How to identify the problem,
Posted by masticlox
Posted by
masticlox
posted in
Mental Game
How to identify the problem,
1) Hello everyone,I have been playing poker for a year only to break even and mess up everything many times, tilting off my bankroll on 50NL 4-5 times, restarting database 6-7 times because i was feeling this is not representative of my actual game(tilted sessions,clicking buttons, making insanely bad plays that were even obvious for my tilted version, but i just click it anyway), and as i see things now, this whole year, i dont remember a single comeback session, it has to be something like 0,5% of the times that i started with -2-3 BI and i finished the session with a profit,i remember quitting sooo many sessions after losing 1-2 stacks even after 5-10 minutes of play, same goes for the opposite, starting good and finishing with a loss, it is like i am not self-aware of how results affect me.The time that i write this post i am thinking things like how can i even tilt, it makes no sense, i even want to make fun of me for being so stupid to tilt,but i have been thinking like this in the past and it just happened again out of nowhere,that is a bit of a worry i have in my mind despite feeling positive and optimistic right now, what do you believe i need to do to make sure it does not happen again or at least to handle it better for start,
2) I also need to study Poker and need a starting point cause i feel that i am not spending enough time outside the tables, of course i do watch regularly videos read some books articles, forums etc, but i feel like this is not...deep enough or something, There is one thing that i want to focus my study on for start actually, and this is my Button win/rate, throughout my "career" it has been always the same, from my first session on 2NL Pokerstars(just knowing that flush beats straight and full house beats flush :D :D) until now, no matter the stake(5,10,25NL) no matter if i was on my A+ or C game my Button has lower win/rate(BY FAR) than cuttoff and MP at least, sometimes, maybe most times and ep, it is like 30ish bb/100 difference than cuttof, even now that i took a break to clear my mind, and started from anew, being focused and playing as good as i can it is still the same(not big sample though), what do i need to do to identify what is causing this and improve it, i think i have to keep playing for now until i hit a good sample , after that?
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Hi Masticlox,
It's pretty clear in the first part that there are some mental issues going on there. It sounds like your suffering from something called Self Sabotage. When your conscious mind wants one thing but your subconscious mind is rebelling.Have you tried Elliot Roe? He is a poker mind coach as well as other sports psychology. His one on one coaching is quite expensive( no idea of your financial position) but he's always doing special offers on his MP3's, even though they're very reasonably priced anyway. And he has one specifically for tilting. I have listened to them quite often and they do really help with just focusing the mind and getting you relaxed and ready for a session.
As for the second part, your on RIO!! Have you not subscribed to the site? The $10 per month subscription is fantastic value. Are these videos not enough? Are you raising too much from the button? You don't have to raise every time, and it's ok to raise/fold occasionally. It's such an obvious play that players are probably playing back at you, whereas your EP and MP raises are getting far more respect.
Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck
Oh, thank you for your reply,i somehow missed that and came back here by accident.That self sabotage thing is pretty interesting and will look it up.Financial position is hard, plan is to grind some then invest on coaching etc.
How many hands did you play total?
Anyone can teach themselves poker. The learning path is more clear than it has ever been. When the dust settles mental game will be the thing that divides winners and losers in most cases (in fact it I am sure it already is).
Poker is a beautiful motivation to work on yourself as a human being. Good mental game is the biggest transferable skills of all.
I am rooting for you, OP.
Damn, I read my life here. I feel exactly the same.
Everytime you sit down. You have to tell yourself that you are ok losing all of the money at the table. Dont expect it to happen all the time, but be aware. takes some honest introspection. I lost 16 BI today in PLO without comitting any mistakes imo. Yet I was aware of the possibility before hand. I was more frustrated losing only 5BI at times, because I emphasized winning that daytoo much.
How I got rid of my tilt issues was basicaly realising that every player is going to face the same obstcles as you at some point. In that case it's several bad beats in a row, running into the top of the range etc.
An enormous part of your edge will be the difference between how you react compared to the rest of the player pool. If you can still make good decisions after few badbeats you are basically winning even though you're having a bad session.
I hope it makes sense but as some mentioned before - good mentality is they key. Try reading Jared's Tendler "Mental Game of Poker". So many useful advice there :)
As stated multiple times Mental game is a big part in beating this game and becoming a good player. I struggled at 25nl for the longest time due to Mental tilt issues.
Whats your bankroll like for w/e stake your deciding to play? Are u playing with a buy in amount that When you tilt from loosing 2-3 BI's in one day that it effects your mental game so much because you notice ur bankroll suffering and dont want to re-deposit.. If this is the case, up your Buy in amount for that level. Some people feel comfortable with a 20bi bankroll when playing micro/small stakes. Some are fine with 10 bi's knowing they can deposit back in with no issues. Maybe loosing 3bi's on a 20bi bankroll is too much for you? maybe u need to give ur self more of a cushion and have a 40+bi rule. These are questions you need to ask your self.
Players like Sauce, Mr. Galfond, Tyler, Teunuss, Mark lammers ect have all had their problems as well. They didnt just wake up one day and start crushing 500nl+.. they all started somewhere. And im sure most of them went through the same issues.
Stop beating yourself up if your upset with your progress - maybe this is why ur tilting, are u tilting because you want to be playing 200nl+ but now that u are loosing u half to work that much harder and are that much farther from reaching that goal?
You got to embrace and Love the process. Take one step at a time.. Even if its working on 1 concept a week.. Hands to play from the button, hands to defend vs diff bet sizes in the BB, 3Betting ect.. work on a skill every single week if u half to.. dont move past that skill until u feel comfortable and know it good enough that you can explain it to someone else as well.
Thank you for your reply, my bankroll rules are 20bi for 10NL and below, and i am not using the coinstars i always keep them as a backup.I can not deposit any significant amount, the (1st and minimal) reason i am here is to make enough money for paying rent and making the month alone so i can finish my university without being a burden to my familly anymore, time pressure is also huge,not meeting this expectation while i initially underestimated it as an easy task messed me up a bit i guess
Have u considered playing Live?
Im not to sure where your from or your financial/living expenses are but If you want to make money playing poker to cover rent.. playing 10nl online is going to be tough i think.
I try to play Live at least 1 night a week, and i use the winnings to cover my monthly car payment bill. It helps me out financially. few weeks ago.. i bought in for $300 in a live 1/2 game.. and in 2 hours flopped a couple big hands and i had a $1k Stack.. i got up and left.. Couple of the people were bitter but i didnt care. Wasn't going to sit there for another 6 hours with the potential of loosing it all.. I know its not the best plan of action, but im also not playing Live for a living or online for a living for that matter.. I made enough to cover the car payment bill i wanted with a lil extra. If the other players at the table dont like it.. Oh well thats their problem.
Greece, Live scene does not even exist i think,(100% not on my city,only illegal and might be with huge rake). Basic salary here is 550E, i can make it with 400ish per month easily.It is basically as simple as this, i F up with my studies, and familly is struggling financially,every month is like worse, so because i was a bad student they wont support me anymore and i will have to go to my hometown making it super hard to finish university(already is super hard cause i messed up), if i can make the 400/month i can stay here and make it happen.I know for fact that some Greeks make like 700+ from 10NL and they can never move up because they dont have other income and they withdraw their bankrolls everytime.
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