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April 17, 2016
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I don’t even know if this is the right place to post but I don’t know what to do anymore, I’m losing a lot of money lately, I go ok for a while and by ok I mean I’m not losing excessive amounts of money. I try to study and improve but I just seem to be running in circles, I really love poker and I mean that, I can play for extreme hours without growing bored. I don’t want to quit playing but I just don’t know what to do anymore, I’ve currently two books on order, both Mental Game’s of Poker, they should arrive in a few days, perhaps they will help me with my tilt issue.
I believe that’s the main issue here, I can build stacks somewhat well, very often, yet if I have a bad beat in a hand and lose even 10-15% of my stack I really struggle to handle it and make mistakes I usually wouldn’t when I’m playing with my proper mindset. I also have a problem of bluffing my stack away, I’m just very stressed right now and I don’t even know what I’m really expecting from this post, I guess i’m just venting. The worst part of all is, after a few beats like this when I bust a few tournaments the next thing I do is go dump $100 on a spin and go then lose and feel even worse. I understand that’s bordering a gambling addiction considering I’m playing WAY out of my bankroll by doing that with spin and goes. I don’t have any intentions of quitting poker, regardless.
I’m just lost, really lost… Maybe someone can shed some light or offer some advice, because I just don’t know what to do anymore, it’s hard to accept I am not as good as I want to be, at a game I am so extremely passionate about.
October 19, 2015
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Sorry to hear this bro, not really sure what to say but I will say there’s no way you can be playing your best with so much stress and it sounds like the damage being done to your bankroll can be dramatically reduced if you move down in stakes.
Read the great books you ordered, study, watch videos etc.
But play lower stakes and play without this weight on your shoulders, move up when you start beating the games again.
If you move down remember you are working on your game more than your winnings, don’t get greedy or chase losses.
Focus your passion towards the most efficient places, maybe target things you need to work on like ordering the books for tilt. I would suggest being a lot more disciplined with your BRM for a while until you get your head back in the right place.
I hope it turns around for you ASAP 🙂
TPE Management
April 6, 2010
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In addition to books, may be worth considering doing a session with a mental coach to see if they might be able to give you some help. I know several guys who speak VERY highly of their experiences with Elliott Roe.
TPE Pro
August 25, 2012
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Will second what KB says about getting a mental game coach, but also add that in many, many cases where people are suffering from tilt issues like these, the problem is simple results-orientation caused by poor bankroll management.
The reality of poker is that if you don’t have the discipline to grind lower-stakes games and put together a solid winrate while improving your game, you will likely never have the discipline to learn to beat higher stakes. With this in mind, I would recommend dropping WAY down from where you’re currently playing and shifting your focus from getting results to improving your game.
If you focus entirely on poker as a learning experience, you’ll gradually draw your attention away from results and learn to take something positive away from every session. If you continue thinking in terms of, “why can’t I win?” then things will likely get worse. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience here. Move towards the thing you’re afraid of – which in this case is perhaps the possibility that you’re not actually playing well, rather than just running bad – and commit yourself to developing your game.
February 5, 2015
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Great answer Matt. I’ve got to say, you usually hit the nail on the head IMO.
Personally, I don’t ever have downswings, at least not any more. I used to, but now I encounter instead… (sometimes prolonged) “periods of reflection and study” and I work on my game. I stop seeing it as a money making venture and embrace my fundamental passion for the game I too love. I drop stakes…although I must admit to having a problem with this myself as I find it hard to maintain interest at lower stakes. I drop right down to 2 tables, and usually run a TPE series on one of my screens.
As an aside, I read a piece of genius thinking the other day. I forget who wrote it, but the dude claimed to be able to stop a period of run-bad in its tracks without even looking at poker. He takes a coin, and plays a game of heads and tails. When he calls the correct side five times in a row he knows he’s back to running hot! Don’t push it and go for 6 or 7…you may find yourself going over the edge into another downswing.
You are not alone my friend in what you are experiencing. With regards to MTTs my whole life thus far has been a downswing. But even winning players can run for a couple of years in the red if all they play is tournament poker. On the other end if the spectrum are guys who luckboxed early on and are yet to see they are not as good as their results seem to claim.
Anyway, I think you’re in the right place here. And at least you are able to take a humble and critical look at your game…that speaks volumes for you. Some guys’ egos are too fragile for that. They are unable to embrace loss as a learning experience, and so their game stagnates, withers and ultimately dies.
February 5, 2015
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Invest in loss is a better way of putting it. Read The Art Of Learning by Josh Waitzkin.
It is one of the most inspiring, brilliant and humble books I have read thus far.
February 5, 2015
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I know you weren’t specifically talking about downswings BTW.
Try the 180 or 90 man sngs on Stars…way less variance…it keeps the confidence up to maintain some kind of win rate.
And please, stop that trend you’ve got going with the spin n go’s. The most I’ll put on those is $3. They are extremely tough to beat long-term.
September 9, 2016
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I’ve been working on my mental game with Dr. Tricia Cardner and it’s been great. I found her books extremely valuable as well. I’d check into both her and Elliot Roe if you’re looking for a coach.
Check out my blog: thepokermonk.com
Follow me on Twitter @thepokermonk
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