How do you handle downswings?

[theStarfish]

It is very tough to go through a downswing. You really believe everything is against you and that you are going to lose every showdown, even if you are 90 percent favorite or so. But it is important to tell yourself that this is just a phase and that better times are ahead. It is so important to play good and solid poker, even if you want to go all in with trash. Just focus on your game.

 

[ender0713]

When im in a bad down swing, like i feel like i am now... then I either go harder if i can afford it, or, I stop playing for a day or two and try to get some exercise outside. try to quit smoking and drinking if i am(sober up) Eat some good food, get some good sleep, talk to some people, and take care of any life responsibilities if i need to.

"The pregame and the postgame are more important than the game" -Gripsed.com

Sometimes, i go crazy on the freerolls, registering for every single one if can and have no money to deposit. Ive found, as im re-discovering right now, that im basically just "overplaying". I must have played a dozen freerolls this weekend and maybe cashed in like two for minimal amounts. Im stressed bc of money/ finances which causes me to do this. And its very frustrating when you feel like youre spinning your wheels. But you cant win if you dont play, so i keep playing, mainly though because i love the game, and i know in my heart and mind that im good enough to manage a bankroll properly.

Downswings happen bc of poor or nonexistent bankroll management. Poor or nonexistent bankroll management happens as a result of of poor life balance physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually(in my opinion)

One of my new rules when i cashout is to "Tithe 10%" of all profits to my church. Im not telling you to go to church(but dont let me stop you, haha) ... but just the act of giving 10% of what you win/make to any group, charity, or organization that has helped you and helps others, i believe, is a big deal, and is a great way to sustain profits(also if you do do this, then i wouldnt brag about it, or tell anybody, i would just do it bc u believe its the right thing to do. Telling somebody about it can possibly negate the positive effects.). But, i think, it works great, Its almost like when you do give 10% out, its like youre telling yourself subconsciously that youre going to win again in the future, which is super powerful, and reinstills what got you to that point, so, giving this 10% to my church is no big deal to me, bc i know that i will be successful again in the future, if i do it. And I'll tell you...if i dont do this immediately, or first thing, when im supposed to, then its almost always my next session playing that i bust my remainder, or worse- i deposit some of what i just withdrew and lose that too... again im not trying to tell you or anybody thats reading this what to do or believe in; Just what ive found to work for me.


Im so used to playing micro stakes right now, and have been for sometime, that it would be wise for me to cashout at the first available opportunity ($50-60) and just play with the remainder and rebuild... If I an cashout $50 or $150 every three days, then im making $3k a month before bills etc.... So I believe having an entrance and exit strategy is crucial. And i believe its crucial to stick with it, but i also think its okay to change that entrance and exit strategy from time to time. I feel like the main thing is to be consistent in your play and strategies. Sometimes, i just say im going to play best two out of three games once a day, within my bankroll managment model, which basically consists of "Milestones" (Gripsed.com). The way it works is simple: If i have $20 in my bankroll, then i play $2 cash games of NLH or PLO, 6-handed or 9-handed, until i hit $30(Milestone #1), at which point i play a $5 cashgame, if i win (half a double up or more) then i cash out and hop into another cashgame(maybe switch back n forth from NLH & PLO cashgames) if i lose that intial $5 cash game buy in, then i drop back down to $2 cashgames until i pass "$30.00 Milestone" again(by at least $0.01 qualifies)
Once I hit the "$50 Milestone"(Milestone #2), then i play a $10 cashgame with the same philosophy, sometimes my next milestone is $70 sometimes its $100, but the buy-is $20 either way (which is actually a little high when you think about it, like more than 20% of your bankroll. A decent sized gamble if "variance" hits for the disciplined poker player).
I've utilized this philosophy to build decent "bankrolls" from basically nothing, or just $20... and its all based on percentages so as your account grows it all stays relative.... as long as you stick to the risk model, which is easier said then done...

The thing is i like to be gambly with my buy in amounts, until im at a healthy bankroll level, where i can play the level stakes that i want to play, The issue here is that im not following my bankroll management model until i get to that comfortable level, which even if i do reach it, sometimes i end up breaking my rsk model at that level or I overplay causing my bankroll to drop again. Which is why i like to try to put a time limit on how long i play daily or weekly, and how many games i play per session...asking myself questions like, "At what point will i walk away today if my account drops to a certain number?" And "at what point do i walk away today if my account goes up to a certain number?"

So to answer your question in a nut shell... I like to "Analyze" or have a "Post-game analysis", or even take a couple days off.

