I had some good results in tournaments, and found my pleasure back in poker, however I keep going down again and can't seem to keep up with it. I think my discipline is bad. What tips or pointers can you give me?

https://www.sharkscope.com/#Player-S...s/LuckyGambler

Hey there Lieutenant. Saw the graph at sharkscope and in my opinion that's pretty typical. In other words I don't believe there's anything wrong w/you. Swings are a part of poker that suck. I remember when I got online and started playing I went up for the first $100 or so and then a massive decline. I found myself trying to dig myself out of the red more and more and just couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. I figured out a few things that actually helped my game and bankroll.
I stuck to a good, solid buy-in regiment. Most players call it bankroll management, I call it playing within my means. Back in the day I could win a nice chunk of low-limit change and then try and parlay that into a larger payday. This approach, obviously, didn't work. I soon read somewhere that 'if a player is winning at a specific limit then why play at an unfamiliar one?' This little bit of advice helped a lot.
I also like playing in tournaments more than cash games so I read up on tourneys. My favorite and best example of trny tips and winning strategies is Gus Hansen's Every Hand Revealed. It's an awesome book taken from his hands and notes from his Aussie Millions win. Check it out, I highly recommend it.
I try to play for fun, as well. What I mean is when I buy-in to a trny I kiss that $ goodbye. Now I can focus on the game and try and make the best decisions to avoid the pitfalls to the $.
Oh yeah, one more thing. If it seems like NLH gets stale or even monotonous switch to a different game like Omaha of PLO-8. Believe it or not it actually helps.
I hope this helps you out, at least a little bit. GL and may the flop be with you.

Hi Lieutenant_OH7. We all need help sometime or other about poker, but if you need help, tell us more about the problem. Like what is wrong with your discipline? Where are you making your mistakes? There is a lot here that will answer your questions. GL

I would advise you to look for open training poker players in order to see what to look for.

Originally Posted by alien666dj

I would advise you to look for open training poker players in order to see what to look for.

Like a coach? Not sure what you mean.

We all have bad times in poker at times. If you have not changed your style of the previous game, then there is no need to worry. But it's best for you to analyze your hands after the game. Whether your failure is the result of your mistakes or is it an accident.

Your graph looks like normal tournament variance aside from some really massive swings in short periods...are you playing tournaments beyond your bankroll? shot taking some big ones from time to time? Losing/not cashing well within 125-150 tournaments is fairly normal - if you look at my BOL graph right now im on a 300+ game downswing, but if i look into my PT4, im winning 17bb/100 on BOL, so just gotta ride the swing out and be patient.

Tournament poker is tough and most players cannot handle the reality of what it takes to be profitable at it. Volume is key to overcoming variance - and to put in the correct volume of 125+ games per month, you need to have good bankroll management to survive the bad times. Most are unwilling to accept the harsh reality that is tournament poker, and they want to make extra cash every month playing 30 games per month and even on the best of upswings, its just not going to pan out well. If you feel like maybe you have some tendencies or leaks in your game and want another set of eyes to look through a hand history of yours - id be really happy to do so. And with your permission should you submit me one, id love to turn the review into a study stream session? Let me know.

Originally Posted by Lieutenant_OH7

Like a coach? Not sure what you mean.

I meant that you need to find and see poker coaches. Free courses.

With most people, my self included. it is bad judgement.
You win a few pots calling with hands like 87s, and before long that sought of play becomes the norm.
The winners eliminate bad judgement. Replay their winning and losing hands to learn from them and celebrate winning and losing with the same lack of emotion.
The rest of us get stirred up and over react.

If you are not disciplined enough, then you will never be able to get good results. Our patience and discipline are the key elements that are necessary for success.