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Breaking Out Of A Slump


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I'm starting this thread to journal my attempt to break out of my lengthy slump. I don't expect anyone to reply, but if you choose to do so please only post constructive/supportive comments. I'm "hiding" the thread here in the general strat forum so it doesn't get overwhelmed by annoying posts in the general forum. I'm hoping that tracking my journey here will help me stay focused.So here's my story...I've been playing online since April 2007, starting with a $175 roll in the $1.20 NLHE STTs. I bounced around a bit, tried some different things, and eventually started putting up a slow but steady profit. I'm a recreational player and don't have too much time to devote to online poker.My roll reached its highest point in early February of this year, at which point I was largely focused on playing $3.40 STT turbos. Then my chart started to run sideways and I started feeling really burned out from the mind-numbing turbo STTs. So I broke away from them for a while, experimenting with some other games (with mixed success). My chart continued its sideways progression but began to trend slowly downwards. I then started to focus on MTT play, experimenting in the dime 360-turbos and returning to the $1.10, 45-turbos (previously my most profitable roll builder). Although I've had some "success" in the dime 360's the 45's have been killing me (now 16 in a row without a cash) and my chart's downward trend has strengthened. As of today my roll is now at its lowest point since early March of this year.I decided that the variance associated with MTTs is not good for my slump and resulting mindset, so I have decided the best thing is to return to the lower-variance non-turbo STTs. I started today with the $3.40's but things have not gotten off to a good start, thanks to some questionable calls on my part and an absolutely brutal bad beat. I played 4 of them today, busting out of 3 and taking a 3rd in the other one (after being desperately short and making a comeback).Therefore, I have decided that I need to return to my roots and focus on the $1.20 STTs in order to rebuild my confidence and turn my damn chart around. Once things start to turn around I plan to get back to the $3.40 non-turbos and really get the chart moving back upwards.So that's the story. I plan to post updates here to track my progress. Wish me luck.

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Stop being so godamn nitty!Playing micro turbo SNGs would destroy anyone's soul, I find it incomprehensible that anyone with more than $50 could bring themselves to play $1 SNGs.Also, have you ever considered playing 6-max cash? It's far far more interesting than SNGs.

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Good luck man - I agree you should try moving up, understand about getting your confidence back tho

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Also, have you ever considered playing 6-max cash? It's far far more interesting than SNGs.
I honestly can't stand micro stakes cash NLHE, I find it terribly boring. In general I prefer tourney poker to cash poker because I like having a target to aim for and prefer the competitive aspect of tourney poker.
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Good luck man - I agree you should try moving up, understand about getting your confidence back tho
I know I can afford to move up but the decision to move back down has to do with rebuilding my confidence and stopping the bleeding in my roll. I don't expect to stay at $1.20 for very long before moving back up to $3.40.
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Therefore, I have decided that I need to return to my roots and focus on the $1.20 STTs in order to rebuild my confidence and turn my damn chart around. Once things start to turn around I plan to get back to the $3.40 non-turbos and really get the chart moving back upwards.
I havent played to long but this same thing happend to me so I also went back down a level, although I went from 3.40 STT to 1.20 MTT.. But My bankroll has started to go upwards again. After losing several SNGs in a row on the 3.40 level my mind got very clouded and I started to doubt everything I did, I plan on going back up after another weeks play at the 1.20 level. I think you should stick with your 1.20 STTs until your confidence is rebuilt, sounds good to me anyway. Since I'm doing the same thing as you.
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Update1) Four 18-man turbo NLO8 SnGs with two 3rds and two bustouts2) Three $1.20 NLHE STTs with a 5th, 3rd (ran flopped 2P into flopped T2P), and 1st3) One (accidental) $3.40 NLHE STT with a 5th (card dead, then overplayed flopped TP losing to flopped 2P)4) One session of .02-.05 PLO8 with a $1 lossBankroll: $303.29

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Update1) Four 18-man turbo NLO8 SnGs with two 3rds and two bustouts2) Three $1.20 NLHE STTs with a 5th, 3rd (ran flopped 2P into flopped T2P), and 1st3) One (accidental) $3.40 NLHE STT with a 5th (card dead, then overplayed flopped TP losing to flopped 2P)4) One session of .02-.05 PLO8 with a $1 lossBankroll: $303.29
from the posts i see you make in the omaha8 section you should be playing pl$25 with that much money. i can't imagine that you wouldn't kick the shit out of it. its a little bit of a gamble, but its worth it, because if it works out and you get to like $500 quickly you are now playing high enough to make like $10-$15 an hour.
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Possibly, but I'm trying to reduce my variance these days. The worst thing for my confidence now would be to lose $15 or $20 in a PLO8 session. Right now I'm focusing on what has been working for me lately with minimal variance.

