Ive lost my game. Looking for advice

[Eldrone]

Hi there

It all started 2 months ago, i won a freeroll and cashed $1,3 dollar.
Started playing lowest Limit Holdem games on pokerstars and started to build a roll. It went pretty good, i started playing NL Holdem at 10 dollars, with 1 dollar buyin at 1/2 cent games. At 20 dollar i started with 2 dollar buyins. Took me a week or so and i was up to around 100 dollar, switched to NL5. One or two weeks later i hit 200 dollar, started NL10.

NL10 went even better, i felt that first when u reach that limit, u can start play some poker. Still there was lots of maniacs and such, but not even close to how many it was on NL5. I was starting to open up light from the button/cut off, i played with stats like (PFR,VPIP,AF) something i dont see any reason to do at NL5 and below. I felt that now when u play vs players who some of them have a strategy u can start to outplay them. I ran good and played great, 2 weeks later i had 400 dollar.

From the start to that point, it felt great.

I guess right now your thinking that I just ran hot and probably doesnt even have a decent game. Before all this, more then a half a year i played NL25-NL50. Did pretty well, and when i finally cashed out to stop play (it took to much time of my studying and my sporting), i was a winning player.

First 4 weeks, as i said went great. I got from $0 to $400, having a good upswing. Untill i went through a big downstreak. I didnt realize what a downswing was untill then. I lost 7 straight buyins, and after that around 7 more. I went through all my loosing hands, and saw that around 75% of them coolers and badbeats. And the other 25% just bad play. I understand why some professionals quit poker becouse they cant handle the swings, i cant see how the swings doesnt effect your game.

This is my graph right now.


After that 15 buyins it feels like im stuck. I cant find my old game, it isnt just there. I just kept playing and kept loosing, i tried to stop cbet. Played more LAGish, played liked a nit, just to see if i could get anywhere. Now Ive lost alot of my confidence. I think getting a huge upswing and then smash into a big downswing, just hurt me alot.

Im looking for some advice now. Should i take a break? Go through alot of Videos? Read a poker book? or Just play thru this?

Thanks in advance.

[RnoTheKing]

I would suggest cutting down your number of tables (if your playing more then 4) and just try and see the value of each hand and play accordingly. Avoid marginal situations, really think things trough and you'll find your groove again.

[Total Sweetheart]

Originally Posted by RnoTheKing

I would suggest cutting down your number of tables (if your playing more then 4) and just try and see the value of each hand and play accordingly. Avoid marginal situations, really think things trough and you'll find your groove again.

This is good advice. When I go on a bad streak it always helps me to slow the game down. Play fewer tables, play a bit tighter especially OOP, and just try to keep things simple. That usually helps me get back on track mentally and feel like I have more control ... I've found that feeling like I'm in control is key for me to play well.

[AdrienD]

better take a break from some time and study, especially if you don't have the confidence anymore cause then your decisions can easily get biased.

Buy Tommy Angelo's Elements of Poker if you haven't already, it talks about downswing, tilt and taking breaks alot and should get you back eating fish in the tank in no time.

[richyl]

Try to find some people that are playing your limits, and maybe do some session reviews with them. When your running bad I think it really helps to have an objective opinion on your hands. I know in the past i've run pretty bad, and started making a lot of adjustments that weren't helping the situation. If you go on the microstakes forums at 2+2 they set up partners for sweat sessions every month to go over a few hundred hands. Maybe we could get something like that going on over here at pokertrix.

[no eff eks]

Graph quoted for epicness.

Seriously though, you ran hot as hell when you started and now you've cooled way off and it's probably affecting your play. Study your play, study the play of others, post tricky hands in forums, watch videos, and most of all think about hand ranges constantly.

Do all that and you'll be fine.

[NAVYHNTR]

You have been Meat Gamed sir

[pdfbq]

Strange thing to say but you might try switching sites.

To win at the lower stakes for me is mainly not being on tilt, and after such a bad run as you had I definitely would be on tilt.

Maybe this fresh start helps (it did for me when i went to RedStar)

[dansiek]

I def agree with switching sites, get some rb and crush crush crush.

[Eldrone]

Thanks for all replies.

Last sessions been alright, some dollars up.

Yeah, ive also thought about switching to another site. Alots of nits at NL5, its sick.
My friend says that Average pot on Bwin at nl10 is like 3-10, on stars its 1-3 dollars. Thats like big big difference.

Anyhow, i start to like this forum. Its alot less trafic than twoplustwo, and i like it.