What do you do if your just that unlucky?

[LJ Fosberg 0]

I know that I will get alot of grief about this but here it goes anyway! I play alot of hold'em, in games anywere from$20-$40 to $2-$5 no limit and I must say that I am very unhappy with the way things have gone for me. If skill is such a big part of this game why is it that when I'm "running good" I win and when I'm not I lose? I am not saying that everytime I lose that it is because I am unlucky! I know that there are times when it is because I miss play the hand or do not have my head in the game, but over all there are plenty of times when I do everything right and still end up loser. Help please I am losing faith that there is more skill than luck in this game!

[Smasharoo 0]

I know that I will get alot of grief about this but here it goes anyway! I play alot of hold'em, in games anywere from$20-$40 to $2-$5 no limit and I must say that I am very unhappy with the way things have gone for me. If skill is such a big part of this game why is it that when I'm "running good" I win and when I'm not I lose? I am not saying that everytime I lose that it is because I am unlucky! I know that there are times when it is because I miss play the hand or do not have my head in the game, but over all there are plenty of times when I do everything right and still end up loser. Help please I am losing faith that there is more skill than luck in this game!

You're not good enough to play at the limits you are playing at. Sorry to be a pain here, but if it's really a mystery to you why you win or lose, stop playing $20/$40 and just drive down the highway tossing money out the windows of your car. It'll save you time.

[JL 0]

"I'm a great player, just unlucky at the moment."We all lose pots due to being unlucky, it's a part of poker and it just happens. You sound as if you always lose due to being "unlucky". Are you sure it's due to luck or does your game need work? What I mean is, are you raising in EP with 58s and "unlucky" when you lose to a higher flush?For what it's worth, here's my advice. Pick a format and stick to it! Don't play NL just to make a big score and hope to win your money back. Stick with limit, learn it, master it, then move up a level. Can you really afford $20/$40? If not, play $5/$10, even $3/$6 if you have to.Don't go chasing money that is already gone, you'll just lose more.

[NUTTYMATT 0]

How many hours do u play a week?Check for leaks in your game. At those limits 1 bad play a night can cost u lots of money. 1 call instead of a raise can cost u a big pot, if u call someone might try for their straight and hit it, but if u raise they would fold. Do that once a night u will lose a lot. Also just saving 1 bb a night will save u lots over a year. Also u might not be good enough to play at those limits. Try lower limits till u win consistantly then move up slowly to higher limits.

[Bubba83 0]

It's okay to only win when you're running good, and only lose when you're running bad. It sounds like all you really need to do is working on limiting the amount you lose when you are running bad so that you are profiting enough money when you are running good to compensate for when you are running bad. Practicing to become better at recognizing when you are beat is a good way to limit your losses, and practicing extraction methods with good hands will help maximize your earnings while you are running lucky.

[Smasharoo 0]

It's okay to only win when you're running good, and only lose when you're running bad. No it's not. It's ok to lose when you're running bad, you shoud win the rest of the time, and win a lot when you're running good.

[milladathrilla33 0]

I've found that sometimes the cards jsut don't come up the way any given person would like them to. I am sure Daniel would back me up when I say sometimes you don't get the cards to win. Wait and you're time will come. Keep your head up

[elkang 0]

If you are truly unlucky then you should not play or play at lower limits. That's my answer. One can always play poker - the question is at which stakes can they play.Otherwise, I always blame deficiencies in my game and can usually find a few specific things to work on or ponder.

[Mister Hand 0]

Otherwise, I always blame deficiencies in my game and can usually find a few specific things to work on or ponder.

Very well said. Self-examination is one of the hardest parts of becoming a successful poker player, because not being honest with yourelf is a very easy - and seductive - thing to do.

[milladathrilla33 0]

fully agree. If you stink, quit

[superchuck 0]

You're not good enough to play at the limits you are playing at. Sorry to be a pain here, but if it's really a mystery to you why you win or lose, stop playing $20/$40 and just drive down the highway tossing money out the windows of your car. It'll save you time.i seriously almost peed myself. very well put. play $3-6 until your "luck" turns around.

