a confession of weakness

[hoosierAKs 0]

So...Made my first real deposit onto PokerStars about a week ago (I actually made a post about doing so here). A couple hundred bucks, that I ended up turning into $650 just a couple days ago.Then that day... a run of bad beats knocked me down about $100 at the short-handed 1/2 & 2/4 limit tables. Unfortunately I had a lapse in judgement and said "**** it, I'll win it all back now", and jumped into a $100 heads up.Quickly, I was down to my last $50 on PS.However, I put that into a tourney and turned it into about $200... which I actually built back up to $850 just earlier tonight.Well I dodged a bullet and I learned my lesson, right?Key words: JUST EARLIER TONIGHT.Now multitabling at 3/6 and dominating... up $200 in the past couple hrs, I suddenly stop getting ANYTHING. Open ended straight flush draws miss, top two pair runs into a set, consecutive 4-outer rivers that were combined $120 pots.Again... I jump into some $100 h/u's, except this time... AA loses to QQ, flopped flush loses to turned boat, KK runs into AA, etc etc... and before I know it, I've lost the entire $850 in a few hours.Now, I'm not telling this story for the bad beats or to vent... and the money I lost doesn't mean my kids aren't gonna get fed, or I won't be able to pay the bills this month. (I'm 19). But it made me realize... I consider myself very good at poker, but a very AWFUL poker player. The runs of bad luck and bad cards just get to me WAY more than they should (hence the subject of this thread).I've personally decided to take a few months off from playing.. I'll still read up on it and try and improve so when I come back I'll still be solid, but I know it's a break I need.The point of this thread, though, is that I'm SURE there's a bunch of people here who have been in this stage (or perhaps still are). How did/do you deal with it? When (if ever) did you finally overcome it so that you could deal with the INEVITABLE (which I understand) strings of bad luck without going on tilt or just completely overboard?ANY suggestions are more than welcome, and flames are expected. I've never been one to shy away from admitting weakness. When I come back to the game in a few months, I will make sure to keep ths thread in mind.Thanks in advance!

[DKE_XP120 0]

Find a limit and stick to it, you're moving up waaay to quick it seems.You need to focus on bankroll managment

[Incubus77546 0]

I havent been in your situation yet... but I think you are doing the right thing by going on a break from poker. Just relax and maybe give cardplayer.com a visit or two and read strategy columns and all the such and just think about poker as much as you can without actually playing poker! You'll know when you're ready to play poker again because its a strange feeling of discomfort in the stomach and then to get rid of it is to play poker! Ha!

[CrazyHorse76 0]

sometimes a break is the only way to go. Set a time and stick to it. This way you'll be wanting to get back in there, when the time arrives.

[TS Clark 0]

I don't really know that you so much need a break as you do some better self-discipline. You are playing WAY out of your bankroll. You have to have the control not to do this (especially when you are the highly tiltable type -- which you clearly are). Some people who are careful, solid, and conservative players can play out of their bankroll for stretches, because they know they're not going to do anything stupid to lose huge chunks of money.You are not this kind of player. Until you are moving in that direction of having some more self-discipline, you're a dangerous guy (mostly to yourself).Good luck. You're young -- with time, you'll get to the emotional place you need to be if you work on it. The fact that you realize the issue is a positive sign already.

[Mr Monkey 0]

i dont play much online poker, but when i did i tilted alot. that is part of the reason i dont play that much online poker anymore.

[21gambit 0]

Multi-tabling 3-6 on 800 is a good way to bust fast, try 5-10 next time for a new record

[hoosierAKs 0]

Clarified this in my post about my original deposit...I have over $1600 set aside just to play poker with, but put a couple hundred on PS... still the fact that I made it to $850 that quickly and lost it all like it was nothing was what startled me. Still, I understand that the limit was above the BR for the money I had on there.Thanks again

[Douglas333 0]

