[jetra2]

So ever since I took $50 and ran it all the way up to over $400 playing 25c/50c NLHE on 'stars, cashed out $100, then had the cashout curse hit, once or twice a week I'd deposit $10 and play $3.25 turbos. I have not cashed ONCE in this whole time. So I'm down quite a bit, as you could imagine. I'm starting to have a bad case of mega-tilt happen when I'm playing online. I don't know what to do other than take $100 or so and bankroll myself properly for a game that I can beat. Something like 10c/25c NLHE cash?

I think I just need a hug!

Jason

[jamby]

Here's a big bear hug sent your way Jason. I hope it helps.

I'd suggest taking some time off and maybe reading (or re-reading) "Why You Lose at Poker" by Fox and Harker. It is a quick and enjoyable read and really is an eye opener at dissecting weak spots in a game - not so much a technical book, but a good read, practical and helpful.

Good luck.

[jetra2]

Here's my luck. Straight vs. Higher Straight for all my money. Sorry to ***** and moan, but this is ridiculous.

Thanx for the hug Jamby. I'm just going to take a long long break from online games and play live. At least I can pick up tells in live games.

Saw Flop | Saw Turn | Saw River | Saw Showdown | Won

PokerStars Game #10604675536: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2007/06/24 - 21:29:40 (ET)
Table 'Verbaandert' 6-max Seat #1 is the button

BiG BaLLiN Button - $1
jetra2 - $8.20
rm412 - $10
ErlendOye - $8.20
pistolizor - $9.05

PREFLOP ($0.05/$0.10)
jetra2 is SB with 7 8
ErlendOye raises $0.20 to $0.30, 1 fold, jetra2 calls $0.25, rm412 calls $0.20.

FLOP $0.90 (4 players)
J 9 3
jetra2 checks, rm412 checks, ErlendOye bets $0.50, jetra2 calls $0.50, rm412 calls $0.50.

TURN $2.40 (4 players)
J 9 3 T
jetra2 bets $1, rm412 raises $1.50 to $2.50, 1 fold, jetra2 raises $1.50 to $4, rm412 raises $5.20 to $9.20, jetra2 calls $3.40.

RIVER $22.50 (3 players)
J 9 3 T 5

SHOW DOWN
jetra2 shows 7 8
rm412 shows K Q
rm412 collected $16.35 from pot

Final Pot: $17.20

[_GUN_]

I'm in the mood for a long post, so here it goes. Don't begin this one, if you're not going to finish it.

knowing nothing about you or your poker ability, I'll give you some suggestions on how to keep things fresh and how to protect your bankroll a bit.

1-don't call a gutshot and then jam the pot with sucker straight, when it hits

2-if you can turn $50 into $400, then find better games

3-don't play $3.25 turbo SNG's, they're a crapshoot, you don't get many chips, the blind structure sucks, the players are horrible and you can't consistently cash without amazing fortune. I've tried to make cash playing SNG's and it just doesn't happen. You limp with 44 and a guy with AK raises to 1250 with the blinds at 25/50, you can't call. You flat-call with JJ and hope to spike a set, because you know your opponent can't fold any A8 or KQ type hand, to a reraise.

flop comes 9-4-3 rainbow, your opponent bets 400 at a 300 chip pot, you reraise all-in for your last 975 holding JJ, your opponent insta-calls with A8o and spikes an ace on the turn

when you play against beginners, you aren't playing heads-up flops, you are playing 4-way flops, 6-way flops, you cannot consistently out-flop 4-6 players and build a chip lead in a turbo setting.

4-how about $5 heads-up matches? in heads-up play, all of a player's weaknesses are exposed 10x faster than in full table action. watch some of the pros play heads-up in the NBC event, watch the Poker Superstars with Chan vs Todd Brunson and go out chopping people's legs off left and right.

5-how about $5 18-player SNG's, better pay-outs than single table action, win a couple early pots, establish a tight image, then loosen up, steal some pots and coast your way into the money

5-how about learning a game besides hold'em, PLO, 2-7 triple draw (just read SS2)

if you mix up your games, you'll become a better all-around poker player and things will feel fresher.

6-play limit poker. it is harder to chase people out in limit, but a tighter, smarter player certainly gets rewarded in limit poker. limit hold'em, limit Omaha high-low, limit 2-7

I began as a hold'em player like many players here. I progressed to PLO, because I liked the action better. I then moved to Omaha-eight and then 2-7 triple draw. Playing other games made my hold'em game better and it prevented me from burning out on it. There have been countless times when I've been running cold and I switched games to slow down a bankroll slide. You might have a month where you can't beat anyone in one game, but you can't lose a pot in another game.

If you play limit, when you get cold, you won't have to worry about some of the big swings of no-limit hold'em.

