Saturday 14 April 2007

Apr 14 : Playing Pretty Badly ($686 : Down $17)

Played in two distinct sessions today - largely playing badly in both.

The only consolation is that even though I played badly today, I only lost $17 over the course of 15 games (total buy-in cost $330, Winnings $313). I suppose it some consolation - the downside being I am on an 8 game losing streak that I haven't yet broken.

SESSION 1

After a competent start in the first game, my play deteriorated horribly. I couldnt find any rhythm at all in my play - couldn't get "in the groove" at all, and my play slowly deteriorated. I stopped weighing odds, outs, etc, and strated calling and coin flipping like the fish of old. That embarrassing fish is still in there, ready to come out when my head isn't right. Its days like today that I'm glad I don't play cash games - I would have lost plenty today in that format.

Unfortunately for my opponents (and for my own poker development) I wasn't punished, as the river rescued me on several occasions from my bad plays. The last game in particular I had 3 massive bluffs called, but miracle river cards saved me, including the winning hand in the last game where I hit a straight on the river after going in with not a whole lot.

RESULTS
Games Played
3 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater Speed)
plus a few hands in a micro-limit cash game
Wins
3 money finishes, 2 non-money finishes
2 Wins (6 Seater), 1 x 2nd (6 Seater)
+ $1 gain in the cash room
Bankroll
Cost of play $110, Winnings $193, Net Gain of $83
Bankroll up from $703 to $786

I was playing so badly in the last game (which I won) that I turned chat off for the first time ever! I didn't want to hear from the other players about what a donk I was - I knew it. I know how steamed I get sometimes when I am playing an idiot being rescued by miracle cards, so I decided to duck out of the vitriol I am sure was pouring my way.

Funny old game, isnt it. I made a very respectable profit of $83 in that session despite making numerous horrible plays in big pots. On other days, I have played really well, and gone on 8 or 9 game losing streaks. The short term variances can make you disbelieve probability theories sometimes.

Interestingly, I didn't derive any pleasure from the money I won in that session (well not much anyway). It is not enough to compensate me for the feeling of being such a fish for couple of hours. I am hoping that this is a sign of improvement in itself - that I can see beyond the short term results, and realise that the way I played is losing poker in the long term.

Also disappointed that I didn't walk away early in the session. I knew my concentration wasnt there today. Gotta learn to leave the tables when I know that because of tiredness / laziness / the stars being out of alignment, that there is no chance of me getting "in the zone".

I got away with it this time. But in the long run, that session represented the play of a losing poker player. And I don't want to be that any more.

In the long term, you really get what you deserve in poker.

SESSION 2
Took a few hours break, and came fairly refreshed, and started playing well again, with money finishes in the first 2 games. However, this was not a sign of things to come as I embarked on an 8 game losing streak that I failed to break by the end of the session.

RESULTS
Games Played
5 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Standard)
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
1 x $22 SNG (Heads Up)
Wins
2 money finishes, 8 non-money finishes
1 x Win & 1 x 2nd (6 Seater)
Bankroll
Cost of play $220, Winnings $120, Net Loss of $100
Bankroll down from $786 to $686

I wasn't playing as badly as the results suggest - I was actually playing fairly well, but one of those "cold deck and bad luck" sessions where nothing goes right. Poor hole cards, missing flops with the decent hole cards, bluffs/continuation bets never believed despite a tight table image, and coin flips going against you. Feels like running through custard when you hit this sort of streak.

However, looking at my stats, the big mistake I made was moving away from my best game - having lost a couple of 6 seaters, I started playing the 10 seaters (including speed games) which I statistically do a lot worse at. With no better luck here (no surprise), I even tried a heads-up game to try to break the streak. I completely dominated and outplayed the guy - three times getting to a 3:1 chip advantage and getting the money in with even-money coin-flip opportunities, and losing all three flips.

The state of mind that comes over you in these sorts of sessions is very bad - you just KNOW those flops are going to miss you. Its like your hole cards and the table cards are entirely different species, unwilling to connect to each other. AK ? Worthless, you know neither will hit the board, and you are faced with only a bluff to take the hand, and you are surrounded by calling stations.

Or your timing is completely awful - you raise with something and everyone folds. You raise with nothing and everyone calls. Its hard to keep a clear head and stick to your normal game, but I am trying.

Lessons Learned
  • Some days, you get out of bed destined to play badly. Go and do something else.
  • Some days you will go on losing streaks that owe as much to bad luck as bad play - don't let your play deteriorate along with your luck, as this only compounds the problem
  • When on a losing streak, I should stick to my core game - namely tight aggressive play in 6-Seaters.. I have LESS chance of breaking a bad streak by going on the 10 seaters, especially the speed ones, where I appear to suck, relatively speaking.

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