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Starting Over

edited April 2010 in Poker Chat
Hey guys, fancied writing a post on my game and whats gone wrong and perhaps looking for abit of advice for anyone that cares and for those that don't fair enough but keep ya beaks out the thread ;-)
so joined skypoker just over a year ago and had a fairly successful first year, makin a bit on the cash tables, going deep and final tabling the main 8pm tourneys on several occasions without actually taking one of em down! (annoying!) won a couple of little tourneys like the deepstacks and had a decent win ratio in the double your moneys! also won webby234 xmas little heads up tourney! ended the 2009 quite a fair bit in profit and got more and more into the game. I was playin poker for fun and never ever had a bankroll which many people bang on about on ere i just simply deposited when i wanted a game and withdrew after a win and was completly happy with that! loving playing poker and never got stressed about it....

so 2010 started of with a bang i won one of the smaller bounty hunters tourneys and got something around £220 for that and decided for the first time i would try and build a bankroll and used the winnings of this as a starter. so then over the next couple of months i played cash, MTT's, and DYM's and from the combination of the three i managed to build a big enough bankroll to allow me to sit at NL50 comfortably (if your using the 5% rule) and fairly comfortable at NL100  it was only just over a week ago that i bought direct into the vegas semi final for £120 and didnt batter an eyelid (finished 8th on the bubble-that hurt) and everything was great even to the point that I thought to myself that playing the game fulltime may in the future be a real possibility!...
The downfall begins....

SATURDAY 27TH MARCH - started off mid-day played cash for a bit, ended up about even. entered couple of the soccer saturday tourneys and finished 2nd in one, played the 8pm main open tourney and finished 11th. came off and had a game with my mates who were round my house for a game and had started playin without me as i ran much deeper in the open than i thought as i had a fair few! played with them for few hours and after they left decided to take it upon myself to log on ere and have a game of cash (something that ive never done drunk since losin a nice chunk of change last year heads up to lolufold!) and because of my recent form thought i was unbeatable! im not known for being the tightest player in the world anyway but some of my plays were just crazy and so painfully obvious that i dropped a few buy-ins at NL100 and packed up for the night.

SUNDAY 28TH MARCH - after getting over my hangover decided to play a bit of cash and try and repair a bit of the damage from the night before so opened up a table at NL50 and another at Nl100 and once again played like a complete and utter muppet and lost another few buy-ins! everything ive learnt from the past year went out the window for some unknown reason and i took it upon myself to try and outplay everybody with any 2 cards be it in position or out, i didnt care! im the eagle im awesome i thought lol like i said anybody that knows me or has played against me will know im quite loose and like to get funky now and then, but its usually well timed and opponent dependent but not today! anything and anybody will do! ....so after that disaster decided to play the primo and lasted a whopping 7 minutes! so that was me done for the night! contemplated entering the vegas semi again but opted out as my play had been so horrible!

MONDAY 29TH MARCH - still tilting a bit from the day before i opened up a another 2 tables, 1 at Nl50 and another at NL100 again. and within 15mins i had lost my buy-in on both tables - one was a bad beat to be fair but i just chucked another £100 away on the Nl100 table with a J high bluff - why???????? anyway after a cigarette decided id open up a NL200 table and after about 10mins i flopped a Q high flush, bet out got -re-raised and flat called, bet the turn and he shoved all-in I snap called and he  hit the A flush on the river! i was so angry not at the hand but because id just chucked more money away on a table where im not rolled for- and it hurt! what was i thinkin? and i packed up for the day there and then!

so for the first time in over a year the past 3 days have hurt me and ive been stressin about it so much lookin through my hand history and laughing at some of my moves they were completly ridiculous! to the point where players at my table have been 'lol'ing at my game! (players who i know are completly useless themselves-and have hunted down to get there money!) and my nice bankroll that ive done so well building up has taken a very noticable hit. so after thinking about it alot tonight  ive completly withdrawn the whole of my bankroll - everything! ive not got a penny on there  im gonna enjoy at least some of the money ive earnt. and im not gonna be on the tables for a few days whilst i get my head straight and decide what i want from the game! ive not enjoyed playin the past couple of days and have been playing so so bad its laughable and i have no idea why! one thing i know for certain is that im not gonna be treating the game like a job anymore and when i decide to deposit again -probably in a few days after ive sorted my head out im gonna be playin for fun again but how much, what levels and what format i dont know (although i think tourneys probably are my strongest asset)