[JustinHEMI04 0]

Hmmm although I think his game probably needs work, I don't think it has anything to do with the limits he plays at. Sure, he loses more money, but to say "not good enough" to play 20-40 is kinda... well wrong. Typically, in my experience anyway, the people at the 20-40 table are no better than the rookie at the 1-3 table... they just have money... and like him... throw it away to those few... 1-2 people... at that table that are good. You need to go beyond 20-40 to really get competition. Additionally, the 5-10 table at turning stone is harder than the 20-40. But it too is starting to go to shit. My opinion. But I agree with the others... no need to throw away money at a big table if you aren't as good as you would like to think. You are just one of the suckers at that point.Justin

[jomatty 0]

to say that the players at 20-40 are no better than the rookies at 1-3 shows a gross misunderstanding of the game. while you may occasionally run into a player as bad as a 1-3 player the average is much much better at the higher limits. many are not that good and some are awful but rest assured that the good players are better that anyone who will ever sit 1-3 and there are a fair amount of them.back to the original poster.no one is inherently lucky or unlucky. you may be going through a truly unlucky streak but you should get poker tracker and in other ways examine youre game. you didnt say how long you have been running bad for but if it is a significant amount of time it probally is more than just luck causing you problems. look at the fact that many players are consistent winners over long periods of time and you should know that the skill factor in the game is what distinguishes the winners and losers over time. Luck only exists in the short term.matty

[rkard 0]

A common mistake by players who just stop improving, blaming bad luck when they've got many leaks in their game.Read some books, play lower limits and try to improve instead of blaming bad luck.

[Smasharoo 0]

Hmmm although I think his game probably needs work, I don't think it has anything to do with the limits he plays at. Sure, he loses more money, but to say "not good enough" to play 20-40 is kinda... well wrong. Typically, in my experience anyway, the people at the 20-40 table are no better than the rookie at the 1-3 table... they just have moneyYeah, good point, anyone who can beat 1-3 for $30 a day can easily make $400 a day playing $20/$40....That makes sense...So just to clarify, if you're good enough to beat $1-$3 for a big bet an hour you could be making $100,000 a year playing $20/$40 no problem.That's what you're saying right?Put the crack pipe down, son. Play a year in the $20-$40 game for a year, make $100,000 then come back and tell us it's no harder than the $1-$3 game.The originial poster's never even seen a $20-$40 game, he just thought it sounded like a reasonable number to make him look like he had any clue about what he was saying when actually it did the opposite.Whatever. As allways, poker forums are filled with top flight pros who instinctively can beat $20-$40 after playing for a week and reading a book.

[rkard 0]

Heh, I've got to agree with smasharoo. There's a major gap in skill and poker knowledge between those limits.

[jayboogie 0]

yeah of course you got the high roller or 2 playing at the 20/40 game just because they can afford to do so, but your going to be playing a tough game at this level against the regulars that play there. Players who play 20/40 are typically pros or at least winning players. The difference between 1/2 and 20/40 is so significant, if you don't notice the difference, your likely the fish at the table. Just because some players are loose at these tables doesn't mean they're just like your typical 1/2 players

[adamkadmon 0]

Not for all games, but I don't see how you could lose with a weak tight style in the 20-40 at say the commerce. Granted it would not be for me, being it is so boring and unimaginitive. Sometimes things just dont go well. I will take breaks from poker periodically and am not ashamed and do not feel it says anything about my game other than I like to be at my best and consider myself very lucky so it can be devestating when I'm not my extrodinarily lucky self. If I feel it necessary to take a break , I still think of poker and try to get better I am just not spending every waking moment at the table. I have also found that good hard manuel labor can really cahnge your luck around. ya I know i'm kinda superstitious but works for me. I remember remember a mantra Caro said to repeat over and over. It went something like this " I AM VERY LUCKY AND A POSITIVE WINNING FORCE SURROUNDS ME". Sounds corny works good. After seeing daniel win the main event at bellagoio it seems to only reaffirm my belief. Still trying to figure out how he did that?

[pokerkid 0]

how does a person find leaks in their own game? any specific methods? i know i have them but i'm not sure how i should go about finding them.

