I'm So Ashamed Of Myself

[ricker 0]

Last year I was on a great run. I was playing very good poker. Laying down hands where I knew I was beat, winning several tourneys, (Mostly live with a few online thrown in there) just playing great poker and turning semi-pro.Lately, I really don't know what's going on in my head. Take this hand as a for instance...I'm in a live 3 6 game (it's a kill pot, limits double for those that don't know) with several tight players in there. It's raised UTG to 12 and I make it three bets with KK. It's capped and I'm going to the flop. Flop comes A 6 8...guy checks and he bet out and i raise him. he check calls my betting the whole way down. He turns over AQ suited and I muck my useless kings. A year ago I would have known I was beat...well, destroyed and layed the kings down after he bet the flop. Another situation I'm finding that I'm doing is raising rediculous hands. Don't believe me? Last night I come in late in a tourney and feel like I have to play catch up with everyone. After it's folded to me, I raise on the button with 10 6 offsuit to 600 with blinds at 100 100. First off, what a terrible raise, second after he calls and an ace flops, he checks, I still commit another third of my starting stack and he calls. I go all in on the turn and he shows AQ suited to take it down. I had no pair, no draw on the flop and I still commited most of my stack to this trash hand!!!!!!!!!!!!! Next hand I look down at AJ off, and with a raise and a reraise all in, I decide this is my spot to go all in and of course they have far superior hands. AK QQ and my happy little AJ...and I lost as I should have.I'm playing TERRIBLE. I remember all those fundementals and I played 'em great last year, but this year, I decided I didn't need those anymore apparently.What the hell is wrong with me? I'm a better player than this, but you wouldn't know it by my terrible play. I think I'm gonna take at least a two week break from poker read my books. And before someone says it...yeah I know ISAP.....BINGTKMahh well...thanks for listening.

[No_Neck 0]

you are bored, take a break

[MasterLJ 0]

Welp my friend, I have had similar experiences but less on the play side and more on the bankroll management side. My solution is that whether people like or not, I'm going to post summaries of my b/r and game selection every day I play... I think you posting this is a good step to helping solve your problem.

[Suited_Up 2]

You're pressing.You're trying to make yourself feel better and get confidence back by trying to make things happen instead of letting it come to you like i'm sure you were before.It's a lesson in patience right now. I've been through it multiple times. You just need to get your patience back. You know how to play.

[lew189 0]

Almost everybody I know that's good at poker has gone through something like this, usually after they're a winner for awhile. You start to think because you have been a proven winner you can play anything and still win. You obviously already know you're breaking all the rules you followed to become a winner. Formulating a winning strategy at small stakes is extremely easy. Sticking to that strategy is the tough part, the mentally challenging part. Learn from what's happened and get better.

[fleung22 1]

I hear it all the time."I knew he had that!"...blah blah blahBeing a great poker player isn't just about knowing the odds or making great reads.It's about making the proper accessment and making the best decision at that time.It doesn't matter if you know something and then do something else in hopes that you might be wrong and win something.Suited is right...you're pressing. Take a break and come back fresh. If you're a solid player like you claim it'll all work itself out later. Don't try to get it all back at once.

[No_Neck 0]

sounds like a sure fire case of FPS, or fancy pants syndrome. Just get back to basics.

[socalpoker_j 1]

Ricker, these type of swings always happen, I realized when I got into situations like this, that I tried to "outplay" or play my way out of ugly situations that I got myself into at the table. I was playing with reckless aggression in certain cases and my timing in hands was way off. I knew that I was beat but I continued to pound away at the pot with very slim odds. This same thing happened to me last week, on Fri. night at Sycuan... in both the tourney and cash game. I knew exactly what the player had but something in me, (which I'll call being stubborn and not willing to lay down my big hand when I know I'm beat, because its the first big hand I picked up in a while, and "I'm supposed to win this hand") wouldn't let me fold. I've seen you play before you're a solid player and I've read your blog, you're a solid player with great poker insight... maybe you just need to go back to basics and play ABC instead of making moves. I don't know. Just my two cents. Good luck.

[Scanner313 0]

It's a lesson in patience right now. I've been through it multiple times. You just need to get your patience back.

What he said.

[Man_With_An_Axe 0]

You're a good player, having a bad year - or a bad player, who got lucky last year. Chin up!

[rog 0]

What he said.

What he "what he said" said.

[MikeR 0]

Reminds me of a chapter in Matt Matross' book where he just starts playing like **** for like 6 months. Eventually he gives some hand histories to his buddy, and buddy's like, "What the **** are you doing Matt? You're playing like ****.". He had had so much success that he started playing slightly poorer starting hands thinking his superior post flop play would make him a favorite, but in the end decided you can only sink so low in your hand requirements, and when to try to push small edges.

[SonicReducer 0]

I'm in a simialr situation. I play live MTTs every Thursday and Friday. A few weeks back I had two week stretch where I finished 1st, 1st and 2nd. Off of buyins totaling $160 I won over $1,300.Then I started playing like you're describing. Playing and betting when I knew I was beat. I took a week off and am back to basics, good starting hands and fold when I know I'm beat.

[DDiabolical 0]

I went through this about a month ago. I had to make a large withdrawal from my bankroll and then immediately following that I went on a terrible run of cards.I ended up moving down to $50nl and was still getting beat heavily. I saw myself playing terrible raising with hands I know I shouldn't but utterly believed at the time I was doing everything right.I had moved from $500nl to $50nl, and a lot of the things that worked at $500nl just didn't stand a chance at $50nl.Had to cut the number of tables that I play way down and then force myself to play ABC poker, pocket pairs and big face cards, that's it.Eventually after a couple weeks of this everything was back on track and I was playing well, but still taking terrible beats at the river.Best advice I can give is to take a break, and when you do return do it because you can't stand not to play anymore. Then force yourself to play ABC so atleast you don't feel **** about playing poorly.Eventually it just clicks back into your old form and you can set about rebuilding your confidence.

[ricker 0]

sounds like a sure fire case of FPS, or fancy pants syndrome. Just get back to basics.

I definately plead guilty on this!!!

Ricker, these type of swings always happen, I realized when I got into situations like this, that I tried to "outplay" or play my way out of ugly situations that I got myself into at the table. I was playing with reckless aggression in certain cases and my timing in hands was way off. I knew that I was beat but I continued to pound away at the pot with very slim odds. This same thing happened to me last week, on Fri. night at Sycuan... in both the tourney and cash game. I knew exactly what the player had but something in me, (which I'll call being stubborn and not willing to lay down my big hand when I know I'm beat, because its the first big hand I picked up in a while, and "I'm supposed to win this hand") wouldn't let me fold. I've seen you play before you're a solid player and I've read your blog, you're a solid player with great poker insight... maybe you just need to go back to basics and play ABC instead of making moves. I don't know. Just my two cents. Good luck.

I appreciate that bro. I mean, I can only look away so long and blame everything on Variance. At some point, I looked at myself and said, I'm not playing great. Bad cards? No bad player. I'm taking at least two weeks off, if not a month (doesn't mean I won't be posting like a madman in here though, I wanna hit a 1000 posts adn get my fancy nickname...cause I already know what it's gonna be...FPS )I appreciate what everyone's saying. I know I'm a good player and I'll get back to being good again, I just need to take a long hard look at myself.