Define what a downswing is to you

[zingbust]

are you a multi-table tournament player? If so, please tell us, what a downswing is to you...I'm interested to know if anyone ever goes on a downswing the likes of which you never ever thought possible given what you've seen your opponents do.

For me personally, I'm not really on a downswing, because I am gaining ground overall, but VERY VERY slowly, and the one site that would keep me in business is the one I can't win on. For me "keeping in business" means to have enough tourneys in a day to be playing 4 or 5 tables at a time, maybe twice a day and total about 20 tourneys a day, a very modest goal considering some of you play more like 30-40 tourneys a day and 50 on Sunday.

 

[BomTombadil]

One thing that can be helpful is to look back at your hand histories and calculate your Skalansky (sp?) bucks. To do this look at the big pots you've played and calculate the equity you had vs your opponent at the time the money went in. This will give you a good idea if you've been running ahead or behind expectation.
Also, just generally looking back at the decisions you made and trying to find spots that you think you could have played better is a great way to improve your game.

 

[bkniefel]

a downswing is pretty simple to define really; its a major loss in your bankroll over a specific about of time.

the time is how many tournaments/ring games/sngs you've played with the bankroll you had and how long you have been losing.

that is really up to how much money you have and how much you are willing to lose over however many tournaments that you normally play.

ive heard of people going on 40-60 tournament downswings and then finally nailing one to make up for all of them.

to me their rough and stressful, but i see a lot of friends go through it.

 

[zingbust]

ive heard of people going on 40-60 tournament downswings and then finally nailing one to make up for all of them.

Did you mean 40-60 tournament cashless streak or did you mean 40-60 tournaments in the negative???

 

[scorpion1367]

A 40 to 60 cashless streak in tourneys would be considered a negative.....scorp

 

[zingbust]

A 40 to 60 cashless streak in tourneys would be considered a negative.....scorp

That's quite true...Also a 40-60 game downswing to bk might have meant 40-60 games in the negative while cashing sometimes... I want him to clarify what he meant.

 

[sleepymike]

I consider it a downswing when my BR guidelines indicate I need to drop my tourney entry range, or number of tourneys I'm willing to play at one time.

 

[cotta777]

a combination of bad decisions and variance can be devastating. This month I have played alot of mtts I have been playing for 4 or 5 hours sometimes.

and finishing with nothing I bubbled after 4 hours today KK into AA the only stack at the table that had me covered.

every time ive come close to good money ive ran into a cooler. when ive played for meaningless money Ive run like jesus

seems the story of my life lately. Big money tournaments I just dont get spots when I do I walk into AA

 

[LukeSilver]

its all relative for me a $30 downswing can be a huge deal if I only have $100 in my account and can send me berserk. often people have thought I had lost thousands when I literally lost only $10 its all relative to the roll. ive had over $10000 online before had to cash out after the black Friday scare then wasted it lol, and at that point I wouldn't have battered an eye lid if I lost $200, I doubt ivey would cry if he finished a week $700 down im pretty sure a reg making $500 a week would be sick. its all relative to your position recently I deposited $50 on a new site and turned it into 130 and I am now down $86 to say that I am incandescent with rage would be an understatement think I need to take a few hours out before I go back to it.

 

[pgzn]

Playing freerolls, in hopes of making $1 with 36 hours work would be what I consider to be a downswing.

 

[Poker Orifice]

Losing in crucial spots frequently for a stretch of time... whilst getting villain to make absolutely biggest mistakes/worst plays possible.

seriously though.... it's standard for tournament play. Donks can win! That's why tournaments are great to play, lol (the donks keep comin' back for more & tables are infested with them!).
I just haven't figured out what I am yet..... unfortunate or the donk?

I used to 'friend' & 'follow' a few tourney regs. online (& in forums) as I found it to be very beneficial for my game (aside from everything else.. training sites, books, HH's, forums, articles, etc. etc.). I've witnessed some of them have some pretty long stretches of very dismal results but knowing they are VERY GOOD players & having played 10's of thousands of tournaments. (ie. down 100's of buyins (< avg. bi.)).
No doubt it can be painful to play donkaments.... til' you once again finally bink a decent enough score to bring the bankroll back up... in hopes of hitting another one... 'soon'!

 

[rock0001]

downswing is a subjective term, you cannot describe a downswing based only on your money loses, however every significant amount of cash which make you play on lower stakes mtt or cash games should be considered a downswing in my opinion. for example in case you started with a 200 dollar bankroll and you lose half of it, to prevent getting broke you should start playing in lower limits. Downswings means a period in which your loses start to affect you both mentally and economically, and you need to reevaluate your style of play, how many mistakes you have made and try to correct them on the future. If you are playing well and you are just having a bad run you need to keep focusing on the game, leaving the seasons after getting tilted, and the most important thing is to lower stakes you play in order to preserve your bankroll.

 

[starting_at_the_bottom]

It could be any deviation below equal VE. Just as upswing could be any deviation above equal VE.

Even though variance from expectancy is objective, the point at where it becomes considered as a "downswing" is totally subjective.

I dont really use the term or consider my swings in much detail, so cant really answer beyond that.

 

[Arjonius]

Even though variance from expectancy is objective, the point at where it becomes considered as a "downswing" is totally subjective.

I agree. What's more, my personal threshold for a downswing isn't fixed. Sometimes, I feel like I'm in a downswing after only a few games whereas at other times, that feeling is considerably slower to come on.

 

[bkniefel]

A 40 to 60 cashless streak in tourneys would be considered a negative.....scorp

i meant a friend of mine has taken 40-60 tournament downswings.. which is crazy to me but, thats what he said. he eventually nailed like 3 in a row and cashed in the top 3.. so he came back and went on to the series.

 

[besplatnee]

Downswing (negative session). The best advice for any player going through another negative session is to remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long it lasts. Eventually, the card will start coming in, you will start winning more coins, and your bankroll will start to improve.