Tygran
Cardschat Elite
Silver Level
Some of you know I had a rough couple of months at the tables recently. Things are better but not back to where I want them.
I've made alot of mistakes which I've been able to analyze and hopefully correct a large amount of them.
But this isn't why I'm making the post. I've also had a pretty rough 4 month stretch from a physical/health standpoint. Since the start of the year without going into too much detail I've had a variety of things going on, just kinda one after the other. Thrown in there as well was an allergic reaction to a medication which getting over was far worse than what the medication was for in the first place (and I lost almost 40 pounds in the process). I've frequently been severely short on sleep for a variety of reasons.
Anyway, I'm a stubborn guy. I kept trying to maintain certain play levels and was arrogant enough to believe that I could maintain the same standard of play throughout. That I wouldn't succumb to bouts of tilt or anger or other emotion more easily because of all this. The real key here is being honest with yourself. It's really easy to say, ah I'm fine to play poker, when really you aren't. Need to be mentally sharp, all the time.
I could not have been more wrong. I know looking back that I've made a variety of really dumb plays that cost me a decent amount of my bankroll. And many of them if I'm being honest I have to say I know were badly incorrect but I did them anyway and that a large number of them I know I made in part because I didn't have the patience I normally do. Patience is the first thing that goes when you feel bad I think.
Anyway, I've learned a valuable lesson through all this. You do not ever *have* to play poker. I think alot of us think this and play because we have to, even when we shouldn't be. Setting monthly play requirements and making yourself play when you aren't 100% is not a good idea. And you don't even have to be sick, just a few hours short on sleep or stressed out from something that happened earlier in the day are reasons enough to play less. One thing I've done is to limit my session lengths lately and it's helped. I've also learned to be more willing to say "I'm not playing my best" and get up and log out. I've also learned that sometimes playing less tables is good. Or if I don't think I'm capable of mentally bringing my best game, one thing I've been doing lately is playing very low limit or smallish fixed limit omaha...great change of pace, I can't get myself in much trouble financially doing it, and it gives me the poker fix I need.
I'm rambling so I'll end it here with this, learn to pay attention to how you feel and what your mental state is. Everyone always says to do this, everyone knows to do this, but I imagine a very large percentage of the people who post here are in at least some way guilty of playing when they shouldn't at times.
I know alot of you are well aware of this but it's been eating at me and if I make one person think about it more than they did before the post was worth it.
I feel better getting that off my chest.
I've made alot of mistakes which I've been able to analyze and hopefully correct a large amount of them.
But this isn't why I'm making the post. I've also had a pretty rough 4 month stretch from a physical/health standpoint. Since the start of the year without going into too much detail I've had a variety of things going on, just kinda one after the other. Thrown in there as well was an allergic reaction to a medication which getting over was far worse than what the medication was for in the first place (and I lost almost 40 pounds in the process). I've frequently been severely short on sleep for a variety of reasons.
Anyway, I'm a stubborn guy. I kept trying to maintain certain play levels and was arrogant enough to believe that I could maintain the same standard of play throughout. That I wouldn't succumb to bouts of tilt or anger or other emotion more easily because of all this. The real key here is being honest with yourself. It's really easy to say, ah I'm fine to play poker, when really you aren't. Need to be mentally sharp, all the time.
I could not have been more wrong. I know looking back that I've made a variety of really dumb plays that cost me a decent amount of my bankroll. And many of them if I'm being honest I have to say I know were badly incorrect but I did them anyway and that a large number of them I know I made in part because I didn't have the patience I normally do. Patience is the first thing that goes when you feel bad I think.
Anyway, I've learned a valuable lesson through all this. You do not ever *have* to play poker. I think alot of us think this and play because we have to, even when we shouldn't be. Setting monthly play requirements and making yourself play when you aren't 100% is not a good idea. And you don't even have to be sick, just a few hours short on sleep or stressed out from something that happened earlier in the day are reasons enough to play less. One thing I've done is to limit my session lengths lately and it's helped. I've also learned to be more willing to say "I'm not playing my best" and get up and log out. I've also learned that sometimes playing less tables is good. Or if I don't think I'm capable of mentally bringing my best game, one thing I've been doing lately is playing very low limit or smallish fixed limit omaha...great change of pace, I can't get myself in much trouble financially doing it, and it gives me the poker fix I need.
I'm rambling so I'll end it here with this, learn to pay attention to how you feel and what your mental state is. Everyone always says to do this, everyone knows to do this, but I imagine a very large percentage of the people who post here are in at least some way guilty of playing when they shouldn't at times.
I know alot of you are well aware of this but it's been eating at me and if I make one person think about it more than they did before the post was worth it.
I feel better getting that off my chest.