That Inevitable downswing...

[JDMcNugent7]

Ya, well we all talked about how i was runnin hot and how i should be ready for a downswing... well i'm on it - and its Insane.

Today i played the biggest pot of my life - got all my $$$ in with the Nut Set on the flop, to get busted by a 2 outer , KK on the river - for $11,000.

Yesterday I lost set to set twice, for 4.7k.

and the day before i dont even remember wut happened anymore, but i dropped 2k.

Today i dropped 9k - and if i didnt lose as a Huge favorite i could honestly be up about 9k. - It just proves how Insane Variance in poker can be - and how important it is to play within ur bankroll. (and wut a Sick game poker is)

My bankroll is still fine, tho not where it used to be, somehow im still up 10k this month...
My goal is to win 5.5k a month - and if i can do that i will hit my goal of 100k for the year.

I'm not getting outplayed at all and didnt go on tilt once, so i really dont want to, but I think I'm moving back down to 5/10 NL. The 10/20 game is good Money against the right opponents - so instead of playing whoever sat down, im gonna track down just the fish and still play Some 10/20 but build my roll back at 5/10.

[Robbr25]

That is quite the ambitious goal, 100k.
Just curious, is your job poker?
Or do you have another job?

[JDMcNugent7]

I dont like to say poker is my job, but i dont have another one so wutever u wanna say.

At the limits I play I think 5.5k a month is doable - we will see.

[Robbr25]

I like poker to much to play it full time.
Yes it is nice to make money off of it.
I make enough in my job so that poker is more of a hobby.
I just DON'T lose a lot of money in it.
If I win that is a plus.
My main goal is to become the best player I can be and have fun doing it.

[kkirk1329]

damn thats major downswing, hope your luck turns around

[Zybomb]

When this downswing was being discussed before i was tryin to find an old thread of mine where I was on fire for about 4 weeks straight, although at lower stakes (never higher than 3/6 NL) and remind you to be prepared for the downswing and remember "thats no limit". Keeping within your bankroll is key for dealing with this.

On the subject of higher stakes, the live game at the card room where I go to play 3 or so times a week is a 5/5 game which plays a little bigger than a typical online 2/4 or 3/6. Standard raises vary from 25-40 on average, sometimes going up to 50. The max buy in is 1000, but the average player buys in for 500-700 depending on the overall stacks at the table, but there is usually 10 grand or more on the table...pots can be several hundred or 1-2k at times as well....

I think an online 5/10 would play a little bigger than this game, but not THAT much....so I'm probably going to give it a shot sometime in the near future (probably once I get funds over to Party)

[JDMcNugent7]

sounds like a typical party 5/10 game to me. U'll be fine.

[Talking Poker]

Damn, JD - brutal run. That 11k hand should have been posted in the Bad Beat section fo sho.... That's far bigger than the biggest pot I've ever lost. I've been sucked out for $1-2k pots before, but $11k? Holy chit.

Sounds like you are keeping a level head here, and that's key.

[2Tone]

Hey Zy -

This might be a new thread, but without revealing anything you shouldn't, can you tell us a little bit about this set-up? Do you pay a rake and/or table free? Is the game invite only? Do you worry about the amount of cash attracting attention of cops and/or crooks?

[SirFWALGMan]

Downswings suck. They mess with your mind and *can* effect your game. I obviously hate them.. I came off my latest week long one with a nice win in the 180/SNG.. Not sure what you can try to jolt yourself back but good luck with it.

[Talking Poker]

He said "card room" which led me to believe it was a legit game. Then again, he posts when he makes trips to AC, so I'm guessing you're right. Our boy is playing underground Rounders style, isn't he?

I was playing in games here 2-4 times per week a year or so ago... Now, I don't play in them at all. Why?

1. They rake way, WAY too much.
2. It's easier for people to cheat. There were suspicions.
3. It's too slow. I can get in WAY more hand per hours online.
4. Risk: Cops, robbers, you name it.

The only pro, really, was that these were fun games to play in and great live action practice.... but there were just far too many cons for me to justify playing.

[Zybomb]

No individual pot rake, the "rake" is $4 every 1/2 hour per player (the good thing is this is regardless of the limits you are playing) referred to as "time up". The game is not necessarily invite only , there are probably 10 or 15 rooms around NYC and Long Island. You can't necessarily just walk in off the street, but once you come with someone that's in, they are very good about remembering faces.

If they don't recognize you, the doorman will walk into the hallway which seperates the door to the room from the door to the outside and speak to you. "Have you been here before? How did you hear about it? Can I see ID?" etc. It's kinda rounders style, cameras on the inside, door locked and need to be buzzed in. The room I go to most often usually has 7 tables on a busy night and around 4 on a regular night...they have an entire tournament set up through the day as well.

The rooms do get busted from time to time, generally the ones who are less tight on security....the one I go to most frequently now seems solid....if they are busted nothing happens to the players except that they cant cash in their chips, which obviously sucks.

Hope this answers some Q's (without blowing up my spot )

[Talking Poker]

Someday.... the next time I'm in NYC, maybe.... I want to go to one of these places with you. Sounds fun.

[Zybomb]

We'll do it. The one I go to is real nice too and they take good care of you. Waitresses (no alcohol, but she bakes cookies, will make you hot dogs grilled chz PB & J , sodas, coffee etc) they order out from italian, chinese, pizza etc every night... they even have a message girl on certain nights for the hefty price of a dollar a minute

[Reel Deal]

I think the more appropriate question is whether JD is old enough to have a job based on the child labor laws in the jurisdiction in which he resides.

[Talking Poker]

That sounds like one of the games here that I used to go to. Home cooking, pizza ordered in, and yes, even the massage girl. She was freaking good too.