running bad

[thunder1276]

How should you deal with going card dead when you are playing. Should you tighten up and wait for a better than average playable hand to play or should you start to loosen up a bit and hope to hit with more suited connectors and pocket pairs? I had a session the other night where I got maybe one or two playable hands in the last 60 hands, neither of which I won. At what point do you give up and switch tables

 

[KINGSIN]

Switch if your getting a negative vibe. Your opp probably realize you havent played in awhile, and wont mess with you when you come in. Going card dead just happens, dont sweat it, stay the course, and your get some playable hands. Dont let your cards dictate how loose or tight you play, let the table do that, tight table= play loose, make steels, etc. Table loose, play tight, lay traps, etc. GL

 

[OzExorcist]

You give up and switch tables if your table is bad, not if your cards are bad. If you're card dead all you should be doing is waiting it out and sticking to your regular game plan - steal when you'd normally steal, fold when you'd normally fold, speculate when you'd normally speculate. Changing tables won't make any difference to the cards you're getting.

 

[intiekkeko]

Patience Patience Patience

as only cash games allow you the oppertunity you must be able to keep your focus and wait for the right moment

you cant just switch tables if your card dead in the wsop

inti

 

[TheUndesirable]

There isn't really a solution to being card dead. You just have to be patience and wait for a decent hand. I think the worst thing you could do is to start playing trash hands out of frustration. Just be patience and the premium hands will come.

 

[JMcCabe]

You can also spend the time focussing on your opponents and not your hands. When you're card dead, it's an excellent opportunity to sit back and analyse the play of other to search for their weaknesses, so you can exploit them later.

 

[ongkie]

just play tight and wait for top 10 hands and then play aggressively when you do get the hand.

 

[Leo 50]

Spend the time observing the rest of the table, while waiting for that hand to play.
When it comes try to control the pot size, too many people jump right in
with that big pocket pair and scare off the rest of the table.
Make a good sized bet but just enough to invite a call.
If you can build a decent sized pot for a showdown you win some chips
and make your table image a little stronger.
This will allow you to continue playing, sometimes with a slightly
looser range of starting hands.

 

[camtheram13]

Switch poker rooms.

 

[David G]

That's about the only thing I can think of, switching rooms. Unfortunately I can't do that right now.

Finally searching the internet for advice, I found this and registered here. I'm a reg at another huge poker forum but I can't ask for advice there because everyone has to be an asshole first off, but also no one understands and this is such a lonely, frustrating, even depressing situation to be in.

It seems most people complain of running bad for a few days, or even a few hours/hands. I'm in a really bad way guys, it's been 3 months.

It's not running bad, it's something else. No one understands. I'm having no trouble getting my money in great, over and over. I can be honest with myself and if it was that the game has just passed me by and I'm not a good player I would quit. Even if I didn't quit, I def wouldn't be playing for a living like now.

I can not win 80/20's and 70/30's. I've tried to figure out a way I can beat the game when running bad and I just can't see it. The only thing I can think of is if people don't call, but I can't always control that and the other problem is it's hard to make any meaningful amount of chips or money when you don't get the other persons chips or money in the pot.

This is so so sick guys. I'm a 36 year old male, not gay or overly sensitive by any means and this has brought me to tears a few times. I'm just so screwed and beyond any front line or even midterm emotions. I've ran the gauntlet of anger, sadness, depression, "why me" etc etc and I'm just...I don't know.

I've taken many breaks, one even 8-9 days long.

I don't know what to say guys but just say your prayers. Know how blessed you are to run even, not good, just even. I would trade any possibility of ever running good again just to run even. The games are good and are still beatable, but it's a sick feeling when you realize, and not just for a moment and then get bailed out, but you realize day after day, week after week, that you will NEVER beat the game unless you win your hands, or at least over 50% of them, that you've worked so hard to get into a dominating position.

You can't control the outcome. All you can do is get yourself in 80/20's and 70/30's, that's about as good as it get's in NLHE and if you win under half of those...I've yet to figure out a way a person can ever beat the game.

Really wish there was someone else. It's discouraging to see people only discussing running bad for days. Maybe people quit by before they get where I am, idk, what I do know is I could really use some advice or at least a thread where someone has gone through similar and maybe came out of it or something.

Anyway, wall of text obv, but guys PLEASE realize how blessed you are to win every hand you do. Do not ever take anything for granted. After almost 20 years in this game I thought I've seen it all, this is something that is completely foreign. I've ran bad many times in the past, very long stretches of the improbable becoming the probable, this is beyond that

 

[David G]

If anyone has ANYTHING they can offer, it would be much appreciated. A link, a story, some advice (don't really think there is any good advice for this).

