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Originally Posted by CincyHorseplayer
I want to talk about handicapping factors that aren't about speed or pace or class but strictly about the bettor.Handicapping oneself and betting habits and the psychology of a player.
After yanking myself out of a losing streak late last year,an inexplicable run that damaged badly what had been a year of a 71% ROI for 10 months,I had to break down my each and every move and impose strict betting rules.Doing so I realized that my reality was getting too far removed from my philosophy.My temper was short and my aggression was too readily apparent.I was trying to force it.I had success to the point where I thought it was time to do business and through sheer force of willpower make a run.
I couldn't even talk about this a month ago.It was a learning experience albeit a very painful one.Instructive nevertheless.I broke down things into odds brackets,grading races,was influenced by the Optimal Position Sizing post on here and made that a point of focus to correspond to the race grades.Each day became less about wins and losses but in analyzing what I was thinking at a certain time.The process.Clearing up the going from point A to point B.If you have any advice about just the flow of playing,preparation,just having that innate sense of balance of gameplan and execution,I would be grateful.I have made a pact this year to not learn any new methodology but focus on what's floating around my head at every moment.I'm already becoming more efficient and making more money.But not quite there yet.
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Losing streaks are an inescapable part of the game, and the player must learn to effectively deal with them...if he intends to keep his bankroll (and his sanity) intact.
When one of these losing streaks presents itself, you have to ask yourself the following question:
Am I playing my "A" game, and sticking to my normal gameplan...or am I losing control and chasing my losses, thus turning a normal bankroll fluctuation into a possible financial disaster?
When in the middle of a losing streak, it becomes more imprortant than ever to be as disciplined and in control as possible with our bankroll...and our handicapping choices.
If you can keep your composure, and still stick to your normal gameplan in spite of the losing streak...then there is no reason to make any changes to your normal way of doing things -- because losing streaks are very normal in our game...and they often end as suddenly as they appear.
But if you find that you are losing control and starting to "chase" your losses, in order to get "even" quicker than is normally possible...then -- as Greyfox said -- a total break from the game is an excellent idea.
My friend...I want you to remember this:
Losing streaks play a very important role in our development as players...because they reveal to us how "mature" we really are...and how far we still have to go in order to reach the sort of self-mastery that this game requires -- if winning money is our prime motivation.
In this regard, losing streaks are not the "curse" that most players think they are; they are just a "test"...to grade our REAL advancement as players.
When I was first getting serious about online poker, I was often bewildered by the "bad beats" I would suffer...often at the hands of players much less "informed" than I was.
I sought the advice of a friend of mine, who was a professional online poker player...and who played in much bigger games than I did.
"How can I deal with these bad beats?"...I asked him. "I am playing against players much worse than I am...and yet I can't win a hand."
Instead of saying anything to me, he allowed me to watch over his shoulder as he played his own day's session...playing 4 tables of no-limit holdem at the same time -- at stakes 10-times my own.
I was horrified by what I saw...
Here was this high-limit professional player, suffering the exact same bad beats that I was experiencing...except he was losing THOUSANDS in the process -- instead of the insignificant (by comparison) amounts that these bad beats were costing me.
And yet, he wasn't disturbed by this in the least...nor did his gameplan change in the slightest because of this blatant display of bad luck. He played the exact same, selectively-aggressive game he always played...regardless of whether he was winning or losing.
I grew up a lot as a gambler that day...because I realized a very important thing:
We ALL suffer through bad luck in gambling...and the BEST players suffer much more than we do...because they bet a lot more money.
But they stick to their gameplan without deviation, because they have RESPECT for their "game"...and don't want to see it dragged through the mud.
A gambler's life is full of peaks and valleys, and there is nothing any of us can do about it...because it is out of our control.
The only thing we CAN control, is our REACTION to these violent swings of fate.
The best players are not perturbed by them...and they thrive.
Lesser players are tormented by them...and they perish.
And it's only fair, because how you handle adversity is the true measure of a gambler...and of a man, in general...