 

[dongato2]

I think it is part of the variance since you cannot win all the pots since I play cash games but what matters is that there is a positive long-term trend

 

[vonabruch]

To regain confidence, try playing fewer tables or go down the limit until confidence returns. If you really played in the red at the previous limit, this will allow you to find the level that you beat, or at least lose more slowly

 

[Kennemelo]

To regain confidence, try playing fewer tables or go down the limit until confidence returns. If you really played in the red at the previous limit, this will allow you to find the level that you beat, or at least lose more slowly

in such cases, I often heard stories of players going down the stakes while still losing, because they could not forget past losses

 

[fundiver199]

I have a Secret? Although it is everywhere on the internet and in Poker books when you read them and it is called Bankroll Management!

This is just so true! Downswings are much more devastating, if you are not using proper bankroll management, because then they will often force you to either stop playing completely or move down to much lower stakes. And of course nobody wants that. But if we fail to follow good bankroll management, we are setting ourselfes up for a situation, where its only a matter of time, before it will happen.

 

[vonabruch]

в таких случаях я часто слышал истории о том, как игроки снижали ставки, но все равно проигрывали, потому что не могли забыть прошлые проигрыши

Then I recommend taking a break from the game for a few days or weeks, relaxing with friends or family, go to a bar or a movie. go to nature, go on vacation

 

[Matt_Burns88]

Do you play cash, SnG's or MTT's?
How often do you play and how many tables are you playing at the same time?

The reason I ask, is that I often hear someone (normally one of my friends) say they're on the worst downswing EVER. They haven't won in months and never seem to catch a break, but when I scratch beneath the surface, they're playing one or two games week when they get in from the pub and playing huge 8,000+ fields and I'm like "well duh!". Assuming he's an average sort of player (which he definitely isn't after stumbling home at 2am) he'd be doing well to win one of these tournaments once every 5 years.

My point is that lots of (amateur) players expect to cash every other tournament even with astronomical fields and think the world has conspired against them when they join the other 85% of the field that didn't cash and put losing down to bad luck rather than natural variance.

Give this video a watch and see what you think - https://jonathanlittlepoker.com/how-...le-12-18-2019/

 

[Mamkin_Pokerist]

Very easy. When I lose a few tens of dollars, I don't make deposits for several months. I control myself perfectly in this direction and play only freerolls. When there are extra funds, I deposit a few tens of dollars again and lose them again. And so on in a circle. The most important thing is not to cross the line and not to contribute more than you can afford. In no case should you borrow money from friends and acquaintances to recoup or just play This is the first sign of gambling addiction, which is very dangerous

 

[Rockyfour]

I go on a downswing for sometime and it just kills my bankroll everytime. How do you guys handle your downswings? This is One of my biggest problems in poker and would like to get better at handling this problem. Thank You


.

There is no easy way to handle it. If you are getting very upset though, you are probably playing at too high of stakes.

Also it is important to realize, that if you are a losing player, the down-swing will be permanent.

Maybe just play on smaller stakes, and possibly even consider if Poker is truly for you.

 

[ROYALROAD]

I have never experienced a downswing.
I've been playing for almost 10 years.
Frequent changes in play style may also be a factor.

 

[det0nate]

How do you handle downswings?

...
I KICK THE COMPUTER!!

 

[duderino89]

Well there's a few key ingredients you'll need to overcome a downswing:

1. Bankroll-management
Proper bankroll-management accounts for downswings! It forces you to move down the stakes so even if the downswing feels like an eternity your bankroll will be protected. The importance of sticking to your BRM and not letting your ego take over is of big importance here and for that you need to be

2. Unwavering
It can be hard sticking to the plan when it looks like everything is falling apart - and sometime we just want to let our ego take over. But it's so important that you are steadfast in those situations. Moving down stakes can be a big issue for a lot of players because they like to argue, that they "have beaten the stakes already so it can't be that bad to keep on playing". And this is the biggest issue - you need mental resilience - because even if you are the best player in the world, variance could kick you down to the ground if you don't use proper bankroll-management. So keep on grinding, you need to have enough

3. Endurance
Trust in the law of big numbers! Yes a downswing can seem like an eternity but if you are a winning player trust in the mathematics. It will go away, so don't give up too early! Try to think about it logically. A coin doesn't remember you loosing the last flip - neither do the cards! But the probability of you loosing X flips in a row get smaller and smaller and soon your luck will turn around and head back the right way! But if you feel like you get effected mentally just go ahead and

4. Take a break
Taking a break can help you to reset! Even though we don't immediately realize how suck-outs and bad beats effect our mental status, be assured that every player can get on tilt! Some stronger some lesser then others. And it will effect your play in the long run - sometimes not even to a point where you can spot it and that is the most scariest stage. If you play 3% worse then before it can have a huge impact on your poker play. if your All-in adj. bb/100 was 3BB/100 it would mean that playing 3% worse it would now mean that you LOOSE 0,09BB/100. So it can be very easy to become a loosing player without realizing it. So if you feel effected in the slightest way by some bad-beats just take a break, take your mind of the game and come back the next day trying to grind it out!