Daniel Negreanu posted this on Twitter and it is too good not to share:
Four questions to ask yourself if you are running bad at poker:
1. When I'm all in am I getting it consistently with the worst hand?
If you are often finding yourself getting it all in with A9 against AK, that could mean you are playing too reckless preflop. There will be natural stretches where you are playing the spots well and just running unlucky, but its worth looking at maybe you are getting it in too light.
2. Am I consistently going broke paying people off on the river?
If so, this could mean you are being a bit too much of a hero. If you aren't catching your opponents bluffing rivers very often, it could also mean they have you correctly pegged you as a POW (Pay Off Wizard) and have adjusted their bluffing frequencies against you because you are calling too often.
3. Am I just bluffing it off too much?
This could mean several things, but its likely you are picking bad spots to bluff because you aren't properly assessing your opponents calling range. Just because a solver says your bluff was good... doesn't make it true. Pay attention. If you notice an opponent isn't capable of making big laydowns, then its foolish to depend on him making the "right fold." It's never their mistake when they call your bluff and win. That's on you.
4. Do I consistently find myself short stacked near the bubble? If you consistently find yourself with a short stack near the bubble?
It it is highly likely a result of you playing too conservative. Not playing enough hands, being too passive, and overall just not bluffing enough spots. A fear of going broke is an impossible obstacle to overcome if you want to be a winning tournament player. The real money is awarded to the top three. A life of min cashing spells doom for your bankroll.
