Hi guys,

I'm going through a bit of a mental game chapter recently. I'm playing micro stakes heads up SNG's. I would like to play higher but due to bankroll issues I have to start back at the bottom.

One thing I'm struggling dealing with is losing to unbalanced players who make poor decisions and get paid for it. I'm playing 'turbo' speed with 75bbs so there is still some variance involved but nothing like the hypers.

For example, I just played someone who I had a previous note on which was 'level one thinker, only plays his cards, has no bluffs in range' and as noted, he would not bet anything if he didn't have a hand, he limped every button, didn't bet the flop at all unless he was made and that was pretty much it, but good lord did he run like the wind. He was calling me down with bad draws which were all coming in, backing up into weak two pairs, calling me to the river with small pocket pairs which made a set etc.

Conversely, I just played someone else who I had a note on which was 'when he starts betting, he does not stop'. Good enough read and didn't need much more explaining. He would either check/fold, or start betting and fire bullets on every street. He's min 3-betting me a ton, raising my 40 to 60 and just going for it. I flop top two with T8s and let him do his work, and he shoves the river with K2 on a T852K board.

The question I'm asking is, is it fine to come away from these and just shrug them off? Because I just can't seem to be able to and I'm questioning my play, thinking I should have done more or just generally feeling like I've been owned.

If anyone with more experience can talk some sense into me I'd for sure appreciate it

I know how you feel and when its running bad its easy to get down. Just remember it turns around and you will get it all back. The hardest part of it all is embracing the love of the bad players like this. I laugh when my aces get cracked by there Ax or 69 because it was suited hands. Why? Because it is printing money VS this player.

I honestly think you are half way there - if you take time to chill a little and assess what you are already stating, yourself.

You can recognize the play was stupid and statistically the villain should not have won the hand. But, these plays get through with some frequency and we all suffer the consequences.

The question I'm asking is, is it fine to come away from these and just shrug them off?

You say you cannot, but take solace in the fact you are already being pro-active, seeking advice (even if just to vent) and that is healthy. I have also noted elsewhere its healthy to be annoyed and peeved about a hand- as long as it doesn't lead to tilt, or put you into a shell.

By chance, I just listened to Dominik Nitsche breakdown a hand from a 100K high roller event, several months ago, where he got embarrassed by a lesser player, Tilston. He folded his pockets queens on the river to someone who simply bet a ten he had paired (the board was interesting but Tilstons line made no sense).To paraphrase what Nitsche stated- logically he knew he should have played the hand through but did not believe Tilston could play that stupidly/recklessly.

Nitsche is one of the best players in the world and if he gets caught in such spots, we all will!

I smoke a lot of marijuana ... . GL on them felts

Leave your ego at the doorstep and understand, that you WANT bad players to sometimes win. If the best player always won, poker would be like chess, and bad players would stop playing. However in poker even a bad player can experience that winning feeling, and this is, what keep them coming back to lose their money in the long run. Also maybe consider playing ring games rather than heads up, since it makes it a bit less personal.

Originally Posted by Jordansimo

Hi guys,

I'm going through a bit of a mental game chapter recently. I'm playing micro stakes heads up SNG's. I would like to play higher but due to bankroll issues I have to start back at the bottom.

One thing I'm struggling dealing with is losing to unbalanced players who make poor decisions and get paid for it. I'm playing 'turbo' speed with 75bbs so there is still some variance involved but nothing like the hypers.

For example, I just played someone who I had a previous note on which was 'level one thinker, only plays his cards, has no bluffs in range' and as noted, he would not bet anything if he didn't have a hand, he limped every button, didn't bet the flop at all unless he was made and that was pretty much it, but good lord did he run like the wind. He was calling me down with bad draws which were all coming in, backing up into weak two pairs, calling me to the river with small pocket pairs which made a set etc.

Conversely, I just played someone else who I had a note on which was 'when he starts betting, he does not stop'. Good enough read and didn't need much more explaining. He would either check/fold, or start betting and fire bullets on every street. He's min 3-betting me a ton, raising my 40 to 60 and just going for it. I flop top two with T8s and let him do his work, and he shoves the river with K2 on a T852K board.

The question I'm asking is, is it fine to come away from these and just shrug them off? Because I just can't seem to be able to and I'm questioning my play, thinking I should have done more or just generally feeling like I've been owned.

If anyone with more experience can talk some sense into me I'd for sure appreciate it

Well, it's headsup micro-stakes.

So, the play is very different than higher stakes (as you know).

But I'll say it because nobody else is....you should re-evaluate your game at this level.

From your description of play with those 2 players....you are playing their game. They play a simple dimensioned game and they are getting there. Something is working for them - and reinforcing their simple play.

I have some experience playing some similar players live. And, they smartly try to run their game when they have position on me. I will never try to trap them because they are always on a big draw and I will never know if they get there or not. So, I am very aggressive preflop and on the flop and sometimes the turn. I do try to shut them down. Maybe I am missing some value but these players felt other players who just go along with their bad play and lose. My goal is to not lose the hand or get felted.

Headsup is different than the game I am describing. Although, when isolated even in a tournament that is essentially headsup.

Not telling you what to do because you seem to know what you are doing. I'm just trying to get you to think differently about a problem you are facing.

Good luck !

Microstakes. Its always hard , and turbo makes some of us feel like we are under undo pressure to move. I for one cant play turbo. Not well. You will be ok, if you can use your BRM. Hopefully you can move up in stakes

If they only bet on good hands then it's easy - bluff them when you're in a later position.

If they call/raise you know they have something.

Lucky players annoy me a lot more than poor ones.

It's easy for me, just remind yourself these are the players you are earning money from in the long run. It never ceases to amaze me when players say they prefer to play with better players.... You want to be the best if not 2nd best player at the table every time you play.

Everything is simple. Marked the player and calmly play with him further, transfers will not last forever. At a distance on this player you will print money. Of course, sometimes he will be lucky, but this is the beauty of poker

I see it every session in my local PLO game and have learned to say nice hand and move on. That money always seems to come back 5x, just saying

I scream at my computer screen for a few seconds and move on.

Normally the luck is on the river, so I say to you and myself, or you solve everything before the river, or you don't commit to the pot to the point that you can no longer fold, see if the player is transparent.

It is all part of the game -- things will go great and things will go bad, but the one factor that can be consistent is good sportsmanship . . . This is the perfect forum to vent or whine, but the table is not the place for it. Watch Daniel Negreanu and learn from his magnificent sportsmanship!

Yes, I sure try to shrug it off. Losing to bad players or play is just part of the game.

If I meet a bad player then I just smile and I know I have an advantage over him in the long run ... but that damn badbeat that I get from him really hurts.

I simply recall how playing recreational opponents is profitable in the long run.

Losing a ridiculous pot to them can be quite tilting though.