Disheartened

[muzzington]

What am I, chop liver?

[BigPete33]

Couldn't agree more with what everyone has already said.

Don't worry yourself with it Cazz, stuff happens, just sometimes it happens to you instead of them

This might be a good opportunity for you to get back to basics. Take a step back and say "sod what's happening with my game right now" and take the time to relax and go over the basic things again without rushing or pressuring yourself and you will probably see some new light on things you may have overlooked previously.

It's absolutely not worth stressing about, just relax and embrace it and then make something positive out of it.

Can't wait to hear about the winning streak you'll have.

[Bob B]

Hi JJ join the club hun. I'm sure a lot of us been there at least once and I'm sure we will be there again.

I found it was a matter of re-assessing what has changed since I started and what had made me fall into a slump can effect people in so many different ways.

Here's some simple easy questions to ask yourself.

Are you still enjoying the game as you had b4?
Do you still enjoy meeting up with friends?
Have you changed your game and it's effecting your results?
Are you trying too hard to be good all the time?
Do you think others may have a better read on you now?
Or is the competition better now than before?
Do you feel you being targetted because of your past performances?
Or is it just simply I need a break from full on poker like most of us have at one time or another?

From memory I think I joined NPL in 2007 when my now daughter inlaw said they have free poker where she works (Roulettes) and said I should go.

Initially Pub Poker was very new to me and although I had some really good returns online a few years previously live Pub Poker was a new frontier.

Initially it was a way of getting out of the house, having a meal with family and friends, enjoying the chat and catching up with old friends and making new ones etc, and the poker was a bonus.

Then I realised I'm not too bad at it and took the game a bit more serious than before. I start putting huge expectations on myself to try and win, win, win coz you're a good player and expected to win.

Well I was the bridesmaid heaps of times and never had a win until last year at the Wheatsheaf. Most people thought I had won heaps of times because of how I played and were surprised to hear it was one and only win.

You on the other hand have won many, many times. Either you were very good or just plain lucky or your competitors were the opposite. I'd like to think you are or were a good player having a bad run or maybe the competition has improved or you have changed your game.

Has your game style changed because you've started reading books, listening to tapes, watching poker related DVD's? Or even getting advise from others hoping to improve your game and tactics etc and found that it's effecting your natural ability to play good poker??

And now you find people are actually targetting you and calling or raising with rediculous hands and hitting 2 outers etc and finding you aren't hitting cards like you were and where's the fun in that?

You need to work it out for yourself JJ and decide what's good fo=r JJ!!!

For me, the fun is still there to some degree and I prefer to play the CBI games rather than the freerolls. I've stop playing 3 to 4 games a week and play 1 to 2 CBI games now and have started to play online with the 888 guys on Pacific Poker.

I realise that tis is another Bob B long winded post but that's me. I always like to draw on my experiences where I can rather than just offer you a basic try this suggestion.

Hope the above is of some help to you JJ and if you ever want to know what it's like to poor a few thousand into Black Jack and or roulette over a short period I have some great high and low stories for you.

[Nevah play JJ]

What am I, chop liver?

I am so sorry Muzz...
If you are chopped liver, you must be made of the most finest of liver around and you could go with a nice Chianti....

Your post must have been the reason I had to post mine again, I didn't see it, I appologise most sincerely..

AND THANKYOU!!!

[Nevah play JJ]

AK...
Thanks for putting that link on there.
Very interesting to watch, thankyou for the suggestion Krunchie.

[Bob B]

AHHHEMMMMM JJ cough cough

[Nevah play JJ]

BOB!!!
WOW... I never consider your posts long winded for the record and WOW it really hit some cords of what I was thinking.

Just to answer a few questions you asked:

Are you still enjoying the game as you had b4?
- Currently not so much
Do you still enjoy meeting up with friends?
- YES!! it is what brings me back when I am not sure I want to go through the bad beats and just bad run of luck
Have you changed your game and it's effecting your results?
- I think online playing has affected my game a little, so I stopped, but I don't know to be honest
Are you trying too hard to be good all the time?
- Yes, I hate not being in the points
Do you think others may have a better read on you now?
- Yes and no, I have been trying to mix up who I am playing with more often
Or is the competition better now than before?
- It seems to be more about luck now than previously, raggy hands being played, etc
Do you feel you being targetted because of your past performances? - Not really, not too sure to be honest
Or is it just simply I need a break from full on poker like most of us have at one time or another?
- I hate the thought of giving up a single night of poker, but possibly that is an answer worth considering

Then I realised I'm not too bad at it and took the game a bit more serious than before. I start putting huge expectations on myself to try and win, win, win coz you're a good player and expected to win.

