beats? What was it that managed to turn things around for you? How do sit there and smile while getting destroyed 5 or 6 times within an hour by crazy suck outs that wipe out a few days of hard grinding? I just can't find that happy place when the dung hits the fan.

Good day!
Sometimes you need to rest from the game. When you realize that you are unstable and start doing stupid things, it is better to rest.
Distance will return everything if you play well, play by your bankroll and develop.
Good luck at the tables!

 

[zerosalex]

It's about luck. if you are getting bad luck you are throwing bad energy out into the world and its coming back to you. change your luck by changing your ways and helping out people, good luck will eventually come back your way. I always said to enjoy poker you must have certain qualities. Good luck by being a good person. patience. discipline, self control of emotions. if you don't have all those than it will be a tough road and maybe a short one. if i'm having bad luck then I play low low stakes even free chips so that I wont lose much or anything and still get to play. If I don't feel like playing then I wont play and will wait for another day when I do feel like playing instead of being impatient and such. I don't like loosing that's why I fold a lot. also if I make a mistake I learn from it and try not to do similar mistakes and evolve from that. soon you wont be making as many mistakes and you wont have a reason to be okay with loosing.

 

[Syltan]

Unfortunately, this is an inevitable side of poker, all that remains is to endure and grind.

 

[Sergei 9417]

I'm terrible at losing at poker. My discipline goes out the window and I totally lose control of my emotions. Anyone been in this position for a long time repeating the same crap over and over, and eventually managed to get to a point where they are ok with losing and don't throw their toys out of the pram every time they run into a horrible session of bad beats? What was it that managed to turn things around for you? How do sit there and smile while getting destroyed 5 or 6 times within an hour by crazy suck outs that wipe out a few days of hard grinding? I just can't find that happy place when the dung hits the fan.

There are many consoling tips, but I will not give them, because when I start losing I forget about them, yesterday I lost five times with KK and could not stop.