The Downswing

"Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug." - 2+2

2 months ago, I started playing rings, I thought I knew the right stuff to get chips at the table. I was wrong. Instead of getting chips, I ended up losing...and having a scorched roll to go with it. I had to adjust, losing is tough and nobody wants to lose, that's for sure. But no matter how I press my edges, I still get beat. Every poker player's worst fear - The variance monster, laying bad beats, takes your chips, burns your roll, leaving you with almost nothing. Playing through the variance is tough, I can't be pretentious and blame JUST the variance, the way I was playing that time was also a reason why I was losing.

After a few weeks playing the rings, I was down 10k. Like I said, I had to change the way I play - the transition from sngs, mtts to rings, that was the plan. I cut my losses to 4k. Then I got cocky, went down, went up, went down, went up. It's a financial rollercoaster, now I just want my grind time and slowly...slowly claw back.

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Last night, I played a 2 plus 2, 10 handed single re-buy SNG. The pot was sweeeeet, I bubbled, that wasn't sweet. The worm and the grouch won heavy pots, nice one bros. Patience does pay right? hehe. Anyways, I just want to comment on what transpired that night. Last night I got a call from the grouch, we talked about some things - of course, poker related stuff. I just wanted to post this...

'The truth is that when bad players are winning and you're losing, they're not only playing better, but better against you.' - 2+2

Yes, some players are BAD but last night there were no bad players, fo sho. Which makes things even more difficult for anyone to take down those kind of games. 'They're not only playing better, but better against YOU'. Limit your mistakes or better yet don't make any. It's not that you're read, it's just one of those days when nothing goes your way. They did play better than you, but it doesn't mean you're a bad player.

To all the players experiencing the downswing....

Self-realization comes with experience and discipline, and it's the toughest part of gambling to master. Everybody looks great when the cards are falling for him. The ones that keep reaching into their pockets with a grim look on their face no matter what the situation are the ones that haven't conquered their own egos or, worse yet, their own addictions. Show me the player that not only can play when he's behind, but can pack up and leave without any hesitation or apologies, and that's the player I'll put my money on.

In the end, playing when you're behind isn't much different than playing when you're ahead. You just need to make the proper adjustments to your opponents. Staying off tilt is much easier when you can make sense of a situation, and losing streaks don't seem to occur as often or last as long when you stay in control. When you learn to recognize that a situation has changed, through experience and study, you will learn how to adapt.

The best players I know are masters at adjusting to changing circumstances, and rarely, if ever, lose control of their game or their bankroll. Good luck! - Rich Sudy of 2+2.

Damn those guys are good.

Can you dig it?

Fishizzle!