This kinda hit home heaps because I sort of felt that way also and then I started to put more of my heart into each and every game.

Has your game style changed because you've started reading books, listening to tapes, watching poker related DVD's? Or even getting advise from others hoping to improve your game and tactics etc and found that it's effecting your natural ability to play good poker??

I definately believe online playing has changed my game play heaps. It is such a different style of play, just all in on nothing, push push push.

Maybe over thinking the game is causing more stress than it is worth..

And now you find people are actually targetting you and calling or raising with rediculous hands and hitting 2 outers etc and finding you aren't hitting cards like you were and where's the fun in that?

This is exactly how I feel about it!!! Just couldn't word it right.


Bob this was a wonderful help, it hit the cord in so many ways. I really appreciate the heart and words that went into this post.


For the record Bob, this message took ages and ages for me to digest and answer... I put heaps of thought into each comment you made!! I appologise for it taking so long to get to you...
However, thanks for your patience..

[Nevah play JJ]

Couldn't agree more with what everyone has already said.

Thankyou Pete.. I definately know that our chats have always helped with getting me to the point I got too...
I look forward to the same..

[Garth Kay]

Caroline,

I would like you to do something for me:

Each night you play (online or live) write down the details of the hand you were eliminated on.
Then post them on here.

I also would like to see you take a few days off from playing poker to just relax and stop worrying about the game, but that is for you to decide as an individual.

We all love this game but at times it can ruin our lives and take over, especially when we hit a slump and the bitch we call variance EMBRACES US! I think I can now recall Macca, Bob B and benny the cunt all posting an "I hate Poker and do I suck?" diatribe in a similar vein to yours.

The true skill in playing this game, and the real emotional strength that is required, is not to maintain discipline whilst you are a winning player; but how you handle the run bad moments in life. We all, as poker players, have down swings; you just have to ride through them.

I am probably the epitome of a run bad player, Nathan Butler loves nothing more to rail me simply because he has "never seen such a good player run so bad" to use his words.

Here is what I do:
1.) Monitor the amount of times I got it in good (and bad) to ensure that I am not helping variance rape me. No real hand details, just a notepad with two columns - GOOT and BAAAAAD and then I tick each column as determined by my play.

2.) Take a break from poker - I literally live, eat and breathe poker, more so than the rest of the general population, I do take extended periods of time off away from the game to enjoy life (enjoying life is watching ANYTHING on a big screen plasma right now and the occasional journey to chapel street for a nice dinner or lunch). I am lucky to have played three months of solid poker this year as I have taken a lot of time off as I do not feel the drive or the passion to throw myself back into the game.

3.) Stop playing so many hands and take notes on your opponents, use this time to asses opponent's playing styles and nature. Take the emphasis off assessing your own game and divert your focus into studying three or more key and regular opponents. You will find you will become more relaxed playing against these opponents as you will have accumulated intimate knowledge and information on them and therefore the tendency to spazz out is reduced. As well as the reduction in the stress you apply on yourself by diverting the your primary focus and attention away from your own game.

4.) Set your goals to a shorter time frame. I would suggest that one of your primary goals is to make the Semi Finals. Reduce your goals to nightly and weekly;
Easy goals to start off with: I want to outlast 10/20 players ---> then escalate to outlasting half the field ----> Points once per week -----> final table once per fortnight.

5.) While you suck at poker go back to the basics, play solid ABC poker without getting too tricky.

6.) And remember to enjoy the game, laugh, have fun, hang shit on yourself, talk up on storm; talk so much you would send Butler on tilt.

That's about all the help I can offer Caroline.
The rest is up to you - as a poker player and a person.

[BigPete33]

+1 to what Garth said.

That's some really solid advice there Cazz.