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Advice please.
CraigSG1
Member Posts: 1,831
in Poker Chat
Hi all,
I feel stuck in a rut. I know I am running badly, losing a lot of important pots when in very good situations and convinced I run bad at 50/50 races I have kept score since the start of this year (currently 34 wins v 65 losses) to prove that fact. I also know I am not playing at my best, sometimes quite terribly actually. Too often tilting and getting sucked in to the mentality of "how come others are hitting draws/playing bad cards and winning big pots/getting hand after hand" etc. I realise I am doing it yet can't stop my self. Its made harder as I do suffer from some mental issues. Sometimes I can control it and other times I can't and there is no warning, sometimes I can laugh it off and others just send me spiralling.
I am still managing to eek out a small profit but I just can't seem to find a way to go back to my old self. Ive tried having a break, playing basic and even dropping down a level. Not sure what else to do.
Im keeping basic profit/loss records but should I try to keep more detailed ones to see where I'm going wrong. Is it all mental? Ive been toying with keeping a diary on here to express myself and help talk it through and being brutally honest.
Any other ideas?
I feel stuck in a rut. I know I am running badly, losing a lot of important pots when in very good situations and convinced I run bad at 50/50 races I have kept score since the start of this year (currently 34 wins v 65 losses) to prove that fact. I also know I am not playing at my best, sometimes quite terribly actually. Too often tilting and getting sucked in to the mentality of "how come others are hitting draws/playing bad cards and winning big pots/getting hand after hand" etc. I realise I am doing it yet can't stop my self. Its made harder as I do suffer from some mental issues. Sometimes I can control it and other times I can't and there is no warning, sometimes I can laugh it off and others just send me spiralling.
I am still managing to eek out a small profit but I just can't seem to find a way to go back to my old self. Ive tried having a break, playing basic and even dropping down a level. Not sure what else to do.
Im keeping basic profit/loss records but should I try to keep more detailed ones to see where I'm going wrong. Is it all mental? Ive been toying with keeping a diary on here to express myself and help talk it through and being brutally honest.
Any other ideas?
Comments
Is there anything else you like doing which occupies your mind? Physical activity?
The diary idea sounds good. People on here are willing listeners/readers as you know.
Is it worth knocking the profit/loss records on the head so you can just focus on playing?
Any other ideas?
Check out this book:
'Peak Poker Performance: How to Bring Your 'A' Game to Every Session
by Patricia Cardner and Jonathan Little' for working on mental game issues, it has written tasks to help you work out tilt triggers etc and aload of other useful info.
Keeping score of races, wins/losses isn't a great idea imo just having that figure in your mind going into a session is going to make you think you're already 'running bad' and could negatively affect how you play in certain spots i.e not bluffing a river because you assume oppo has got there etc. I'd completely scrap this and go into every session with a 'fresh' mindset, plenty of apps you can use to help with this, personally i use primed mind but could be as simple as spending 5 mins pre session on your own just making sure you're not already in a negative state of mind before you start playing.
Don't determine your success by monetary results compared to the past , you could quite easily of been heatering in the past making you believe your skill level is higher than it actually is and now your results are more accurate or vice versa and you've just been running below ev, depending on volume and game selection is aload of variables that could be affecting how much money you're making (games got tougher, players adjusting to how you play etc) . As long as you're rolled for the games you're playing and don't need to be withdrawing constantly for any reason just focus on playing, studying, working on mindset, improving technically and the profit will eventually always follow if you have a skill edge. If you have a really large sample and not beating the games to a satisfactory level then i'd advise getting coaching.
In terms of your technical game spend time watching videos of players playing similar limit games to what you are currently playing and compare how you would play certain spots. Filming yourself playing and making a note of hands you think it would be useful to dissect is also a good technique that i personally prefer ( I use screencastify ) then you have plenty of time to think about what range oppo has, why he would play the hand in a certain way how he perceives your range etc and can apply that to your thought process in future sessions. Finding someone who is playing similar limits to give you another perspective on hands is always useful as well, probably find people on two plus two looking to improve you could setup a skype study group with or just ask players on sky if they'd be interested or just post hands on the forum.
I see posts like this a lot where people cant get back to 'their old self' at the table. This is usually because they are simply running worse now than they did in the past, and aren't doing as well so assume they're doing stuff wrong and have lost their mojo.
