Shaking off a bad night

[takesix]

Poker is a long term game
Poker is a long term game
Poker is a long term game

If I keep saying it enough times, will I start to believe it?

I played well tonight. Very well. Made a lot of what I thought were good folds. Picked off c-bets like it was my job. Disguised a couple hands very well until the river until villain was pot committed.

Basically for 3 hours I was 'feeling it'. I mean really 'feeling it'. I've had streaks when I ran well and made a lot but for the most part I didn't have amazing cards. I did however play as well as I can remember.

And I'm down a half a buy-in.

This isn't a bitching whiny post about how the fish suck out. We know that. I saw some of the greatest shows of fishiness tonight -- a guy all-in preflop like 14 hands in a row, a $98 pot won with at showdown (I play 25NL for reference) with 10 high (and neither had a busted draw! just a raising and re-raising contest), 7/10ths of the table limping at any given time, people calling all-ins with gutshots (and on occasion hitting). It was really entertaining. So for that maybe I'm grateful.

But that doesn't change the fact I'm seriously disappointed and actually pretty upset. So this is the gist of my post:

When you have a "bad" night (be it like mine or the more traditional I lost 10 buy ins because blah blah blah) what do you do to recover? Just go to bed? Walk the dog? Watch TV for an hour and get crackin' again? I ask because I have a tough time shaking these feelings for days at a time, and unless I'm fairly calm and relaxed I play poorly.

So anyone? What do you do to shake it off?

[Lukie]

To be honest, I take it very well (compared to others). But this is just the result of being battle-hardened after playing so many hands. Yes I know that sounds corny, but it's true.

I do remember getting terribly upset over some wild swings (read: bombs, fallouts, etc) I've had in the past. I guess it's just something you learn to cope with over time, as it's just part of being a poker player.

Just focus on doing the right things, ie proper bankroll management, don't tilt, play good, etc., and let the rest take care of themselves. It sounds like you play in some pretty easy games, so while one night is of little significance, if you find you are consistently losing in it, you absolutely must re-evaluate your own play.

[bigspenda73]

Whats a night? What is bad? You said it yourself, poker is long term. There is no short term, there is no night, there is no session, there is no half buy-in. If you do believe you are playing great don't shut it down, keep playing. Why stop when you are playing as well as you think you can play. Maybe this will prove something to you. It can prove either of two things: your downswing will stop and you will win or you are not as good as you think you are and you will keep losing. Either way, if you are playing as good as you can play over a long term and you are losing, its time to revisit the drawing board. We've all played "great" and lost, and we've all played "poorly" and won. Which would you rather do? I know I'd rather win, but that does not mean I want to play poorly. Keep plugging along and for gods' sake, if you are playing great don't stop just because you hit a little downswing.

[dsmrolla06]

You should stop as soon as you feel tilt coming on. whenever i feel it coming down ill stop and go do something else. If its not playing for a couple days, so be it, but i dotn think you should keep playing when your emotions are getting the best of you. You shouldnt ever play when your not mentally there.

[jackvance]

If I run bad I tilt and if I run good I get overconfident. Catch 22 towards blowing money needlessly..

[DaHorror]

I hear that masturbation is therapeutic.

I'm just sayin...

[Warpe]

I hear that masturbation is therapeutic.

I'm just sayin...

I think aok recommends that...

[jackvance]

sex is even better

[cardsman1992]

sex is even better, so I have heard...

FYP

[KingLizard]

I hear that masturbation is therapeutic.

I'm just sayin...

I think aok recommends that...

But you can only use 19 hands.

[apunisher]

I hear that masturbation is therapeutic.

I'm just sayin...

I think aok recommends that...

But you can only use 19 hands.

rofl

[Lukie]

sex is even better, so I have heard...

FYP

poty

errm... fypoty?

[sandstorm]

fyppoty obv

[jackvance]

sex is even better, so I have heard...

FYP

obvious virgin-projection reply!

btw this is cuz I ruined your weddingcake joke right? lol..

[Setzy]

This should very well go in my blog, but it goes with the topic, so why not. I hit my July goal with about a week to go, cruising and feeling pretty good. Then the beats come. I laugh a few off because I'm so "hardened", just like Lukie was saying. 100k hands, I'm a pretty consistent winner...whatever, the fish will donk it all back to me eventually. Next day passes, and the bankroll is lower.

Third day comes, and I lose a little more. Granted I use bankroll management and all this losing is still less than 10% of my bankroll, but I don't like losing! I should be WINNING! So the fourth day comes. I drop about 2 more buyins. Jesus, that's like 11 buyins over four days.

I've played an absolute TON of poker recently. Probably more than is healthy. So I cut it back. After playing something like 2500 hands a day for the past few weeks, I've played about 1k in the past three days. But one day I didn't at all. I went out, I got drunk with some friends, I didn't do a damn thing. Today I screwed around with some of my "play money" I don't consider part of my roll and played 3 $5.50 sngs. (I'm a cash player).

I think this break is really good for me. It's all about the breaks man. As much as we want to be, we aren't machines. We have emotions, and keeping them in check is very +EV.