Playing too much on losing streaks
Posted by Juan S
Posted by
Juan S
posted in
Mental Game
Playing too much on losing streaks
Hey guys,
So I have an issue where I end up playing way too much when I'm on a down swing. I feel this urge to just keep playing and notice that I'm making quick decisions in these sessions. I don't make any horrendous plays (I might call a bit too often), but I notice that quality of my overall play decreases substantially especially in small pots. Any suggestions on how to fix this leaks? Thanks!
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Have you read The Mental Game of Poker? If not, I'd start there.
Deep down you have a desire, a goal to book a winning session or to "get out of downswing". That is a foolish goal for many reasons. For one, the result of one session is mostly out of your control, and acting as if you have more control than you do ends up being a cause of self-sabotage. Another reason would be that if you put too much emphasis on one session, things get really stressful. That one session you're playing is not the only session you're gonna have. It's one of hunders/thousans, if you're serious about poker. And what comes to getting out of downswing, well first off, downswing is in a way an illusion. It's not a downward spiral we often imagine it is. Variance doesn't have memory. It's equally likely that you win/lose in a session after winning 10 buy-ins or losing 10 buy-ins (unless we let winning/losing affect our decision-making, which we often do).
Your goal should not be to win one hand or one session. Your goal should be to be(come) a good player in every hand and every session you play.
Winning < Being a winner.
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!
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