What To Do During a Losing Streak
One of the most common questions I get from readers is something like, "I was doing really well and have hit a rough patch. I can't seem to win a hand! What do you do when you hit a stretch like this?" Since I'm in a stretch like this now (the big win a few days ago has been more than lost back since then), it seemed like a good time for a post on the subject of what to do when you can't win a god damn hand.
1) Poker is a game of "the long run." When I've dropped some huge sum in a short span of time, it really helps me to look at my overall results. I say to myself, "Okay, I lost $x this week, but I'm still up $y for the year. Most people don't make $y in a year and you do it playing poker."
2) While you have your records out to prove to yourself that you're a winning player, a losing streak presents a good opportunity to analyze those records. This can mean anything from examining how you do during the week vs. the weekend or how you do during the day as opposed to at night to calculating how many standard deviations you've dropped during your streak, depending on how mathematically inclined you are.
3) When you're in a real losing streak, it feels like you're never going to win again. I'm a very logical and mathematical person and it still feels this way to me every time. You have to get those thoughts out of your head, though. For me it helps to revisit old losing streaks and then see that I did indeed start winning again. That may or may not work for you. But whatever it takes, get in the right mindset to play and if your head isn't in the right place, don't take that open seat.
4) Perhaps the most common advice you see in print to deal with a losing streak is to take a break. Sometimes that helps. Don't play for a day. Maybe don't play for a couple of days. Get your mind off the losing streak a little. Do some things you enjoy. See some people you love. Then come back to it.
5) When you come back, I suggest switching your poker up a little bit. If you've been meaning to learn a new game - PLO, triple draw, no limit crazy pineapple, whatever - there's no better time. If you play 90% limit hold em and 10% sit n gos, take a week and play all sit n gos. Switch it up.
6) The other ubiquitous "running bad" advice that I see is to drop down limits. This is sort of a last resort for me, but it might be great advice in general. Certainly if your bankroll has taken a beating and you no longer have the backup funds to play comfortably at the limit you've been playing, you should drop down.
7) Whatever you do, don't go broke! A lot of poker writing glamorizes going broke. I don't know how many times I've read the phrase, "All of the best players have been broke at one time or another." No matter how often I read it, it still seems stupid to me. I don't know about you, but if I go broke I have to stop playing and get a real job. That's not very high on my Christmas list. If you're in danger of going broke, do whatever you have to to avoid it.
8) Breathe. When the monkey across the table hits his fourteenth gutshot this hour, take a deep breath. If it's really bad, take three or four. This really helps me stay off tilt.
9) Scream. Sometimes you just gotta let it out. This is another "stay off tilt" method for me.
10) Laugh. Most of us are very competitive. But if you can't laugh about a horrible losing streak, you're taking poker TOO seriously. The next time you tell a bad beat story, ditch the anger, ditch the sarcasm, and try to tell it like you're telling a joke (or a jopke).
Some random hands from this week of terrible, terrible results:
Bustout from Stars Sunday:
PokerStars Game #3175842632: Tournament #15013313, Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) -
2005/11/27 - 17:29:54 (ET)
Table '15013313 160' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: aksteve (6740 in chips)
Seat 2: JAKETHERAKE (1405 in chips)
Seat 3: Nepal13 (2260 in chips)
Seat 4: SaveMySkin (2525 in chips)
Seat 5: pitou710 (2135 in chips)
Seat 6: lucylew (2100 in chips)
Seat 7: Semifaded (4580 in chips)
Seat 8: Yokos (3605 in chips)
Seat 9: Binghi (1960 in chips)
Nepal13: posts small blind 25
SaveMySkin: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SaveMySkin [Ts Kc]
pitou710: folds
lucylew: folds
Semifaded: folds
Yokos: folds
Binghi: folds
aksteve: folds
JAKETHERAKE: folds
Nepal13: raises 50 to 100
SaveMySkin: calls 50
*** FLOP *** [Tc 2d 3d]
Nepal13: bets 200
SaveMySkin: raises 300 to 500
Nepal13: calls 300
*** TURN *** [Tc 2d 3d] [5d]
Nepal13: bets 50
SaveMySkin: raises 1875 to 1925 and is all-in
Nepal13: calls 1610 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [Tc 2d 3d 5d] [Ac]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Nepal13: shows [Qh Ad] (a pair of Aces)
SaveMySkin: shows [Ts Kc] (a pair of Tens)
Nepal13 collected 4520 from pot
Nh sir. Clever minimum weak lead on the turn. Worked out very well for you. Positive reinforcement.
