First of all, cards are cards and this aspect doesn't affect me much. However, my decisions and my actions affect me and if I make a few bad decisions in a row I simply end the sessions and do anything else instead and I've got plenty of other things to do and for most I rarely find the time. If only the days were longer and life was infinite, If I play badly, I truly start getting angry at myself for not judging correctly in the moment and ask myself what is wrong in my mind.
I have developed a strategy to only play when I feel I'm fully aware of what's going and stop as soon as I notice I'm going off the plan. Can be minutes, can be several hours. If, however, I start playing out of other emotions, I limit my losses to two buy-ins and then take a few days off to get myself together. And yes, several times due to unexpected events, I felt down and should not have played at all. Thankfully, I'm not a complete nonce and I did not lose much and only played 2NL, so about 3% of my bankroll.
Poker as a job requires full awareness, planning, strategy, concentration. Otherwise, it's gambling and wishful thinking, which is more useful in lottery. So, my advice is to take time off, do ANYTHING else, review your hands history, review your plan of action and only then get back to the tables and try to win again. If it doesn't work, repeat. It takes time, a lot, and dedication, but in my own opinion, it's totally worth it. Millionaire or homeless, only time will tell. I'm happy either way, as long as there's no "micromanagement" in my life.
