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#1
03-14-05, 08:52 PM
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Emotions + Poker = ?
so i had a question for everyone, about how their everyday lives affect them when they sit at the table. it seems to me that when i'm in a really upbeat mood all my draws are hitting, im making good money, and life is good. when i'm having a bad day it seems like nothing goes right. even when i feel myself a bit on tilt i always stop myself and say "look just sit back and wait for the cards," and they never come. does anyone else feel this way?
for example...i just broke it off with my gf of about a year now because i found out she was a "busy bee." i have lost about 1/5 of my bankroll in the last 3 days, and i finally decided to stop. i don't think i'm playing any different, but it just seems like nothing is going my way. i'm not playing above my limits, i'm not chasing draws without proper odds, and i'm not coming into pots with marginal hands.... it almost seems like the cards know when you're having a bad day and just wanna kill you. |
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#3
03-14-05, 09:24 PM
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Phil Gordon advises to H.A.L.T. playing poker when you're:
Hungry Angry Lonely, or Tired I'm not sure if "hungry" refers to food, or metaphorically hungry for a win. Either way, I always find that the mood I'm effects how I play. It's hard to play when you're totally 100% satisfied with life, because that's hard to come by ... at least for me. With the girlfriend breakup, that's gotta be rough. Maybe take it easy for a while... or drop down a limit until you get your head straight.
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#4
03-14-05, 09:27 PM
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well the question is am i really playing worse or am i in a bad run of cards? it always seems like its a bad run of cards when im having a bad day though, so i guess they do coincide, even though i don't think i'm playing any different (maybe a call i wouldnt make normally, etc). i'm interested in hearing how everyone else deals with this type of thing.
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#5
03-14-05, 09:58 PM
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With the girlfriend thing, whenever i get in an argument I am always searching for a way to feel better and winning money helps with that. But it doesnt happen, and I feel as though it is because I am angry, looking for a win, and generally not in the state of mind for poker. I dunno, when I have 99 problems but a bitch aint one, poker is good and winning happens. Otherwise, I feel bad for you son.
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#7
03-15-05, 12:26 AM
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the cards couldnt care less
I think you realize that the cards have no idea what kind of day you are having. I am sure it seems that way when your day is going bad - we have all felt that way. And there might be days where you have a bad day and also happen to have a bad run - but they don't coincide. Coincide and coincidence are different. What i would think would coincide is the bad day with bad play. And i am sure its not playing 'bad' the way we normally think of it. But, little things (i catch myself doing this) - like maybe playing that Ax suited in early position, chasing when the pot odds say you should fold, bluffing when you KNOW the guy has you and your beat, re-raising with a strong second-best hand that in your heart you KNOW is second best, etc.... Just little things that add up to a big bet here and a big bet there. You are having a bad day - so you remember the missed draws and the suckouts and attribute those to the bad day. Then the anger and frustration builds, and mabye another one or two small mistakes are made.
When i am steaming from a bad day personally or from poker, i usually sit in a cheap Multi-Table tourney, or maybe one or two cheap sit n go's. That slows me down, i still get my 'poker fix' and if i play poorly, i just loose my small buy-in. Other suggestions - go WAY down in limits and play your angry poker. If you normally play NL for a $100 buy-in - go to one of those NL games that have the $.05/$.1 and play like a maniac. Take your aggression out - 'bust out' five times and you are down five bucks. Or take the night off and read poker books. OR take the night off from poker altogether - as crazy as that might sound to some of us! Last edited by PokerNovice; 03-15-05 at 12:27 AM. Reason: entered wrong amount for NL example |
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#8
03-15-05, 12:35 AM
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yeah i see what you mean by slowing down and shit, and i obviously know its not the cards that are actually against me, more that it seems like the universe is completely against me on those days. no winning for you man, no winning.
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#9
03-15-05, 01:07 AM
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i hear ya
Dont worry - i ahve felt that way 100 times over. If had read this about a week and a half ago i would have typed in something like "YES!! THE UNIVERSE IS AGAINST ME TOO!!! THE CARDS HATE ME!! THE DEALERS HATE ME!! I HATE ME!!!" We all go through it - and we all feel like there is a conspiracy against us. I didnt mean to lecture - i am sure i will need the same pep talk within a month or two.
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#10
03-15-05, 02:08 AM
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What does make a difference
I don’t find my mood impacts my play, but what I do know is a leak is if I play when I’m tired. One of my most embarrassing moments at the tables was in Vegas after only a few hours of sleep. I cap the river, flip my cards, and it isn’t until the dealer pushes the pot the other way that I realize that my Q high straight isn’t any good if it doesn’t include a 10.
I’ll sometimes play late into the night online, which I can do on automatic pilot pretty safely. But I’ll never play a live game unless I’m feeling reasonably sharp/rested. |
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#11
03-15-05, 03:43 AM
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well the good news is today i decided to play that $1 buy in tourny, yknow, aggression poker and i ended up cashing, 33rd out of 2104. however, small investment = small payout, a smashing 7.37 earned on the night. TAKE THAT POKER GODS!
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#12
03-15-05, 03:51 AM
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Heh, on that note I played in a $1,250 Players Club freeroll at Party last night. About 4 hours (so many breaks!) for $12.50 after barely squeaking into the money.
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#15
03-15-05, 12:47 PM
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