Andrew is the man, no question. Although I make a conscious effort not to be such a fanboy, the truth is, I would follow the man not only to the gates of Poker Hell, but even through them without the slightest hesitation. I am a true disciple, and I could never give him up in the Garden Of Gethsemanie. Ok now im just talking crap.

A thing happened to me last year. Although a winning SNG’er for years, my overall Sharkscope graph resembled the trajectory of a golden eagle taking out a rodent from height due my tournament record. Not the best analogy, because there were ups and down along the way, but you get the idea.

But at the beginning of last year, I decided it was high time I took at least some money out of the game. So I decided to concentrate mainly on SNG’s, and…crucially…to stick to bankroll limits in the tournament’s and SNG’s I play.

The result? My graph is now pointing firmly upwards, and for a year and a half now.

I had heard pros talk of the importance of BR management. But until I implemented some discipline in to my own, i didnt truly comprehend how vital it is.

If you are playing outside your bankroll limits, you are setting yourself up to fail.

WRT downswing, I know how easy it was for me to fall in to a mental cycle where I’d start to experience bad beats regularly, begin to lose, then start expecting to lose. This perpetuated the cycle, and the downswing.

I found a fix.

I am not superstitious in general, but I am around my poker chips, (which i shuffle in my hands as i play and do tricks with), and I have deliberately allowed this superstition to grow. Before my session, I shuffle my poker chips, of which there are about 30. I then select from the stacks the individual chips which feel lucky to me. I know it sounds nuts, but they really do stand out. I select 6. Then i play, and see how lucky they really are. Sometimes they are obviously duds, you can tell straight away. Usually, they take time to reveal their strength. But sometimes, you hit the jackpot, and select 6 super lucky chips…which see you through the whole day! If they are that lucky, I keep them until the luck fades from them, when I reselect some different chips.

It is nuts, I know, but it has the very real benefit to me that it stops me from beginning to expect to lose…if my lucky chips aren’t working.. .I change em up!