Mental game fish - what works for you?

So, now my workload has died down, I've returned to poker recently and still exhibiting the same type of cash game graph i.e. steady upswings, followed by some car crash sessions that write that profit off:

Cash Graph.jpg

My biggest problem on the bad sessions is that I tend to lose a buy in or two early in a session through normal means (set over set, being outdrawn, KK<AA, etc) and then turn into a total retard. I begin to try and outplay regs constantly, become far too aggro against calling stations and call down in spots where villain's just don't have it in their arsenal to bluff three streets.

How do you guys avoid these kinds of sessions? How do you know when you're not going to play your A game in advance, or how do you find the discipline to quit as soon as you realise you're just not on it? I'm in the process of re-reading Tendler's books (which help a lot), but what works for you?

I sometimes suffer this problem. I don't tend to try to play back at regs... I start calling really wide against raises from fish, trying to "get revenge" or whatever by making a hand with utter shit. I sometimes get lucky, and that tends to calm me down somewhat, but more often than not I'll make a few bad calls pre flop, miss the flop, fold to any bet, and then leave the table because I know I'm tilting.

It helps that I smoke weed. Daft as that sounds, I can find the discipline to leave a table where I'm playing badly by making myself a cup of tea and rolling a spliff. That's a rather appealing prospect, certainly more appealing than hating life at the poker table.

What's your tea and spliff? When you're tilting, recognise it and think about doing something else, something you really get a lot of pleasure from.

If was down 2 buy-ins, I'd sit out from all tables and chug a big drink of water, then jump and dance around like a madman to drive up my heart rate.

Increase the most basic needs: water and oxygen to the brain. Make sure the thinking-tool is well maintained.

Then I'd sit back in on my tables. If I felt any tilt after that, I'd stop and do other stuff.

If that hadn't solved the problems, then it's stress or rest and there's no quick fix on either.

Originally Posted by OngBonga

What's your tea and spliff? When you're tilting, recognise it and think about doing something else, something you really get a lot of pleasure from.

I don't really have an equivalent, but did set up some old consoles recently that I found in the garage. That's definitely helping to give me something to do when I'm trying not to play. I'm usually no good at doing nothing and need constant stimulation, so playing some old games are useful (mainly Guitar Hero at moment).

Biggest problem I have is recognising I'm not anywhere near my A game early enough and just assuming I can reverse the trend. What can be a -2 BI session can easily become -5 BI. Fundamentally, I hate to see dumb players beat me, which is the biggest thing I need to get over.

I mean,if you know this is consistently your problem (losing a few buyins and playing bad) then I would just implement a stop loss. I know it sucks cause your volume will take a big hit, but volume is over-rated if you're getting this volume playing your C-game or worse.

Yeah I think griff is right, just have the discipline to leave the table when 2 or 3 BI down, unless you know you're on your A-game and just getting brutally unlucky, and it's not affecting your play.

As for recognising when you're off your A-game, I tend to get moody when I'm losing, I start swearing when I miss flops, I get pissy with villains when they call cbets or take down pots, I start thinking god hates me (even though I don't even believe in god), I get loose-passive, I start making what I know are bad calls. I have plenty of red flags which tell me to quit playing for a while and do something else.

I know I'm on my A-game when poker isn't stressful, when I'm happy and in a good mood. If I lose a big pot and I just shrug my shoulders thinking "nice hand" or "well played" or "hahaha you muppet", I'm in the right frame of mind to stay seated. It's when I think "you cunt, I'm gonna have you for that" or "why do I keep missing flops" or "what the fuck is the idiot doing, FUCK YOU!!!", stuff like that tells me to stop.

Maybe I'm not such a tilter after all:

Attachment 895

From HEM2, it looks like we haven't played any big pots together, so no idea what's going on.