So...Made my first real deposit onto PokerStars about a week ago (I actually made a post about doing so here).  A couple hundred bucks, that I ended up turning into $650 just a couple days ago.Then that day... a run of bad beats knocked me down about $100 at the short-handed 1/2 & 2/4 limit tables.  Unfortunately I had a lapse in judgement and said "censored it, I'll win it all back now", and jumped into a $100 heads up.Quickly, I was down to my last $50 on PS.However, I put that into a tourney and turned it into about $200... which I actually built back up to $850 just earlier tonight.Well I dodged a bullet and I learned my lesson, right?Key words: JUST EARLIER TONIGHT.Now multitabling at 3/6 and dominating... up $200 in the past couple hrs, I suddenly stop getting ANYTHING.  Open ended straight flush draws miss, top two pair runs into a set, consecutive 4-outer rivers that were combined $120 pots.Again... I jump into some $100 h/u's, except this time... AA loses to QQ, flopped flush loses to turned boat, KK runs into AA, etc etc... and before I know it, I've lost the entire $850 in a few hours.Now, I'm not telling this story for the bad beats or to vent... and the money I lost doesn't mean my kids aren't gonna get fed, or I won't be able to pay the bills this month. (I'm 19).  But it made me realize... I consider myself very good at poker, but a very AWFUL poker player.   The runs of bad luck and bad cards just get to me WAY more than they should (hence the subject of this thread).I've personally decided to take a few months off from playing.. I'll still read up on it and try and improve so when I come back I'll still be solid, but I know it's a break I need.The point of this thread, though, is that I'm SURE there's a bunch of people here who have been in this stage (or perhaps still are).  How did/do you deal with it?  When (if ever) did you finally overcome it so that you could deal with the INEVITABLE (which I understand) strings of bad luck without going on tilt or just completely overboard?ANY suggestions are more than welcome, and flames are expected.  I've never been one to shy away from admitting weakness.  When I come back to the game in a few months, I will make sure to keep ths thread  in mind.Thanks in advance!

I hope (for your sake) you have a secret extra 2000 bucks in your account because I couldn't imagine you playing those limits without it.

[hoosierAKs 0]

Clarified this in my post about my original deposit...I have over $1600 set aside just to play poker with, but put a couple hundred on PS... still the fact that I made it to $850 that quickly and lost it all like it was nothing was what startled me.  Still, I understand that the limit was above the BR for the money I had on there.Thanks again

Also I will say that it wasn't really the 3-6 limit that cost me (even though it was probably too high) it was the fact that as soon as I hit a bad streak there, I did dumb shit like jumping into $100 heads-ups. It was the way I reacted that cost me money.

[Douglas333 0]

Clarified this in my post about my original deposit...I have over $1600 set aside just to play poker with, but put a couple hundred on PS... still the fact that I made it to $850 that quickly and lost it all like it was nothing was what startled me.  Still, I understand that the limit was above the BR for the money I had on there.Thanks again

Alright then, point made. A break sounds like a good idea.

[DKE_XP120 0]

Clarified this in my post about my original deposit...I have over $1600 set aside just to play poker with, but put a couple hundred on PS... still the fact that I made it to $850 that quickly and lost it all like it was nothing was what startled me.  Still, I understand that the limit was above the BR for the money I had on there.Thanks again

If you're swinging that much, you might playing too loose. You can earn money like that, but lose just as fast.Swings happen, but you shouldnt be losing 850 that fast. And moving into $100 heads up to recoup your losses is a bad idea. that WAY out of your bankroll

[hoosierAKs 0]

Clarified this in my post about my original deposit...I have over $1600 set aside just to play poker with, but put a couple hundred on PS... still the fact that I made it to $850 that quickly and lost it all like it was nothing was what startled me. Still, I understand that the limit was above the BR for the money I had on there.Thanks again

If you're swinging that much, you might playing too loose. You can earn money like that, but lose just as fast.Swings happen, but you shouldnt be losing 850 that fast. And moving into $100 heads up to recoup your losses is a bad idea. that WAY out of your bankroll

now THAT i know for sure, believe me ... and that's my point. i KNEW it was a terrible idea, (and the fact that it was above my BR made me play scared in them as well) and yet I couldn't help myself... it's a scary mentality. THAT's my problem right there, in a nutshell... i dunno about playing too loose... i play at 6-handed tables and am still very tight-aggresive... it's just easy to get those people to pay on your big hands when youre getting cards if you know what youre doing.. it's just that as soon as i get a brief bad run of cards/luck/a couple mistakes, i WAYYYYY overreact. that's the issue.thanks to everybody who responded and yeah i think a break will do me well!

