This blog first appeared on Poker Verdict in March 2006:
Life was so sweet last time I wrote. The joy of victory and the enjoyment of the spending spree and attention that had followed from winning the Big One on PokerStars (click here to see my blog about it) were still fresh in my mind. This year has started as 2005 ended with poker victories and profits flowing session in, session out.
With my bankroll swelling every week and confidence sky high, suddenly I found myself down to the last 20 in another big tournament with another decent chip count, a perceived edge over the opposition and a decent shot at another massive pay-day. As chronicled in my previous blog, things did not work out that day and my A-K got busted by J-10 all-in pre-flop for a huge pot. Still, I reasoned, it was another $7k in the bank, another decent performance and if I continued playing to the same level, the profits would keep rolling in. Simple logic, right…Well actually NO!
Less than four weeks later, I find myself on the end of a savage, sustained losing spree bought on by a run of cards the likes of which I have never witnessed before.
Those who know me and understand poker know that I am not one for bad beat stories. Similarly, when I lose, I do not typically bemoan my luck. Instead, I try to adopt a hyper-critical approach to seek out any small mistake I have made and learn from it. However, just to give you a picture, I am going to give a few examples of recent beats. Please note, I am NOT asking for sympathy, read on for your info/amusement only:
Multi-Table Tournaments
1) Early stages, I trick an opponent into getting all the chips in the pot on the turn with a board showing 4-4-3-7. I hold 10-10, he holds A-J. River card is an Ace. Odds: 6/1
2) Satellite for a big tournament, 35 runners, winner gets an $8.5k package. Down to last six. Raise from the small blind holding 7-7. Big blind makes a large re-raise all-in. 50% of all the chips in play are in the middle. I call, he holds 4-4 and flops a 4. Odds: 9/2
3) 200-runner freezeout. Top prize $21k. Down to 35. My aggressive image ‘pays off’ - I manage to get 90% of my chips in with A-K vs A-Q – first card to flop is a Queen. Odds: 10/3. Rebuild chip stack and get it all in with J-J vs A-6, opponent turns an Ace. Odds: 3/1
Single-Table Tournaments
These are normally my bread and butter and have bought me considerable riches over the last nine months. I tend to play two or sometimes three at a time. Over a typical post-work evening session this means playing around six games in the course of 2-3 hours. Prior to the start of this run, I had posted 16 out of 20 winning sessions.
Since this terrible run started I have posted seven out of eight losing sessions. I have finished one off the money in almost 40% of the games played. Many have ended with me losing a big pot having had the odds in my favour when the chips went in. Of course, some have been 50/50s or 60/40. However, others have been much more brutal. My personal favourites just from last night were:
1) Flop of A-10-4. Get it all in with A-10 vs A-Q – Queen on the River. Odds: 11/2
2) Flop of A-J-8. Get it all in with A-K against A-3 – 3 on the River. Odds: 8/1
3) Flop of 9-7-5. Get it all in with 8-8 against 3-3 – 3 on the River. Odds: 13/1
4) Get it all in pre-flop with K-K vs Q-9 – lose to a straight. Odds: 6/1
I think you get the idea!!!
Of course, I am not the only player to experience this type of run. As in so many other ways, poker is a microcosm of life itself. Just as sure as night follows day, periods of fortune or even-handed ‘luck’ at the table will be followed by periods when you can’t catch a break. In fact, the chances are that if you play poker regularly, you too are likely to suffer a similar spell, and when you do, you are going to end up asking the same obvious question that I am now, namely, what the hell should I do?
Some tips
• Read journals written by top players. They too go through bad spells. This helps you feel better and it also allows you to read their pointers on how they turned the corner (Many of the tips below have been borrowed from these types of journal).
• Play your ‘A’ game. It is easy in these circumstances to lose focus and to let your game slip which only exacerbates the problem. If you play at the top of your ability then you will minimise the damage and you will turn the corner quicker.
• Work on your confidence. Do not suddenly think you have become a worse player. You don’t become a bad player just because of a temporary swing, as the old adage goes: “Form is temporary but class is permanent”.
• Play lower stakes. This may help you to play with a greater freedom in turn restoring confidence and reminding you of the strong elements of your game. This can also help you to resist the temptation to start upping the ante to chase your losses – a recipe for disaster.
• Keep things in perspective. Maybe you are down for the week or the month, but are you up for the year? Were you up last year? Poker is not gambling, it’s a skill-game, and this can only be borne out by long-term records not short-term ups and downs.
• Take a break – It is all too easy to become stale and negative if fortune has deserted you. This only makes matters worse. Take a break and let the bad beat scars heal. Do something totally different that makes you feel good about yourself – some extra quality time with friends/family, some additional exercise, some charity work – whatever refreshes you, raises your spirits and puts poker in proper perspective
I am trying my own unique combination of the above ideas – I’ll let you know how I fare in my next update.
Bye for now,
David aka The Judge
8 March 2006
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