Do you take a break from poker during bad streak or play through it?

[RiverLord90]

I've noticed a pattern for me, I will play well and go on good streaks for two to three days and then start to decline and have bad beats.

Is it better to play through these bad streaks or to take a break for a few days?

(This applies for cash games too)

 

[SantasPoker]

I've noticed a pattern for me, I will play well and go on good streaks for two to three days and then start to decline and have bad beats.

Is it better to play through these bad streaks or to take a break for a few days?

(This applies for cash games too)

I was just telling some1 in another topic.. it is good to take breaks, especially during bad streaks, but also during winning ones. Ever notice some1 win a nice tournament then vanish? lol

 

[RiverLord90]

I was just telling some1 in another topic.. it is good to take breaks, especially during bad streaks, but also during winning ones. Ever notice some1 win a nice tournament then vanish? lol

Yeah that's what I thought but I guess I wanted a second opinion.

An ha take the money and run, nothing wrong with that!

 

[SantasPoker]

Yeah that's what I thought but I guess I wanted a second opinion.

An ha take the money and run, nothing wrong with that!

In my own past i havent used that advice.. and its burned me every time... like i went on a 11 day 13 final table and 3 win streak like a month n half ago, playing 2-4 tourns a day cuz work hours kept me from joining the good ones... so it was a good streak.. but then i would let it go to my head and go up in stakes and get smacked and have horrible runs... hell this one, 109$ tournament, ( would never play that high but i was crushing 3-22$ ones the 2 weeks prior)... I rebought 4 times and in 3 hours my best cards were QQ (that i lost 2 AJ) ... and A9 suited. like literally so card dead i wanted to smash my computer. Of course every time i tried to bluff some1 would have something too. :dontknow::dontknow:

 

[Iryna Stryzheuskaya]

I prefer to take a break in the game. I do not like to play with a bad mood.

 

[roger perkins]

for one determine why you are going on a bad streak. has your game deteriorated or are you just running bad? anytime your game is going south you need to step back and determine why. just trying to ride out a bad streak can just make things worse. step back assess the situation and determine how you are going to change it. you maybe just need a little rest. i have found that going back and reviewing books or online class can show me what i am doing wrong. i have found that i made a little adjustment here and then one here then this and all the sudden my whole game is out of wack. it like a guy that goes into a batting slump and changes his stance, then switches the weight of the bat and then alters so many little things that he couldnt hit the ball if it was on a tee. step back check yourself and go back to the basics to see if you have lost track. running bad can make you make very bad decisions.

 

[RiverLord90]

In my own past i havent used that advice.. and its burned me every time... like i went on a 11 day 13 final table and 3 win streak like a month n half ago, playing 2-4 tourns a day cuz work hours kept me from joining the good ones... so it was a good streak.. but then i would let it go to my head and go up in stakes and get smacked and have horrible runs... hell this one, 109$ tournament, ( would never play that high but i was crushing 3-22$ ones the 2 weeks prior)... I rebought 4 times and in 3 hours my best cards were QQ (that i lost 2 AJ) ... and A9 suited. like literally so card dead i wanted to smash my computer. Of course every time i tried to bluff some1 would have something too. :dontknow::dontknow:

Fuuuck man. That sounds like a solid 11 day run though! But I don't blame you for taking a crapshot at higher stakes, you never know when you will catch your lucky break.

I've been grinding these freerolls as I save up a good enough bankroll to start serious stakes. But last week, I got 3rd place in freeroll, got it up to $17 and then crushed 25nl cash micros for two days getting it up to $170 at one point. Then by the 4th day, I only got $2 above and then completely fell off day 5 and 6 losing everything Bad beats left and right smh

That's when I realized breaks might be necessary for winning players

 

[RiverLord90]

I prefer to take a break in the game. I do not like to play with a bad mood.

Yeah same here, playing in a bad mood never ends well.

for one determine why you are going on a bad streak. has your game deteriorated or are you just running bad? anytime your game is going south you need to step back and determine why. just trying to ride out a bad streak can just make things worse. step back assess the situation and determine how you are going to change it. you maybe just need a little rest. i have found that going back and reviewing books or online class can show me what i am doing wrong. i have found that i made a little adjustment here and then one here then this and all the sudden my whole game is out of wack. it like a guy that goes into a batting slump and changes his stance, then switches the weight of the bat and then alters so many little things that he couldnt hit the ball if it was on a tee. step back check yourself and go back to the basics to see if you have lost track. running bad can make you make very bad decisions.

