Running Bad

I have been playing poker for a few years now and have finally got
used to bad beats, I just shrug my shoulders and concentrate on
the next hand.

I wasnt always like this, a couple of years ago I would rant and rave and
throw things and swear and go on tilt and lose all my buy in raising
every hand, I am sure we have all done it.

But after your pocket aces have been cracked for the 100th time the
message finally gets through that if you play enough poker you will get
bad beats and you have just got to learn to accept them. The worst
thing I do now if stop playing for a while until I calm down, but it has
to be a really bad beat for me to even get mad these days

The thing I still find really hard to deal with is running bad. There I am
happily hitting every draw and even winning with pocket aces and everything is happy in the poker world....

Then suddenly it is as though someone has flicked a switch and I cant
hit a thing and lose to backdoor flushes and straights and anything else it is possible to lose to

Even when this is happening I know It will end some time but after a week of playing good poker and seeing all the money I have won disappearing it is so hard to take, even when things turn round and I start running good again I always know It will turn again.

I guess this is just the way things are in life as well as poker but I still find it hard to deal with and the older I get the harder it is to deal with, then again the older I get the worse my poker gets and that doesnt help:withstupi

I was just wondering how other players deal with running bad and does anyone have a magic poker formula or elixor to stop it happening, but seriously I would be interested in how other players cope with running bad?

I start setting limits on when to stop. If i lose 2 1/2 buyins on a session i stop. And start a new session after a half hour or so. And review all my plays on how i lost it.

Agree with when losing 2-3 buyins you must stop,but i dont start that day.
Think that waiting tomorow is smarter.

When I'm running bad I take a break watch tv or a movie then when I come back I review what I did wrong. And so far I learned you can't play every hand the same everytime.

ALL IN CLUBS said:

I start setting limits on when to stop. If i lose 2 1/2 buyins on a session i stop. And start a new session after a half hour or so. And review all my plays on how i lost it.

Click to expand...

thats a smart way to approach it. i need to be more disciplined on how i approach losing.

Also, changing the type of game can sometimes help. And tere may be a softer seat available.

thanks

I think the idea of stopping after losing 1-2 buy ins is a
very good idea

Well dont stop when you lose 1-2 Buy-ins .But stop after losing more than that. Like 2.5 - 3 . Because you can lose 1- 2 buy-ins easily with KK AA or any bad beat. But usually any more than 2 buy-ins and it seems to go all down hill from there..So when i start a session i look at my bankroll say $500.00 and playing .02-.05 nl Cash i write down on a paper my start $500.00 and my stop would be - $12.50 = $487.50 . I know they say dont look at cash but it has helped me to stop a session when i am on a losing streak. So the most i would ever lose in a session is about $12.50 at .02-.05 nl cash games.Hope this helps you Good luck..:icon_salu

thanks for your replys, there are some good ideas
for me to think about

cheers

:icon_salu

Take a walk, its just variance. You can't just play poker expecting your going to make money. You have to study your hands and know what you did wrong. Get a poker coach or something, poker isn't easy to learn if it was everyone would be doing it. The more money to lose the more experience you get as well.
Take a walk, take a smoke break, stop playing for the rest of the day, you need to know when to stop. Use bankroll management and you'll be fine. If you don't like losing money and if you hate losing then maybe poker isn't for you. You have to love it and have a passion for it.

After losing two buy ins I would take a break for awhile. Watch some tv or play some video games. Come back and review your hands that you lost with then try again!

Set a stop loss is def good idea...aniways the important key is know how to control yourself, and don't loose your temper.

I agree with the majority. I stop at 3-4 buy ins at worst (rare that it ever goes that far). The other day, I lost 3 straight buy ins. Took a little break, then bought back in, played and ended up ahead. If I had lost that buy in, I would've been done for the day. Definitely set limits, and definitely respect your limits.

Definitely take a break, like a 2 weeks or maybe a month. Read some books, also about poker if you want. Go somewhere or try to forget the poker world for a little bit.