The main suggestion I have for cold players, take a break! If you begin to believe you can't win, you won't win. Take 24hrs off, play one SNG and if you don't cash, take another 24hrs off. If you run cold, just take a couple days off and then come back recharged. I recommend reading poker strategy books, when you're running cold. If you feel like you've learned something and have a new angle on the game, you might stop worrying about your recent fortune, and then come back with confidence for your matches. Taking time off and reading strategy to recharge and to grow as a player has been a big help for me. Sometimes you may not be able to fix the cards, but if you can fix your head, you can get back there and compete better.

[monkeydog]

Originally Posted by jetra2

So ever since I took $50 and ran it all the way up to over $400 playing 25c/50c NLHE on 'stars, cashed out $100, then had the cashout curse hit, once or twice a week I'd deposit $10 and play $3.25 turbos. I have not cashed ONCE in this whole time. So I'm down quite a bit, as you could imagine. I'm starting to have a bad case of mega-tilt happen when I'm playing online. I don't know what to do other than take $100 or so and bankroll myself properly for a game that I can beat. Something like 10c/25c NLHE cash?

I think I just need a hug!

Jason

My two cents...you are playing WAY above your bankroll...stick to .10/.25 until you have at LEAST $750. I ground my $50 up to $750 playing first .05/.10 then .10/.25, then took a shot at .25/.50...went up to $1060 in week, then dropped 6 buyins in three days, almost always in when ahead, i.e had AA cracked by 88, AA cracked by KK and AA cracked buy A10s, all of them all in preflop! I puked then dropped down to .10/25, grind it back up, take a shot, (lost to quads THREE times on Friday night!), drop back down. When you play within your bankroll you have more confidence, you are not worried about going BUSTO and you can play your game that got you up in the first place!

P.S. I hope you have rakeback...sometimes the only comfort is knowing that at least you are getting something back!

[monkeydog]

Also, how long is your losing streak? I played through a 12000 hand break even stretch at one point...thank god for rakeback and bonus!

[dad604]

Variance/losing streak can be much longer than most people think they can be. I have know quite a few local pros that had losing streak that lasted over 6 months and more with figures in the 100k mark. You just have to regroup and look at your play and make sure that you are not doing things different and play thru it.

[Button Potato]

Originally Posted by jetra2

How to handle long long bad streak?

Grey Goose and your favorite juice mixer...

[jamby]

LOL. Best answer yet!

Originally Posted by Button Potato

Grey Goose and your favorite juice mixer...

[Chipmunk]

I'm really sorry to hear about your bad streak I hope it gets over quickly. If its any consolation I just started playing cash games and have been running hot at NL5, tried to move up on a small bank roll but suffered a few horrible beats and also played a lot of hands very poorly. I haven't gone busto, since I swallowed my pride and went back to NL5.

A few things I noticed when moving down:
1. I don't play with scared money - I can buy in for the full amount since I'm more confident in my play and think I'm a very good player at my level.
2. Although I wasn't even properly rolled for the lower level I don't need to fear going busto on a few bad beats - which makes it so much easier to smile when the nuts get cracked by a gutshot
3. I've noticed a lot of faults in my game, which I'm trying to fix. These faults however don't cost as much at a lower level.
4. Instead of -14 BB's/100 I now have +48/100 which makes my roll grow and gives more confidence. (very small samples though)
5. Playing at a level that I easily beat makes me a lot more confident about my play, and I'm looking forward to trying to move up again

So, maybe you should try beating the lower limits for a while? Something like $30 should be enough if you just play the NL5 game, and when you have your confidence back you could move to bigger games. And I don't think $100 is a good bankroll for NL25. I agree with monkeydog that playing above your bankroll is bad. Even if you can beat the games bad beats suck so bad when they take a quarter of your bankroll.

Originally Posted by _GUN_

3-don't play $3.25 turbo SNG's, they're a crapshoot, you don't get many chips, the blind structure sucks, the players are horrible and you can't consistently cash without amazing fortune. I've tried to make cash playing SNG's and it just doesn't happen.

I disagree. I played from $3 freeroll money starting with $1+0.20 SNG's until I had $7 to start playing $2+0.20 turbos. Then grinded those until I had $50+ so that I could play regular $5.50's With a mixture of $2 turbos and $5 regulars I got to over $100.

Its useless to apply conventional poker wisdom at that level, like isolating players. You just need to adapt to their play and exploit their weaknesses.

The small turbos ($2+.2) are a donkfest, and there are a few strategies I use to beat 'em. One is to limp every hand while the blinds are low. Your implied odds are huge when a lot of people will push the flop with an overpair or top-pair. I think my record was taking out 3 people on the first hand when I called with something like 68o and flopped the nut straight (callers showed top pair, over pair and two pair). I only raise on the early rounds pre-flop with AK, JJ+ The reason being that if I'm for instance on the button and try to raise out 5 limpers then a few will call the bet and someone will push all-in, which I can't call since there probably will be others joining in.