Very annoying problem.. help?

Ok.. when I started playing poker, I gradually started to notice that sometimes I'd "suck horribly" and blow hard-earned money away quickly, making mind-bogglingly stupid plays.. and I also started to notice the symptoms when this would happen.. basically when I got too focussed on "I have to make money" (like constantly refreshing to see my ptBB/100 in PO, being very impatient, tilting easily over minor setbacks, remembering past big gains vividly, calculating how much I could make per hour, day, week, etc).

It's the not too uncommon 'results-oriented' thing I guess.

So, what I do is.. when I notice I'm in this state of mind of being too focussed on the money.. I just quickly stop playing. This has cut back on my donkish play quite nicely. But the problem is now.. I don't get to play that often anymore . Meaning, I don't often get that relaxed focussed-on-the-game attitude..

This is kind of embarassing for me.. but how do other people deal with this? Not playing when I know I'll suck is nice, but I'd really like to somehow be able to knock myself out of this results-oriented mindset! I thought I might mature over it or something, but it just doesn't go away..

Do any of you have some way to deal with this, some 'mental trick' or good advice, some similar problems and you found a solution.. anything that can help me?.

Take $100 and go give it to a random homeless person, see how happy it makes them and realise how much of an idiot you are for pissing away money because you cant control your emotions.

Play short sessions and play more tables.

Lower your expectations. Don't think you going to end every session up a couple of buy-ins, your edge is never that big.

I actually had/have the same problem, If I run good and don't "need" to win, I play very good which results in more wins. If I get a cold deck I lose more than I should because I try to force things = do stupid donk plays. Trying to force things is a result of the session not meeting my expectations.

Read seneca "on the shortness of life".

I agree give a hobo $100 and see how you feel...it will explain everything.

Of late, I've found myself constantly refreshing my party account balance all the time when I'm playing. I also happened to be running very well. So that's kind of like the reverse of what you're saying is happening. Then again, it's probably more to stroke my own ego then caring about the short term swings in this most vicious of games.

i have a little issue with looking at stats, if i notice my vpip is dropping im more tempted to play hands like A9, or low suited connectors when i usually dont.

also i dont really like it when i drop money and notice it, however i play perhaps 1% too loose when im on a good streak, so ive probably got to stop refreshing PO every 5 minutes.

i don't like to look at PT (or whatever tracking program) during sessions at all. of course i have some sense of how i'm doing given how much i'm up on individual tables, how many times i've rebought, etc...but not seeing a definitive number attached to my progress so far in that session helps me maintain objectivity.

Originally Posted by mb2447

i don't like to look at PT (or whatever tracking program) during sessions at all. of course i have some sense of how i'm doing given how much i'm up on individual tables, how many times i've rebought, etc...but not seeing a definitive number attached to my progress so far in that session helps me maintain objectivity.

i do it like mb2447, just play and don't watch stats.

Mental Trick = "Just Play"

No more, no less. More playing = more balance to good hands / bad hands / lack of attention / dumb plays.

I'll check my Paradise balance from time to time if I'm running well (or horribly), though it doesn't seem to change how I play that often. Though if I start getting tired, or try and force to many hands my play can suffer.

Just concentrate on playing the best poker you are capable of and learn as much as possible while doing so. Poker is a long term project where the real money looms somewhere ahead when you reach your potential and get to the stakes which maximize your earnings.

One of the pitfalls of Poker Tracker I suppose
Though as Lukie indicated, account balance can be (mis)used in the same manner...
Maybe - take 5 deep breaths? Take a 5 min break?
I've run (for me) ridiculously good for the last 1k hands - but playing tonight I haven't hit squat and am basically flat and impatient.
I find myself doing the same thing you mentioned...checking and rechecking my PT stats - and watching the bb/100 slowly creep downward

If it makes you tilt - quitting is the right play, seriously. But if you can fight through it, and maintain an appropriate level of patience, then do so.

Personally here I've just taken a 45 min break cuz I was getting absolutely nothing in terms of cards...but I'm about to take another crack - if I continue to hit nothin after another hour or so - I'll give it up for the night...some days are just horribly slow going...though it could always be worse

Whatever doesn't kill you...

Originally Posted by DaHorror

I find myself doing the same thing you mentioned...checking and rechecking my PT stats - and watching the bb/100 slowly creep downward

Jeez, you guys must have really small databases.

I dont use this nor have I really had a problem with it affecting my game [though sometimes like lukie I constantly refresh my cashier], but use this to cover up your cashier total and whatever else and then just focus on playing your game:
http://www.overcards.com/wiki/moin.c...keyTiltBlocker

LMFAO - yes my PT database is miniscule at the moment - started over at a new site...and when you run at 30 bb/100 over that first 1k hands, it tends to drop pretty fast after that when you go card dead

Fortunately jumping back in tonight I doubled up twice and more than made up for the prior stale session.

Originally Posted by jackvance

Ok.. when I started playing poker, I gradually started to notice that sometimes I'd "suck horribly" and blow hard-earned money away quickly, making mind-bogglingly stupid plays.. and I also started to notice the symptoms when this would happen.. basically when I got too focussed on "I have to make money"

Jack, as long as you've been here you've always been a bit on the short-term results-oriented side. At least you always seem to be strongly affected by how the last 1k hands or so has gone without much of a big picture.

Combine this with the fact that you're playing 6-max and your emotional rollercoaster is going to be fairly huge. Add to this that you seem to be a talented player and moving up the limits faster than many of the rest of us noobs and you're just setting yourself up for the fall.

I can make two recommendations, which I think might help, but only you'd really know.

1) Set more long-term, non-BR-related goals. Set yourself the goal of playing xxk hands, perhaps with a certain, conservative ptbb/100 level, but probably without it.

2) I'd suggest that if you find yourself unable to get away from thinking "must make money" switch over to full-ring. It demands more patience, there's lower variance and you can play it more ABC.
Play TAGG there until the boredom reduces you to a zen-like state and you can switch back to a more exciting variant

Good luck Jack.

Originally Posted by DaHorror

LMFAO - yes my PT database is miniscule at the moment - started over at a new site...and when you run at 30 bb/100 over that first 1k hands, it tends to drop pretty fast after that when you go card dead

Fortunately jumping back in tonight I doubled up twice and more than made up for the prior stale session.

Why don't you simply create a new alias for your old database instead?

Ok thanks everyone for the inspiring words. I know it's kind of a personality flaw that I put too much pressure on myself.. but yeah, it's not easy to just 'change your expectations'.. I mean, how does that work? I try to tell myself sometimes I should look more at the longterm.. but it's like I don't listen to myself, or something. Anywayz, I'm gonna keep trying to take it easy more and more..