How to deal with giant downswing

[eduard879]

How to deal with giant downswing
I usually have no trouble dealing with downswings. Even as a beginner, I understood how variance was a part of the game and it never really bothered me.

Recently, though, I've gone on such a downswing that it is really starting to affect me. I had just moved up to 10nl and things were going great when I got hit with a downswing sicker than anything I could even fathom before. Cooler, cooler, suckout, cooler, bad beat, cooler, cooler, card dead, cooler, suck out, card dead, card dead, bad beat, cooler, bad beat, suckout, cooler, cooler. Can't hit a draw to save my life. A in the flop every single time I have KK. We all know the story. I quickly lost all of the incremental progress I had made at 10nl, hit the red, and dropped back to 5nl. The variance did not stop. Cooler, cooler, suck out, cooler, card dead. Since then, over about 40k subsequent hands, I've dropped almost 20 BI at nl5, a limit that I CRUSHED for over 150k hands prior.

I can see it clearly affecting my game now. I've tried everything I know how to do to deal with downswings; first I tried to out-volume it, like I did with every other downswing up till now. That made it worse. Then I took a couple weeks off. The variance was waiting for me when I got back as I was quickly and brutally reminded of why I took a break. I reassure myself that it'll come back. It isn't.

What are some other ways that I can get back to playing my A game under the weight of this collossal swing?

[Ravensfan929]

Just dont get mad and make added mistakes like im doing right now on my downswing lol.

[Poker Orifice]

Tommy Angelo's book is supposed to be excellent (although I haven't read it.. 'yet' but do plan on purchasing it at some point).
I'm not sure what the answer is tbh. Do you find it affecting your play now? I tried accessing some of Jared Tendler's material (ie. read thru a bunch of articles & also read thru a bunch of Q & A he had with some of his readers) & found it to be helpful (but this is mostly dealing with Tilt & emotions.. & what's behind them , sort of stuff).

I recently read about an MTT player's experience with a brutal downswing. This was/is a guy who's played a decent volume of MTT's online (4-5,00'ish') was a winning player with decent results up until ~3,500 games played & since has been on the downside of expectation for awhile, rarely getting a deep finish, having those 80/20's (etc.) not hold up at crucial times (when it makes the difference of final tabling or going out with like 14-16 players left).. stuff like that. {MTTs though bein' a bit of a lottery.... just that some players obviously show up with more tickets for the draw while some others basically don't even have a ticket}. For cash games though... idk. My experience is rather limited as I've always just played online cash tables for fun - - used to play 20nl when I first was getting started online but since then I rarely venture beyond 10nl & more often than not I just multi-table at 2nl or 5nl on sites I have small bankrolls on & looking to gain a few MTT buyins 'for fun'.
Not sure what 'suggestions' for dealing with the type of downswing you're referring to here. Do you spend much time reviewing HH's these days? Watchin' training vids.? Discussing poker & HH's with poker buddies? (ie. on Skype or in person or what have you). All of these things help to keep me sharp & on track (but they really don't do anything about a downswing.... aside from assuring me I'm doing the right things while on the tables).

Don't know if anything I've mentioned is of any value to ya.... or if its just dribble?

Maybe try playin' on a different site for a bit? (not suggesting it's 'the site'.. or some superstitious bunk about one site over another). Personally when I'm playing micro cash tables I play on different sites than what I'd typically be playing MTTs on as I find the play on some sites is just wayyyyy softer than on others (same goes for the MTT & SNG play though). I've put in a few hands recently on 888Poker after placing in some promo freeroll I played in & have never played on a site where the play is that soft (although I haven't given Carbon/Merge much of a go but hear it's super soft too... & actually know of a few players who I consider to be marginal at best & yet they're decently winning players on Merge network (< that's gotta tell you something). Bodog tables are apparently real soft too (not sure what the traffic will be like there now though with their introduction of removing scraping sites > no more HEM or PT3 on there now from what I hear).

Hope things turn around for ya.

[Ramster]

I tend to multi-table cash games and it is quite easy to fall into the trap of playing on auto-pilot
I know when i feel like im on a downswing i check over HH and not just the big hands i won or lost
i randomly check out hands from any session that i feel need looking at and see if they could have been played better

Every so often i do what i call a poker detox (i found this in a magazine)
I will go back and just play ABC poker then gradually add other plays back into my game
Its surprising what difference this makes to my game when i do this and it also helps to keep poker fresh and interesting

[Assistanc3]

I generally play Holdem when I go on a downswing

if playing poker has me in a downswing that just doesn't seem to want to break free, its usually because of something other then poker so I tend to it.

there is nothing you can do when your AA gets run over by a set or your AQ vs AK match ups seems to be happening more frequent then warranted....other then take a break

[Poker Orifice]

So like you can predict when you're 'in' a downswing? I've had downswings but unless I'm letting it affect my mental state I've never found myself 'in' one? (I think that would equate to bein' able to predict future outcomes & as far as I know this is simply not the case with poker).
'Taking a break' hasn't really been helpful for myself. Trying to keep things in balance has. Looking at things differently has. Seeking help/advice has.
I like Jared Tendler's stuff. Guy is awesome!

[Assistanc3]

When nothing is going right and your bankroll is in freefall the single most important thing to do …

Take time out to think – HONESTLY

Downswings - Poker Tips for Survival | 4king poker blog

[rayleb]

you mention hh's. what r you refering to?

[Logan]

HH´s mean Hand Histories.

[beanfacekilla]

How to deal with giant downswing
I usually have no trouble dealing with downswings. Even as a beginner, I understood how variance was a part of the game and it never really bothered me.

Recently, though, I've gone on such a downswing that it is really starting to affect me. I had just moved up to 10nl and things were going great when I got hit with a downswing sicker than anything I could even fathom before. Cooler, cooler, suckout, cooler, bad beat, cooler, cooler, card dead, cooler, suck out, card dead, card dead, bad beat, cooler, bad beat, suckout, cooler, cooler. Can't hit a draw to save my life. A in the flop every single time I have KK. We all know the story. I quickly lost all of the incremental progress I had made at 10nl, hit the red, and dropped back to 5nl. The variance did not stop. Cooler, cooler, suck out, cooler, card dead. Since then, over about 40k subsequent hands, I've dropped almost 20 BI at nl5, a limit that I CRUSHED for over 150k hands prior.

I can see it clearly affecting my game now. I've tried everything I know how to do to deal with downswings; first I tried to out-volume it, like I did with every other downswing up till now. That made it worse. Then I took a couple weeks off. The variance was waiting for me when I got back as I was quickly and brutally reminded of why I took a break. I reassure myself that it'll come back. It isn't.

What are some other ways that I can get back to playing my A game under the weight of this collossal swing?

My advice to you, find another hobby for a while. That much of a downswing would cause even a very good poker player to play differently. Stop playing for an undetermined amount of time. If you return, and things don't go well, stop again. Get your mind right before you return, and I am sure it will work itself out. But in the end, poker is a gamble. You are gambling when you are the favorite to win. But, sometimes, the favorite doesn't win. We have variance. But you did say "I had just moved up to 10nl and things were going great." This may be the problem. I am just speculating here, but I have a bit of experience at poker, and I think what started it all was switching to a higher buy in. I think you will find different play at different buy in levels. You moved up, got crushed constantly by suck outs and all that, and have since moved back down. But now, I think you just aren't playing or thinking right because of the downswing. Quit playing poker for a while, period. This is all my opinion based on a short post from you. But I have been through this stuff. Hope it works out for you soon. Peace.