Live Downswing (11/5/2010)
Friday, November 5, 2010 at 2:26PM It's gone from a really bad week to a straight up downswing live. I am really not happy with myself right now. From 10/3-10/29 I won 15 out of 16 live sessions for +$2,048. During the last 5 sessions I've lost 5 out of 6, now down -$362 in that span. That includes bleeding an unthinkable -$265 last night, which was my far my worst live 1-2 result EVER. How did last night happen? One really bad mistake, combined with running like shit, mixed in with pushing small edges to aggressively.
Starting off the night I made a really stupid mistake and was stuck -$150 (a full buy in) within the first hour. I stacked off with top pair jack ace kicker against an opponent I really didn't know much about. He had the set. In any other live sesion I would have given up my left nut before I stacked off to this clown with a top pair. But when it rains it pours.
As if it wasn't bad enough that I really have been running atrocious, combine it with a mistake like that and it's over. I think there are four factors contributing to my current misery:
Played last night after Drinking.
Before I played last night I went out to dinner with a girl and had half a bottle of wine. This is usually nothing, but it was by far the most I have drank in the past month. After the dinner I headed over to the casino. From the get go I was really not in the right state of mind. I had a splitting head-ache during most of the session. Also I came in with a sort of gun-slinging idiot mode. The play with AJ was completely unacceptable and I have every reason to be disappointed in myself for making it. From here on out if I want to go out and drink a decent amount I will take that night off from playing. Also I sort of like the girl, but can't act on the feeling because of the situation which complicated things more. So I had a lot on my head when I first started playing. I should not have even walked into the casino last night.
Live 1-2 is Not Online Poker.
It's not even close. I noticed my live results have plummeted since I started playing online Monday-Wednesday each week. There are very distinct differences. I've been ignoring these differences, trying to aggressively push small edges, and unnecessarily losing plenty of moderate pots. This is NOT how you win at 1-2 live. I think this is really contributing to my downswing during the last 25 hours. So going forward I have to get into a different mindset playing live. There are some specific adjustments I will be making for the remainder of this weekend. STOP PLAYING 1-2 like online low stakes.
I'm Over-Working Myself.
It doesn't feel like it, but I have been. I've been working out some, eating decent, and getting rest. However, I have now played poker the last 12 days straight. My obession to get off to a strong start may turn against me. I should have taken off last night, serves me right.
Running Really Badly.
Not one set flopped in the last 38 hours of live play. This has got to be some kind of sick record. But my opponent's sure haven't had trouble hitting tons of sets looting moderate pots from me. When you run this bad you want to push small edges, use your skill, and get back on a good track really fast. Unfortunately, this is not how you grind out a solid hourly rate 1-2 live. Like last night with the AJo hand when I was probably buzzed as well. Ok top pair jack in a 4-5 way pot. Bet $35, one caller. Turn is a scare card king. Bet $50 (HUGE MISTAKE LIVE). This isn't fucking online. It's now a check fold hand at best. Ok he calls again. River BET $50. Now it's just gone from a huge mistake to complete stupidity. Of course he puts me all in for $20+ more and shows the set. Of course the most annoying fucking dimwit on the table and I paid him.
This has been a really bad set-back for me. I guess it's better I ran into now rather then dropping $2,000 at 2-5 or whatever. I can recover from a -$50 loss in the past 38 hours. Well I'm going to do all in my power to stay focused and get back in the right mind-set. I have a long weekend ahead of me.
I've made more off the stock market this week then I have with poker, which is really embarrassing. Let's uh make sure that's a fluke.......
And here I thought investing in stocks was by far the most irresponsible thing I was doing with a portion of my money.
Reader Comments (4)
Bags, it's good to be critical of one's self but don't let this short run of variance knock you off your mental game. I completely agree that 1-2 NL live is an entirely different animal than online at comparable stakes. It is good you can clearly see that. Also, yes, playing after drinking is not +EV. Finally, yes, you should take care of yourself. You are a solid player but if you are not properly rested, not eating well, not mentally focused, etc. you forfeit your edge and become only slightly better than the competition. That is not a recipe for long term success. These are challenges that every serious player faces so make the right decision and do what is necessary to sustain yourself - both physically and mentally. You have come too far to be knocked off course by these minor leaks. Discipline, my friend, discipline. Good luck this weekend.
Also, check out all the young guns at the ME Final Table this weekend, that could be you in year or two if you work hard.
Oh yeah, about stocks. You only profit when you sell so anything that happens until then isn't really a profit - only a potential profit and one that can slip away as easily as it was made. Be careful.
Hey man enjoy checking up on the blog from time to time. Do you have have skype, aim, or e-mail me your e-mail address so we can get in contact.
I definitely think you are being to hard on yourself. I have spewed a lot more than that at 1/2. Also I was wondering when/if you will be moving up to 2/5. I think you will find it plays the exact same and you can make more money. But obv the swings can be more. I also recommend that you scoop the book Peak Performance Poker as it addresses a lot of the issues you talk about in terms of being live +ev and how to get the best out of yourself and body.
Lucypher,
I have to be critical of myself. No one else is going to do it for me. I’m alone, not that I’m complaining. I’ve wanted it that way. But I am my own coach. Yes the drinking was a stupid mistake. A month ago I could have drank two bottles of wine and not be phased. It’s easy to forget your tolerance is way down once you haven’t drank a month. I still think I’m taking care of myself well. Just have to keep disciplined here. Last night at least I profited even know the nightmare continued. I’m going to have to get used to grinding out small profits in 10 hours without getting dealt AA once, and without flopping a set one time. When you run bad things are going to look stupid on a short term profit perspective. I don’t have a lot of money in stocks. Maybe 7k from my savings or whatever. I do research and have stop losses on every single stock I own. If the stock goes down to -8% or so I admit I’m wrong and cut my losses. I also generally sell when I’m up 20-25% unless a particular stock is skyrocketing during the past few weeks. For example I own LVS, that’s up 20%+ in a week so it has different rules. When it comes down to it I’d pull the money out for poker if need be. I figured it’s just a good time to get knowledgeable rather than having 10k+ sitting in cash that I will never use. I still see the stock market as legalized gambling. It blows my mind that such a thing could be legal and not poker.
Wb,
You can email me anytime at baglife@gmail.com. I follow your blog still, but I don’t comment because I don’t like logging in with either of my gmail accounts. I wish you would change that setting. I talked about when I will be moving up to 2-5 in a previous post. I basically wanted to clear +$5,000 in profit on the 1-2 tables before I began mixing in 2-5. Right now I'm up around +$3,500 even with the shitty Thursday I had. Once I hit $5,000 I will immediately begin buying in $200 during each 1-2 session in preparation for the transition mixing in 2-5 heavily. When I’m at the $6,000k mark I’ll get in 2-5 as much as possible. I agree the skill level is the same and you can make more money (I’ve played 2-5 before). However, I want to prove my worth before I move up even if I want to throw myself through a window sometimes. Also the variance is much greater at 2-5 because you risk so much more. IT takes a LOT of discipline to grind out that amount on 1-2 and it’s important that I prove to myself that I have that discipline. Thanks for the book recommendation.
-bag