[JustinHEMI04 0]

I regularly play the 20-40 table at our local casino, and 8 out of 10 people have money, and not a clue. Perhaps its just the casino. Either way I have been 20-40 and above for 7 years so I can say with certainty that the level of play... these days, at that table is nothing special. Either that or I am way better than I think I am. But I am too humble to think that. Everyone wins and everyone loses, but at the local 20-40 table, I am way up. And its because they don't know how to play. Its that simple. Justin

[Polakplayer16 0]

Ways of finding leaks in your game.Part 1) Common sence, was that move mathimaticly correct? Did I use given information to make a decision? Did I just shove the chips in knowing i was probably beat but still thinking i could get lucky. constantly anyalise your performance and your motives for making certain plays.Part 2) Watch and learn- Watch the world poker tour(due to the fact that this show and Poker superstars gives you the most mathamatical and easily accesable info) How many times the blind did Phil Ivey raise here and in what position. A solid preflop foundation is crusial. Part 3) instinctes come with time, Dont justify bad mathamaticle plays with intuition. I've layed down Pocket kings before because the pot odds dictated that I should(it was infact the right move).Part 4) read to acquire skill, super-system 2 baby!

[314HxC 0]

What everyone has stated before is absolutely true. You may need to re-evaluate your skill. If you only win with good cards, then you may just need to learn some of the other aspects of the game. I know some people who learned the game from watching it on TV and think they are world class players because they play other people who learned it the same way. How long have you been playing. Luck is a huge factor in the short term. But if you play skillfully in the long run you will have better results.Just like anything really educate yourself about poker. Don't just go play and learn from experience. It is very costly and you may not really learn from your mistakes because you don't believe them to be mistakes you just assume you got unlucky. I can't express how much my game improved after reading one poker book.Eventually you will turn your game around and once you learn about the game some more you confidence will grow and that affects the way your game goes as well.

[Mister Hand 0]

how does a person find leaks in their own game?  any specific methods?    

Good question.One advantage of online play is that some of the sites will automatically compile statistics for you while you play. Some stats can give you warning "flags" that you might be leaking or on tilt. One example of this is the percentage of hands you're seeing the flop with. Playing too many hands is a good way to dig yourself a hole in limit poker. On another level, are you applying your knowledge correctly? There are some important strategic differences between a cash limit game, a cash no limit game, and a tournament NL game. Having an photographic memory of every play Gus Hansen has made on the final table of the WPT is unlikely to help in your local 5-10 game, and may in fact hurt you if you try to use final table NL strategies in a limit cash game.What about your emotions? Did you just call on the river instead of raise because "you've been running bad?" Did you call a double raise preflop with a marginal hand because "you're on a rush?" These are just a few suggestion. It's not easy to correctly analyze your flaws, and it's even harder to try to correct them once you know what they are. If it were easy, everyone would be good at it. On the plus side, you've expressed an interest in learning how to improve, and that's a great first step.

[jayboogie 0]

I know this sounds bad, but honestly I think experience is a life lesson in poker. Most successful players, pros and whoever have gone bust and broken their bankroll. Most players who are winning players and haven't lost their entire bankroll or even close to are probably players that do play well, but not as well as they could. This sounds stupid, but I think you need to have lost before you can win. At least, that's the case for me. It wasn't until I lost a whole lot of times before I stuck it into my head that I made the wrong play. So experience is your guide in most cases. Daniel has destroyed his bankroll a fair number of times and built it right back up. You can play by the book, make the simple profitable so called play every time by the book, but by doing this, I think you limit youself and don't allow yourself to become as good as you can be. If you diversify, experiment a little, yes you may lose more money doing this, but I feel you'll become a better player as a result in most cases.On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with playing a way that is profitable for you. If your satisfied making the hourly your making, by all means stick with it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. I'd probably recommend that actually in most cases.Also, I find it hard to believe you have 8 players that have no clue what they're doing playing 20/40. I don't see how there wouldn't be pros lining up to play where you play. That game would be the best around town any place if you got 8 bad players playing at those stakes.

[pokerkid 0]

It's not that i'm losing money. I've been playing for about a year and a half, and i'm definately on the winning side. I'm just not sure if my winning is classified as short term luck or just solid play. I know i definately have come a long way from when i started. Things like observing other people's play when i first sit down, being more selective before the flop, realizing how big of an advantage position is. I do however play at very low limits, and my opponents pretty much suck and their biggest mistake is being a calling station, so I can only pretty much bet with the goods. But does that mean i can only win with good cards? isn't winning with only good cards the sign of a decent or lucky player? How do u win without cards against a calling station? How do i win shorthanded against a calling station if blinds start to become a problem and i haven't been picking up good hands? Is my tight play a sign of weakness in my game or is this the right strategy against my bad opponents?