[krup24 0]

Simple answer.................BANKROLL MANAGEMENTPlay within your limits

[EVILGENIUS 0]

play within your bankroll...and when you start missing just keep playing solid poker... I'm trying to follow that advice myself...I'm on my own self-imposed break after hitting the worst luck of my poker life(it was so bad i questioned how it could even be possible and lost my 250 bankroll) I have plenty of money to rebuy but realized that as my luck remained in the crapper I started to tilt after several horrible bad beats and started playing horrible which combined with my luck literally threw the money out the window... after building it up slowly over a month lost it in 2 1/2 days.I will return after some more study and the realization that just because you are good doesn't mean people will give you their money as quick as you seem to think you deserve it. Hit the books analyze your mistakes, BE HONEST. I plan on playing music in the background now and trying to relax more.

[Photobill 0]

My take on this.It seams very common for a player to make a deposit and go on a rush. You make a large profit very fast. This is not always done by good play but by a great run of cards. You play a little loose and get great flops, turns & rivers. Result is you are up hundreds.ThenThe cards take a turn and you do not gear down. Play good sound poker. You burn threw your profits. You just can’t understand what happened.Bottom Line When you are on a rush play it.When the cards turn play good sound TIGHT poker. (Don’t play that :spadesa: :diamonds7: in early position that you have been catching 2 pair on the flop, not to say that this is what you have been doing but it is very common)(For every action there is a reaction, Rushes / Slumps)You just can’t stay on a rush forever so win big and loose small!!!!!!!

[Mr Monkey 0]

thats the thing with online poker, to make a profit it is slow like 2bb/100 hands but you can lose so much so quick if u tilt or hit a bad run of cards. in a casino or cardroom going on tilt or catching a bad run of cards isnt nearly as disasterous as it can be online because the play is way slower

[kilgoretrout 0]

Your problem here is clearly a lack of discipline, as you have acknowledged in your previous posts in this thread. If you want to become sucessfull in poker you must do something to solve this problem, otherwise you will always lose.My suggestion to you:Write down a clear set of rules for yourself and make sure you follow them. It is important to actually write your rules down and keep them with you whenever you play. you must also make sure to punish yourself whenever you break one of the rules.I'll give you an example of an agressive set of rules for a 200$ depositstep 1: starting bankroll: 200$Games: any limit game .5/1 or lower, and SNG 10$ or lower, NL ring games 20$ buy in or lowerstep 2: once you double your bankroll to 400$Games: any limit game 1/2 or lower, and SNG 20$ or lower, NL ring games 40$ buy in or lowerif your bankroll drops below 200$ at any time, return to step 1step 3: once you grow your bankroll to 1000$Games: any limit game 2/4 or lower, and SNG 30$ or lower, NL ring games 50$ buy in or lowerif your bankroll drops below 400$ at any time, return to step 2ect...If you catch yourself breaking these rules, you must either take a break or use some other punishment, otherwise they will not be effective. whatever rules you decide on it is important to drop down if you start to run bad after moving up limits. Doing this alows you to regain your confidence, cool down and rebuild you bankroll against weaker players.You have to make up your own set of rules based on how agressively you want to play your bankroll. the point it that it is important to have a fixed plan so that you don't go ballistic in the 3/6 games or the 100$ heads up sngs again. Hopefully this will be helpfull to you, good luck.

[robbinsfun 0]

When people tell stories of going from 200 to 850 in a day then losing it all by nightfall I wonder if they should consider themselves a gambling addict. I know that label is highly unpopular in the poker world right now, but still should not be ignored.

[hoosierAKs 0]

Well I went from 200 to 850 over a week and then yeah lost it that night... The addiction factor is definitely a part of it. I think any time a "gotta win it all back" mentality comes in, addiction is something that should be considered.Which is another reason why I'm gonna take an extensive break, just because I've realized that the way I am right now, I shouldn't be putting money down like that... it's all about learning discipline, and I certainly have not learned discipline yet. A break should allow me to prove to myself that I don't "need this" and when I come back it should be with a great deal more confidence.If, when I come back, I still face this sort of problem, then I'll probably have to consider giving up the game, even as much as I love it and as much as I've improved in the past half year or so.Thanks again, all.