I guess I start to get way too loose and aggressive trying to steal pots and force people to fold. Then I seem to have bad beats whenever I go all in preflop even when I have the better hand. So I guess I should tighten up when I play like that, avoid going all in preflop (unless AAs of course) and knowing when to lay down monster hands according to the CCs. And also stepping back for a day or two.

And I plan on getting some books and online courses when I can afford them but for now I just watch youtube videos, read articles, browse here and spectate games on the sites and twitch.

 

[FIERROS]

I think it's better to take a break when players have bad streaks.

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[Meepomancer1122]

I only take breaks when I feel like it's affecting my game for worse. If I feel fine, I don't take breaks

 

[proud2Bwhack]

This might seem a little superstitious, but I swear by it:
Whenever I know my button is going really cold, I would move down to a 5/2 cent room and just let it come, I would let all the bad beats happen when I wasnt betting squat. Then as I sensed the button heating up again, I would move back to my regular limits.

 

[proud2Bwhack]

This goes hand in hand with the old gambling adage:
When you are ahead, bet more, when you are losing, bet less.

 

[Minus272c]

I've noticed a pattern for me, I will play well and go on good streaks for two to three days and then start to decline and have bad beats.

Is it better to play through these bad streaks or to take a break for a few days?

(This applies for cash games too)

Yes . Poker breaks is the most important thing for me to break
a bad streak. I ususally take 2-3 days away and then come back
with renewed energy

Its also healthy to get out there in real life and get new input for your brain

 

[RiverLord90]

Yes . Poker breaks is the most important thing for me to break
a bad streak. I ususally take 2-3 days away and then come back
with renewed energy

Its also healthy to get out there in real life and get new input for your brain

Ok I was thinking 2-3 days too!

I always play better when I take some time off and come back stronger. I'm gonna do a few freerolls when I get home and see how I feel. Thanks for your input!

 

[Pickat]

For me I prefer to take breaks . When I run bad I have a tendency to try play catch up and play to many hands . When I catch myself doing that I know it is time to take a break , clear my head and come back when I feel my head is clear .

 

[LuisBoaC]

Back at the beginning of September I was on the worst run of my lifeand really didn't know what to do. So I posted a fairly desperate plea for help on here and the resounding response was to take a break.
I stopped playing my regular 9-max SNGs completely and only played a few freerolls because I lacked the willpower not to! I devoted the time I would have been playing to study. I only managed 10 days before I just had to practice some of what I'd learnt but it seems that was long enough as I've been on my best streak ever since!
I'm not saying the break was the only reason for all the change, I've been studying and practicing a lot for the last year and did a lot in my short break, but I would definitely recommend it when you're in a slump.
And I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who did tell me to take a break, best advice I could have been given!

 

[Syltan]

Dispersion can not be fooled)))

 

[johnbartel12]

so....

im going to be taking a break i think i have been losing badly for the last 4 months partly to my play partly to cards so im going to b starting a break soon to study let the good cards build up and then back to it!

 

[radartodd69]

I play on. Run good or run bad. I have noticed run bad last a lot longer than run good. I'm trying to adjust to this phenomena by only playing tournaments that have a really low buy in. I find playing at the top of my bankroll only makes me blow my bankroll faster.

 

[Ovuvuevuevue]

Breaks are definitely very important every once in a while. The mind and body need time to refresh and come with a new perspective on the game. This is especially important in downswings where you absolutely need to avoid tilt and prevent further losses. It also depends on the player's mental strength but it's much better to stop playing for a while when going on a downswing than trying to play through it and losing your bankroll. As they say, the games will always be there. No need to hurry.

 

[toteucelbun]

Well.. you have work to do too, with so many things in mind it's obvious you get dettached of the game and feel like you are in a bad run. You can call it bad decisions. Breaks are same as breathing. You need to breath.

 

[iosif18]

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Hi.I prefer to take a break after a bad beat.I need to clear my mind and continue otherwise i will remember that and probably not take good decisions on Tilt.About 9 days ago i got a bad beat ...flop JJQ (i had qq) ....and the river was 10 .....he shoved and he had ROYAL FLUSH AQKJ10 ....with 10 of hurt at river .I was so sick !!!

 

[pecam]

I've noticed a pattern for me, I will play well and go on good streaks for two to three days and then start to decline and have bad beats.

Is it better to play through these bad streaks or to take a break for a few days?

(This applies for cash games too)

I think it would be better to make a little break ( you can a little bite study your game )

 

[tw082]

sadly i try to play through it way too much. almost always turns out badly. always better in my opinion to chill out for a while.

 

[therealzizzy]

Definitely smarter to take a break and reexamine. Personally I will just become more tilted and tilt off even more money if I play through it