How Do You Handle a Long Losing Streak?

Every poker player goes through downswings, but a long losing streak can really test your confidence and discipline.

When you hit a bad run, do you take a break, move down in stakes, study your hands more, or simply keep playing?

I'd be interested to hear how other players deal with downswings without letting frustration affect their game.

I think downswings probably affect cash game players more, at least that’s how I see it. In tournaments, I think it can be a little easier to deal with a downswing if you look at your results over a larger number of tournaments. Instead of focusing on one tournament or a few bad results, I would look at the positions I finished in and see if I’m regularly getting deep in tournaments. Even if I’m not winning, consistently reaching the later stages can be a good sign that I’m playing well. Of course, losing several tournaments in a row can still be frustrating, but I think tournament players can look at their overall results and use that to keep things in perspective.

louuu19 said:

When you hit a bad run, do you take a break, move down in stakes, study your hands more, or simply keep playing?

Click to expand...

A combination of all of this. Its a good idea to scale back a bit by playing less and/or lower stakes, and to spend more time studying, but stepping completely away from the game for an extended period of time is not a good solution.

if u losing why would u be playing? makes no sense

I try to step back and focus on the decisions rather than the results. If I notice frustration affecting my game, I’d rather take a break and come back fresh than try to win everything back in one session.

I will continue slowing down or taking a break until my bad luck runs out lol

Someone give us some really good advice