- 80 triple draw. Four handed. Wild game. UTG raises, button three-bets, SB folds, I cap from the BB with 6542. I draw one, UTG draws three, button draws one. I draw another 6 and check, UTG checks, button bets, I raise to get it heads up, UTG calls two cold, button folds?! I take 1, UTG takes two, I end up winning the hand. What is this guy on the button DOING? He has to call $80 more closing the action. There's $1160 in the pot, so he's getting the old 14.5 to 1. He three bet on the button before the draw and drew one, so he has to have SOME kind of hand. Furthermore, I will check-raise here every time to try to narrow the field. He doesn't know that, but it's got to be a consideration.
Oh, if anyone wants to transfer me many thousand dollars on UB for cash or check or triple draw lessons, let me know. 'Cause I'm tapped out. Again. Guh.
1) Poker is a game of "the long run." When I've dropped some huge sum in a short span of time, it really helps me to look at my overall results. I say to myself, "Okay, I lost $x this week, but I'm still up $y for the year. Most people don't make $y in a year and you do it playing poker."
2) While you have your records out to prove to yourself that you're a winning player, a losing streak presents a good opportunity to analyze those records. This can mean anything from examining how you do during the week vs. the weekend or how you do during the day as opposed to at night to calculating how many standard deviations you've dropped during your streak, depending on how mathematically inclined you are.
3) When you're in a real losing streak, it feels like you're never going to win again. I'm a very logical and mathematical person and it still feels this way to me every time. You have to get those thoughts out of your head, though. For me it helps to revisit old losing streaks and then see that I did indeed start winning again. That may or may not work for you. But whatever it takes, get in the right mindset to play and if your head isn't in the right place, don't take that open seat.
4) Perhaps the most common advice you see in print to deal with a losing streak is to take a break. Sometimes that helps. Don't play for a day. Maybe don't play for a couple of days. Get your mind off the losing streak a little. Do some things you enjoy. See some people you love. Then come back to it.
5) When you come back, I suggest switching your poker up a little bit. If you've been meaning to learn a new game - PLO, triple draw, no limit crazy pineapple, whatever - there's no better time. If you play 90% limit hold em and 10% sit n gos, take a week and play all sit n gos. Switch it up.
6) The other ubiquitous "running bad" advice that I see is to drop down limits. This is sort of a last resort for me, but it might be great advice in general. Certainly if your bankroll has taken a beating and you no longer have the backup funds to play comfortably at the limit you've been playing, you should drop down.
7) Whatever you do, don't go broke! A lot of poker writing glamorizes going broke. I don't know how many times I've read the phrase, "All of the best players have been broke at one time or another." No matter how often I read it, it still seems stupid to me. I don't know about you, but if I go broke I have to stop playing and get a real job. That's not very high on my Christmas list. If you're in danger of going broke, do whatever you have to to avoid it.
8) Breathe. When the monkey across the table hits his fourteenth gutshot this hour, take a deep breath. If it's really bad, take three or four. This really helps me stay off tilt.
9) Scream. Sometimes you just gotta let it out. This is another "stay off tilt" method for me.
10) Laugh. Most of us are very competitive. But if you can't laugh about a horrible losing streak, you're taking poker TOO seriously. The next time you tell a bad beat story, ditch the anger, ditch the sarcasm, and try to tell it like you're telling a joke (or a jopke).
Some random hands from this week of terrible, terrible results:
Bustout from Stars Sunday:
PokerStars Game #3175842632: Tournament #15013313, Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) -
2005/11/27 - 17:29:54 (ET)
Table '15013313 160' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: aksteve (6740 in chips)
Seat 2: JAKETHERAKE (1405 in chips)
Seat 3: Nepal13 (2260 in chips)
Seat 4: SaveMySkin (2525 in chips)
Seat 5: pitou710 (2135 in chips)
Seat 6: lucylew (2100 in chips)
Seat 7: Semifaded (4580 in chips)
Seat 8: Yokos (3605 in chips)
Seat 9: Binghi (1960 in chips)
Nepal13: posts small blind 25
SaveMySkin: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SaveMySkin [Ts Kc]
pitou710: folds
lucylew: folds
Semifaded: folds
Yokos: folds
Binghi: folds
aksteve: folds
JAKETHERAKE: folds
Nepal13: raises 50 to 100
SaveMySkin: calls 50
*** FLOP *** [Tc 2d 3d]
Nepal13: bets 200
SaveMySkin: raises 300 to 500
Nepal13: calls 300
*** TURN *** [Tc 2d 3d] [5d]
Nepal13: bets 50
SaveMySkin: raises 1875 to 1925 and is all-in
Nepal13: calls 1610 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [Tc 2d 3d 5d] [Ac]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Nepal13: shows [Qh Ad] (a pair of Aces)
SaveMySkin: shows [Ts Kc] (a pair of Tens)
Nepal13 collected 4520 from pot
Nh sir. Clever minimum weak lead on the turn. Worked out very well for you. Positive reinforcement.
