You need to be logged in to your Sky Poker account above to post discussions and comments.
You might need to refresh your page afterwards.
Should I take a break until I'm in the right frame of mind?
shaun84
Member Posts: 685
I'd be interested to hear peoples opinions on my situation. I have a pain related illness so am unable to leave the house/bed and this has made me very short tempered and impatient lately. I think this has affected my game adversely. I have been on the longest downswing of my Sky Poker career and would confidently say it is impatients that has been the main cause. I seem to have no staying power and am always looking to rush which is never a good thing. Would the community suggest that I wait until I am in a better frame of mind and have my medication sorted out, or would you say that it could easily be a genuine downswing and that I should be trying to play my way through it? I personally can't decide and change my mind daily. Some days I think I am playing badly and other days I think its down to my mindset. Any thoughts would be welcomed.
Best wishes. Shaun the Villa fan in Bham
Best wishes. Shaun the Villa fan in Bham
Comments
Also, I believe you play mainly tournaments? Swings are massive in those, all you can do is make the right moves and come out the other side of the downswing.
The fact that you are seeking advice is power to your elbow and fully endorse scotty77's reply but also with one extra addition (not really the place for me to be posting this tho)....variety is the spice of life and your fun may come back by playing different varients of poker eg: omaha plo + hi lo, razz, stud etc; and mix it up with trying diff poker rooms.
We can all get stale playing nlhe and if you wish to contact me via fb for a chat pls do....as i can go into this in a lot more detail.....tc m8....Billy
This is much tougher on you than the rest of us because of your medical situation; if it was me I could just stop playing for a week and go off and do something else. I'd suggest dropping stakes and reducing volume until you clear you head and feel you're back to playing your best. If you haven't already read it I'd recommend 'The Mental Game of Poker', you'll find it very useful.
sorry to hear you are not feeling well atm.
hope things improve for you.
i think you are in a dificult situation.
as you are house-bound atm and poker should be the one thing
that should be helping you get through it.
and quite clearly it,s not.
my advise 4wiw,
and as the other guys have mentioned,
try something new.
it has worked 4 me in the past when i was running bad,and not enjoying poker at all.
i played some micro dym,s and never looked back.
also,
think about joining another site,
something i have done very recently.
(the one between 777 & 999)
i deposited £20,= $30, got $18 free 4 joining,
and am now up to $93.75 in just 2 weeks,loving it.
anyway shaun,
hope you manage to sort things out,
good luck buddy.
devon
also,
if you ever feel like a chat....
you are more than welcome to send a pm to me,anytime.
keep going,
and see you on the other side!!!
:-)
Thanks once again mate. You shouldn't have said that though as I'm likely to take you up on it.lol.
I´m guessing it is exactly now that you want to be playing, but unfortunately you won´t be at your best game either.
So lower the stakes - keep playing - you know that´s what you want to do, but make the money irrelevant. Upswing or downswing who cares - but you are still getting the satisfaction of making the hero call, repping the A, slow playing the AA whatever is your fancy. But you don´t need to worry about the bad beats etc.
So it doesn´t matter why you are having a downswing - just adapt your play in case it is your frame of mind.
Sorry you're feeling ill. Being bad-tempered isn't going to help. Are you just a recreational player? After all its there to be enjoyed. Balance is the key, i feel. Is there something else you've fancied learning to do. A musical instrument? Watercolour painting, that sort of thing.
I would recommend a book called The Mental Side of Poker by Jared Tendhler. it may put things into perspective so that you can see Poker as a learning experience. Why not keep a journal of your poker where you evaluate your hands the following day and see errors. This would lessen their annoyance factor as they have provided a learning point to add to your experience.
Why don't you write a diary on here with a challenge for yourself. Your attempts to conquer pain-induced tilt may help others. It doesn't have to be massive or involve large amounts of cash. The DYM ladder challenge that Yidette9 did seems fun or try the DTD Forum on a monday...its a good laugh though playing three tables was a killer for me as i've just been playing for 9 months.
Anyway, good luck for the future. I found when i experienced a particularly traumatic time in my life when my brother died 12 years ago that keeping a journal answering the question How Do I Feel? was a great help and very inciteful to me helping me to recognise how i was coping.
Good luck in the future. Do what you think is best overall for you at the moment. A break may rekindle yourlove for the game and, better still, introduce something new and satisfying into your life.
Cheers and best wishes.
Thanks for the response mate. I have been considering writing a diary on here for a while. My only concern was that people would think it was an attention seeking action. I am in the process of reading 'The Mental Game of Poker' by Jared Tendler and Barry carter. It is very interesting and I think after a couple of reads it will sink in.lol. Best wishes. Shaun the Villa fan in Bham
have you ever considered supporting a proper football team,
i don,t know ;man utd or chelsea or something!!!
i would be depressed if all i had was villa to support!!!
lol
:-)
devon
ps;only joking mate.