I'm counting on someone here, I'm out of answers. Please take the effort to help anyway you think might be possible.

Thank you in advance

 

[Theblueduce]

Being patient is the key

 

[xtrigemino]

Just patience men, if you play just one monster hand very well you can double up easily or maybe triple up. Wait for your time and try to do something for don't get bored when you are waiting for your turn. That's it short and simple
Good Luck

ooh almost forget in your free time when you just are looking the people playing, put all your attention in the other players. So when your turn is ready you already know how they play : )

 

[David G]

xtrigemino, TYVM

I think it might be over. It's only one day but I'm now able to play the person, etc, because I don't have to worry about being 80% or better just to have ANY chance of winning a hand.

Decided to sell some shares and although yesterday (the first day) I blanked like 18 tournaments, I felt REALLY good and in a zone and knew it was a matter of time. Not that I'm overly happy with today but I definitely can feel a change and it's actually weird to lose a couple knowing it was MY fault.

This games is soooo easy if you are running even, if you run good, it's over before the game begins lol. All I want is even, as I'm playing enough volume where things will work themselves out and poker is all about some variance but volume SHOULD reduce that but that was not the case in the midst of that ever-so-epic run of horrid luck.

Anyway cashed a few tournaments today and one of them was decent. I played really good from 67th to 3rd in that I never had more than 14BB's to work with and in fact I was down to 2 bb's after the bubble and then just had 10bb's the rest of the way, including when I came to the FT (9/9)

It's refreshing to actually be a little mad at myself (I made two mistakes 3 handed) in that it wasn't that I put myself in a dominating position and lost because of bad luck.

Anyway you can probably tell how much this meant to me by how long my posts have been but I'm just elated to think and see proof that this might be over

You can see before today, how much of a struggle it's been. (not all cashes are showing yet for today but the main one is )

Anyway, thanks again for the advice and best of everything to you.

 

[Poker Orifice]

All I can say is.. "****en Poker SUCKS!!!"
This holiday week has been a week straight from Hell... & I actually purposefully played way less than I figured I would.
Yah.. to run 'even'..... what a miracle that would be!!!!!
Maybe I should be happy that it's only been a week of B.S. (today was UNREAL... blanked EVERYTHING!.... and honestly couldn't find a single mistake on the day.... I did suckout once!!.. with SS & stand. shove spot.. I ship KJs.. BB calls w KQo.. & I bink a 'J'.. weeeee!!! Felt like a f'n miracle!!

Good to see you pulled off a score today!!

 

[David G]

Poker Orifice,
I'm not saying it will and hopefully doesn't but dude it can get to the point where you feel BLESSED to win 80/20's (pair over pair) and you're downright lucky to win a 70/30 (AKvsA10). It also can be like that for MONTHS, I wouldn't lie to you man, I have no reason to. Hang in there.

Mine shook me up so bad (as you can probably tell by my rambling posts above) that although I've made some goals and one of them is to never let it get to me again, I do have to say I'm literally scared to have it come back and am actively looking for work to make sure I never have to face that situation again (running horrid, but playing for a living). If it were to come back, and I mean come back not just a week or two, I would quit

It's kind of a weird spot to be in because I know it's (oh so) possible so it stings even more when I get 19ths etc because I KNOW how precious each opportunity is and how it can be completely stripped from you at any moment and it could be so epic that you may never have another shot (like I said, I'd quit)

So todays 6th hurt



(and you can see there's an 18th and a cpl other deep runs just today) and although I got the hand in with an 80% fav on the river, and lost, I still fell 1000000000000% better knowing that I have a chance to even make final tables, but I do have that ugly feeling within me that says "you need to hit something on every chance" because of the knowing that the utterly epic downswing of luck could come back.

To give you an idea how serious I take this, I literally never "give up" and will never take ANYTHING for granted and you can see that by just looking at my (lol nitty) stats by the time I got to the final table today

^^ those are stats of a person who's been through an epic run of bad luck and is doing everything he can to take ever opportunity as if it were his last. I had ten big blinds or less from about 45th on and at times was down to 4 or less.