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Things are looking up thanks to a couple of solid sessions. A couple of nights ago I 3-tabled $1.20 STTs, winning 2 of them and finishing 2nd in the other. I've also been experimenting with more aggressive play at micro stakes PLO8 and my last two sessions have been good.Bankroll: $315.76Short-term goal is to break and stay above $322, which was my low point during the recent 2 month stretch.

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Terrible frickin' afternoon.Busted out of all but one of the STTs I played, just a horrible session of bad cards, bad luck (including one absolutely brutal beat: AA<A7 AIPF), and some tilty play.Stupidly experimented with .10-.20 limit 2-7 triple draw and despite getting off to a good start everything that could go badly then went badly. Lost my $6 buy-in. Reminder to self: don't screw around with new games when you're trying to break out of a slump!At least the session finished on a slightly positive note, with a tiny profit at PLO8 and a cash in the final STT I played.All in all a very frustrating session. Erased all my gains from the previous two sessions. Almost right back to square one when I started this process. Need to regroup and get back on the upswing.Bankroll: $303.79

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GL - I think an important thing is keeping to the comfort zoneFor a few sessions I stayed 1 tabling whilst I was learning/setting up poker tracker, then went to 2 and am now 3tabling (feels about right at the mo')I tried to rush it initially and it was too much fer me, slow and steady seems to work

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Sigh, the struggle continues. I'm booking some cashes and wins in the STTs but with too many bustouts coming in between I just can't put together a good run. I have discovered a bit of a leak in my STT game: fancy play syndrome. Some MTT strategies have started infecting my STT play and it's causing me valuable chips at the worst times (like calling a couple of bets against a laggy player and then trying without success to steal it on the river when I'm one of the shorter stacks on the bubble). I need to focus on getting back to the patient ABC play that works at these levels.PLO8 has been flat too. Small win followed by small loss followed by small win and so on. The aggressive play isn't working because I'm just not hitting hands to back it up. Lots of draws missing, boards pairing, etc. Just have to stay in it until the deck turns a bit warmer.Bankroll: $303.99

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Not true, these were the stakes I played for quite a while before moving up to the $3's (with respect to the STTs). The variance may be a big higher because of the donkish play but I have a profitable history at this level.Some positive signs last night. Tightened up a bit and finished 2nd and 3rd in two of three SnGs. I just need to string together some more of these results to get back on track.I'm amazed at how overly aggressive some of the players are at this level. You can tell they've learned everything they know from watching NLHE coverage on television, and then they think they can apply that play to $1.20 STTs. Players raising with Gus Hansen hands, pulling check-raise bluffs, driving bottom pair, it's crazy.

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Not much time to play lately but I've decided to try micro stakes NLHE cash instead of the SnGs for a little while. Kind of surprised at the level of reckless aggression at the .02-.05 6-max tables. Raising in position and making CBs just does not work with this crowd because these guys love to raise widely, call raises, and play back.In any case, things are still going sideways.Bankroll: $303.56

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Not much time to play lately but I've decided to try micro stakes NLHE cash instead of the SnGs for a little while. Kind of surprised at the level of reckless aggression at the .02-.05 6-max tables. Raising in position and making CBs just does not work with this crowd because these guys love to raise widely, call raises, and play back.In any case, things are still going sideways.Bankroll: $303.56
At your bankroll you are way more than rolled for $10 NL.Also, are you using pokertracker? Very useful. Go post in the challenge thread, it's improved my game a LOT.
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Looking over my results I've discovered that I've been profitable at both the NLHE STTs and PLO8 cash since this journey started, but my roll has taken a couple of hits when I wandered into less familiar territory (2-7 triple draw and, more recently, NLHE cash). If I stick with what's working and stop experimenting, I should start seeing an upturn in my chart.

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Starting to wonder how I was ever profitable at SnGs. The theme of today's session was getting it in good but coming out behind:1) Busted out 15th of 27 when I pushed 99 and lost to AJ2) Busted out of dime 360-turbo when I pushed 55 and lost to KJ3) Busted out on the bubble of a 27-man SnG when I pushed JJ and lost to J94) Almost knocked out in 3rd of a STT when I got all in with AK against AJ and he flopped a J, forcing me to hit the straight on the turn5) Got all in w/ AK against AT and KJs and had to split the pot when the board double-pairedFive hands from 5 different tournies where I got it in as the favorite, in two cases the significant favorite, losing 3 of them, needing a suckout on the turn in one of them, and splitting the pot in the other. How can I put together a good run when these hands don't go my way? I suppose the silver lining of all this is that at least I'm getting it in good...Bankroll: $304.86

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