- 80 triple draw. Four handed. Wild game. UTG raises, button three-bets, SB folds, I cap from the BB with 6542. I draw one, UTG draws three, button draws one. I draw another 6 and check, UTG checks, button bets, I raise to get it heads up, UTG calls two cold, button folds?! I take 1, UTG takes two, I end up winning the hand. What is this guy on the button DOING? He has to call $80 more closing the action. There's $1160 in the pot, so he's getting the old 14.5 to 1. He three bet on the button before the draw and drew one, so he has to have SOME kind of hand. Furthermore, I will check-raise here every time to try to narrow the field. He doesn't know that, but it's got to be a consideration.
Oh, if anyone wants to transfer me many thousand dollars on UB for cash or check or triple draw lessons, let me know. 'Cause I'm tapped out. Again. Guh.
posted by Chris Fargis at 2:57 PM
11 Comments:
Excellent post, Chris. I'm not sure there's much else one could say about dealing with losing streaks; it sounds to me like you've covered most of the bases.
One thing I like to do to keep poker fresh (and thus perhaps avoid losing streaks that are brought on by tilt and/or burnout) is to try to play regularly in "fun" poker games--that is games well below one's normal game preferably with good friends.
I think a good night of donking around and having nothing but fun at the tables can really change one's perspective for the better when approaching the game "for real" the next night.
Thanks for sharing Chris. One excellent post.
Very Good Post,
I had a horrible October, where I just couldn't win a hand. So I do what I normally do which is try to learn a new game which you mentioned as #5. I started learning how to play Omaha Hi/Lo.
Played a Horse tourney at Full-Tilt and placed in second and everything has gotten better since then.
Excellent post.
Many players I know (including myself) seem to have a terrible run sometime between October and November. My question is: if we're all having such a bad month, where the hell is our money going?!? ;)
As for the bad runs in Oct.- Nov. Perhaps the donkeys decide they should save some money for Christmas/New Years activities, but once December rolls around they can't help themselves, get back on their respective poker horses, and end up having to buy mom and dad matching coffee mugs.
Thanks for sharing Chris!
Hi Chris
In 2003 and in 2004 I had a very good first half of the year and a "flat" second half of the year. Perhaps in the summer months the "social players" are on holiday, and have better things to do. Then, come October, they are more careful with their money, because Christmas is coming.
Certainly the evidence backs this up, since in both 2003/04 and 2004/05 I had a storming December 26th to January 10th.
This year I was ready for them. I adjusted my game in June, assuming fewer fools and more rocks. I've still won (far) less than I did from January to the end of June, but at least the graph continued to tick (slowly) upwards.
We all know to adjust our game depending on the time of the week or even the time of day (although in the global land of Internet poker, the latter is less of a factor). Why should there not be an equivalent difference for the time of year?
Whoops, I forgot the "time of the month". In Fox's Quit Work.... he mentions that certain times of the month in Gardena were distinctly better than others, with the periods just before and just after the monthly pay day being by far the best.
My own monthly figures seem to show good performances from the 1st to the 5th, then poor until the 23rd, and then better again. Obviously the stochatic noise that is Limit Hold Em causes significant variations within this trend, but I am fairly sure that it is there.
PJ
Graet post Chris. I´m a big fan of the breaks when you face a bad streak... the only problem is that my breaks longs 2 months :P.
Sep-Oct:
WSOP is on TV, thus all the newbies come out to play...
As a semi-pro I found this interesting for two reasons. Firstly, you make some good and well used ideas to turn it around. Secondly for the following reason; I was a fairly serious semi-pro, with a real job in the Summer and poker player for the other 9 months. However, I've gone broke with a run at 10/20 fl (ParPoker)that includes the following stats; AK 2 for 63, AA 0 for 14, KK 1 for 17, QQ 0 for 8. Lost more in 1 month than I've made in 12. Looked carefully at all my stats and still playing the same way, nothing's changed but my luck. Drawn out to 2 outers, runner runners consistently. Anyhow it means that I have to get a real job quick. Got to question whether I'll ever play again - doubt it. I post this not for sympathy but as a cautionary tale, badddddddddd streaks can kill, take it easy out there.
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