Anyway the cliffs are:

1. It can get MUCH worse
2. Be thankful for EVERYTHING you have, including hands you "should almost always win, winning"
3. The game owes you nothing and can be cruel, take advantage of EVERY opportunity it gives you and do not take anything for granted.
4. Don't give up unless you really are giving up for good

gl

 

[David G]

Shoot, I tried to edit my post because it had my email address in one of the screen shots, and I don't feel like getting spammed by bots on the internet but when I went to edit it the whole screenshot shows and is not just a link to remove. So, I copy the whole post, getting ready to paste it here (with the fixed screenshot) and I can't

Anyway I was just trying to be encouraging and give advice and if you want you should be able to see the post in your email, if you are a subscriber to this thread.

gl ev1

EDIT: I spent like 10 mins on that post any chance a mod can bring it back but without the first screen shot that has my email in it? Would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[Debi]

EDIT: I spent like 10 mins on that post any chance a mod can bring it back but without the first screen shot that has my email in it? Would be much appreciated, thanks.

Done

I have had the same issue with sng's - I don't just have a few day or few week downswing like everyone else cries about - mine can be for months. And even the short ones are brutal as hell. My red line and green line barely make the same page they are so far apart lol.

So I am back to mtt's where just one good win can set me straight after a few months of min cashes. That is not nearly as frustrating.

So - I look at your numbers and think - how can you complain? lol

You seem to have done quite well - and at least when you are running good you have multiple decent cashes.

So chin up - and take the bad breaks when they come - even if they last a few months. Nice cash on Dec 27th!

Come join us in this thread this month:

***January MTT Thread***

 

[David G]

Thanks, dakota-xx!

 

[icemonkey9]

How should you deal with going card dead when you are playing. Should you tighten up and wait for a better than average playable hand to play or should you start to loosen up a bit and hope to hit with more suited connectors and pocket pairs? I had a session the other night where I got maybe one or two playable hands in the last 60 hands, neither of which I won. At what point do you give up and switch tables

If you are card dead you are card dead. That doesn't magically change your range at the table. Play your range. 2/60 isn't unheard of at all for a normal tight player, it's a very small sample size. There's no point in switching tables it's all random.

 

[Dunninger]

Statistically.. if you're at an 8 person table.. over the long run.. you should have the best cards 1/8 of the time.

Pay attention to your cards, but more importantly pay attention to the other players.. see what they're going in with.. see what they are playing.. see how they are playing.. and be patient..

This is a good reason to play several tables at once.. wait for your hands.. and the likelihood is that you'll figure out where to enter into the game..

 

[David G]

To give you guys an idea, and also to let you know I'm not just some sort of complainer or drama queen, this exact scenario has happened to me 4 times this month. Both happened twice in the same day.

full tilt poker Step 2 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t40/t80 Blinds - 7 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter By DeucesCracked Poker Videos

SB: t2020 25.25 BBs
BB: t1260 15.75 BBs
Hero (UTG): t2550 31.88 BBs
UTG+1: t2930 36.62 BBs
MP: t1240 15.50 BBs
CO: t1435 17.94 BBs
BTN: t2065 25.81 BBs

Pre Flop: (t120) Hero is UTG with A:club: A:diamond:
Hero raises to t240, UTG+1 calls t240, 4 folds, BB raises to t800, Hero raises to t2550 all in, 1 fold, BB calls t460 all in

Flop: (t2800) A:heart: 2:club: 7:heart: (2 players - 2 are all in)

Turn: (t2800) Q:diamond: (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: (t2800) Q:club: (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: t2800
BB shows Q:heart: Q:spade: (four of a kind, Queens)
Hero shows A:club: A:diamond: (a full house, Aces full of Queens)
BB wins t2800


Now when that happened the first time, twice in the same day, I would up asking some math guru on another forum what the odds were of that. I don't remember what it was exactly, but it was some huge number, then times'd by another huge number for happening twice within a hundred hands.

Since then I have not been surprised by it and pretty much expected it on the last time (posted above) when the Q came on the turn

Seriously guys, it can get bad, keep your perspective when running what you "think" is bad.

 

[Vfranks]

If u expect bad things to happen, than they will. Try to start thinking about positive results instead of negative outcomes.

 

[TheNoob]

Switch if your getting a negative vibe.

Or you can stay at the table and continue to make correct poker decisions. What is a negative vibe, anyway?

If u expect bad things to happen, than they will. Try to start thinking about positive results instead of negative outcomes.

Or, you could dispense with the idea that things happen or don't happen because of what you expect, and stick with making correct poker decisions?

 

[charlieashton]

Be patient and stick to your game, the cards will turn around. Sorry, and good luck.