If your struggling with emotional control, leave the tables when it gets too much and do something else. Changing your game style to adjust for running bad usually perpetuates the problem by making you play a less profitable style, especially if its a radical change. Dropping down stakes is a more reasonable adjustment. You should play a default strategy that you tailor to the opponents your playing.
If keeping a diary helps you mentally do it, even if its just a personal one.
I would also recommend to be actively working on improving your game. Find players who are also keen on improving and discuss hands with them. Watch poker content online. Record the hand history of hands you were unsure about and save them on a word document, even if you won the hand, to look at after and consider posting them on the forum or discussing with someone else. Reading The Mental Game of poker could help your mindset. For a lot of people the mental side of poker is tougher than the poker side.
A massive percentage of poker players are convince they run bad, much more than would admit to running good. I think this is because nobody wants to admit they are a bad or losing player, so comfort themselves by maintaining a belief they're just unlucky. I don't know much about you as a poker player but often the best antidote to 'bad luck' is to keep improving your game. It's amazing how your 'luck' changes as you get better!
Actively work on your game and your results will improve.
Good Luck at the tables.
Would only add that I used to keep track of flips (and even kept an excel graph!) and was a breakeven player. When I stopped doing that and started working on my game instead my results improved - not a coincidence I don't think!
Walesboy - It has been a few one week breaks. I like to read and I go to the gym five times a week. I think I will do a diary, it has worked in the past and I'm open to ideas on what people would find interesting to read about. As for the profit/loss, I will keep that as it doesn't effect how I play other than show me where I do better.
Benc - I'll look at that book and you are right about the races thing. It sits there as an emotional crutch. All the other points I will look into, its just finding the correct information I need to help me. Maybe a strength and weaknesses chart and work on each?
I know I am a decent player, not as good as I used to be and thats because I have just played and not worked on my game in a long time. That has to change.
I will start a diary and as I stated above, let me know what you all think is interesting and I'll do my best.
Having a public diary helped before as it game me someone else 'accountable' to instead of myself.
And 100% agree that I do let what has happened before affect my decisions. 'Im ahead here more often than not BUT there was that one time he had it' etc.
just wondering also whether this is a recent thing? given the heat, are you getting enough sleep. if not could this be influencing your reactions and decision making? I know that if I am tired I play worse
Anyway, my advice would be:
Keep a written diary in addition to an online one. It's hard to be totally honest online with lots of readers.
Try a meditation app like Headspace. Also try Primed Mind.
Raise Your Edge has excellent free content on YouTube. Now obv the games they look at are full ring with antes on Stars but still it's relevant.
Listen to podcasts when you can. Poker on the Mind is a one that I enjoy; the Mindset podcast too with Elliot Roe and also try and get your hands on the Mental Game of Poker audiobook (can get it free on Audible if you are a new member).
Rail the winning players at your games.
Drink lots of water.
Have a routine before you start playing. Something to calm your mind. Don't allow FB/Netflix etc to be on the side when you are playing.
Let go of the idea that you are a decent player. Games change quickly; so much of poker is variance based.
Some off topic but extremely helpful reading: Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb, Visual Intelligence by Dr Amy Herman, Mastermind by Maria Konnikova, Originals by Adam Grant, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
You'll notice that most of my suggestions aren't actually about poker. While I do dedicate some time to studying, I truly believe that mindset matters far more. I would say that Headspace at about a tenner a month has probably made me £20k+ since I started using it daily.
This is also excellent advice, but imo particularly this:
Let go of the idea that you are a decent player. Games change quickly; so much of poker is variance based.
I'm hardly Justin Bonomo, but having played against you this week quick suggestion would be to try raising when you're first to act and have a hand you want to play, rather than limping? Could maybe try it for a week and see what differences you notice?
Fellow Hull boy here - UTT, etc...
Gl
And yes Angmar, I know to raise first up but I do have a method and reason. BUT! I have been misusing it a lot lately. Ive been doing things a lot on autopilot and not with reasons. I need to go back to my own method and also do what I used to do so well which was read the table and how certain players are playing and adapt. I stopped doing that.
Thanks everyone.
Thinking about it though I do need to raise more but also I need to raise bigger. Im getting caught up in the fact almost all my raises get called by at least two players and a lot of the time that leaves me OOP to at least one player.