down swing...advice

a-k-47

Its been 2 weeks since my last big money finish in an MTT.. and im really struggling to get paid, i keep busting out near itm or near the start in some cases!... its like poker is out to teach me a lesson! im really sick to the teeth of the luck box play that is going on, im starting to feel like roryc now, i feel ur pain!!...its been unreal and im starting to make bad decisions over it.. how long a break from online poker does any1 recommend that has suffered a bad down swing. How bad a down swing is 2weeks?.

Shortstack

2 weeks is not really that much of a downswing in MTT terms unless you are playing 5 or 6 a day, even then it is to be expected now and again.

When you get a bad beat smile and start the next tournament afresh.

Ollieboy

I've had a downswing since Jan 1st to the end of Feb when I won my ticket for the WSOP, in that time, I was getting outdrawn in cash games, paying people off when I shouldn't, couldn't win enough STT and had little or no luck in any MTT, I even bubble the final table two weeks running with Len for the European Poker Entry.

But since than its all change around, I made a killing on the cash games this weekend and got to two final MTT tables of 240+ runners. So its just takes time, theres no defined set period, I just kept at it, knowing that it will turn eventully, thats why you need a bankroll. Funny enough, my losses were very small for this period and the last 3 weeks as increase my bankroll, so it does come back.

Running Bing

Thats not to bad of a downswing in mtt tbh. Happens to everyone anyway. For example I heard an interesting fact on the tv the other day about negraneau(I think it was for the year 2005 from jan to may).He had spent 63000 on entry fees and had only won 3200. Ouch.

Marq

How bad a downswing is two weeks?

Two weeks isn't a downswing.

Iago

forget MTTs and play STTs for a couple of weeks, you'll get your bankroll back up and get plenty of practice for the business end of a tournament.

staringelf

Iago wrote:

forget MTTs and play STTs for a couple of weeks, you'll get your bankroll back up and get plenty of practice for the business end of a tournament.

i agree with this. stt's are great practice for a lot of MTT situations (stealing blinds in later levels and bubble play being the most obvious). if you play an aggressive type game (which most people seem to do and which i think is the most profitable type of strategy) i also suggest making a conscious effort to maintain that style of play. i don't mean calling out of position with mediocre holdings and paying people off when you shouldn't but rather not being afraid to get your chips in when you think you have the best of it. raise in position if you think you can get blinds/might have the best hand. sometimes its very easy to start tightening up and playing scared when on a downswing and this only prolongs it in my experience or creates more problems.

be confident in your play. it will turn around. you HAVE to go through downswings. they are an inevitable part of both winning and losing players games. winning players just minimise their losses better.

FastMachine

I'm just coming off a downswing. I would've made over 10K last week at 5/10 only for 2 days play at 10/20 where I got wiped out and ended up down 800 for the week. Lesson learnt: don't play 10/20 unless there's at least 3 tables going so as to reduce natural variance, as a bad run at a higher stake will more than kill your profits on the lower tables.

Then I started this week yesterday and lost another 1.5K due mainly to unavoidable situations like rivering a house only to find I'm up against quads. Ok, it's not a two week downswing but cash games are much lower variance than mtt's so a few bad days at the cash games are probably equivalent to two bad weeks at the mtt's.
It's tough when it seems no matter what you do, you seem to loose money, get outdrawn, and your opponents seem to keep hitting the flop harder than you. The more money you loose the more you know you have to win to get back to even and the harder it gets psychologically. I didn't even want to play today, which hasn't happened to me for ages. Well, I've no choice as it's my job so I got stuck into some 3/6 and pulled in 2.2K, end of downswing and I'm feeling good about my game again.

You have to take it on the chin and realise you're a long-term winner, this is just part of the game. Easier said that done but that's the only way to overcome it, there's no magic forumala. Although there's one trick I use to help me psychologically. If I'm down a good bit and I look at and see that I have to pull a few K to get back to where I was and where I think I should be, it's going to be painful grinding out every $. What I do then is tell myself - "Ok, this is my new starting point, I'm putting the lost money out of my head, I'm at zero for the week now (or the week starts now) and from here on it's all profit". I find it makes it much easier to put the hours in and often I'll more than make up for the downswing in one session.

A big downswing is imo the most difficult aspect of poker. I think the best way to deal with it, is to play through it. If you haven't tilted due to the swing you'll still be getting you're money in with the best of it and the more you play the sooner you'll be back in profit. That's the only way to end the depression of a bad downswing - start winning again. If you have tilted, take a break.
You really shouldn't be letting it put you on tilt, tilt is all in the head, but that's for another thread.

MrPillowTalk

wheither to take a break or play on is more to do with your tilt control than anything else, if your still playing the A game play on.

personally if Im taking a hammering at the tables I will take a break for a week or two in order to let the "variance monster" find someone else to abuse!

a-k-47

Interesting replies lads thanks, i have not been tilting during the down swing, ive just been getting the driver in the face. im glad to say i took 4th in my 2nd mtt today, was unfortunate not to take it down but thats poker but it has softened the blow to the bankroll and given me a boost in confidence in my game. thanks for the advice, appreciated. btw can only imagine how tough it is to get over your down swing fast, you certainly do have great will power. I dont think i could hack them levels, unless my name is paddy power. I will take iago advice a try more stt's. tx

newbie2

Fair Play today dude, you see what a bit of whinging can do!

Lets hope I can emulate (it's been a long time!)

P>S.
i finished 23rd.
(Got a take-way with the winnings)
F1SHST1X