I know this thread is long (im aware there are blogs for this stuff lol) and probably boring to alot of you but it feels good to get a bit off my chest coz its been on my mind constantly! and just wondered if any of you have had any experiences like this, any times you suddenly just drop everything you know and play like complete loonys and just start chucking money away for no reason? and if you figured out why this is, and what you did about it? does having more money in your account make you more complacent? and should i play all 3 disciplines or find the one that suits me best and stick to that? cheers for listening and see you on the tables in the not so distant future! - Andy


 

Comments

  • edited March 2010
    Playing drunk works for some - not for you as you readily admit! No-ones perfect - you broke your rule and paid the price. You fell In to the trap of 'I know I'm a good player (which you are) I'll raise my level and recoup my losses' Things don't always go to plan and your confidence has been knocked (trying to outplay everyone with any two cards may well have been a little bit of desperation to get some money back without realising It). It seems to me you just lost the plot temporarily but have the good sense to take a break and get back on track. Anyway- Gl when you next play and wd on writing what I think was a very honest and interesting account of your poker 'glitch'.i
  • edited March 2010
    One little trick that works for me...

    If I'm going out on the lash, I simply click the "cool off for 24 hours" button before going out. Maybe a little extreme, but it's saved me quite a few quid over time.

    Anyway, the most important thing is not to be too hard on yourself. So many of us have done similar (for example, I once blew my four figure roll on 'Stars in one night. Self excluded for six months as punishment). It's a blip but, from the tone of your post, it's one that you won't be repeating.
  • edited March 2010
    It sounds to me like you know exactly what's wrong and simply putting it down here is a bit of "therapy" and also to confirm your actions maybe?
    You have analysed your past few days play and have taken positive action
    Every poker player goes through these sort of things its all part of the learning process its how you deal with it that makes or breaks the the pros from the wannabes
    Even poker pros take a break its only like a holiday from work you don't have to play constantly and you certainly don't need to move up the levels to chase dead money.
    There is (to me) a massive difference on this site between 25/50 and the 50/100 and an even bigger jump on the £1/£2 cash tables
    I carn't stress highly enough how important BRM is and by all means keep the majority in a separate account but always operate a strict 5% rule
    I would revert back to what was working and try to rebuild my BR and confidence.

    Keep Smiling
    HAL_9000


  • edited March 2010
    Hi eagle mate i think hals post here is spot on and you yourself know what your own faults are.gl mate dav
  • edited March 2010
    bravo, well writen and said thats excactly wat im doin because of simalar situation, and hope to come back refreshed and enjoying the game again
  • edited March 2010
    This is an excellent and very brave post m8. For what it's worth I think you've done the right thing. I think you mention in your post that you can't stop thinking about it. You definitely need to give it a rest, certainly until you do stop thinking about it. I've played you in lots of mtt's and your game is good, but like most of us when it goes off, it can be devastating.

    It appears you know what to do, and have started to do it. Take a break and come back refreshed, play some mtt's and build your confidence. I've been there done that and got the tee-shirt. You will emerge a better player than you already are.



    ps. Thinking about it.... over the last 7 years online, I've got at least 3 tee-shirts.
  • edited March 2010
    Eagle - reading this, its unbelievable how similar we are in the poker world. The comparisons kept coming as I read, starting with BR - I bet we have, or had almost identical rolls. You note u like to play funky hands and play aggressively, another similarity. You say you play all different games of all different levels/buy ins - and dont really have one "specialist" discipline - SNAP. - You have final tabled main event tournys, but never hit the big win - SNAP. 

    It's uncanny - and I feel you posting this will help me no end, as I reckon I can learn from your mistakes before I make them myself. I know having spoken to you at the tables - that you will take that the right way, and wont mind me saying that. The run I've had lately (good run) - I keep feeling is just the calm before the storm, a massive disaster one night when I have a few too many, and go play lolufold et al. 

    Normally I withdraw anything above 500, but with running/playing well - Ive not done this, now have 4 times that amount. Having read ur diary above, Im gonna go straight to "my account" now and withdraw 1.5k. 

    To try and help you recover, I can't say Ive had any massive disasters since joining sky, Ive blown £100 in one hand at the end of the night a few times, but these were isolated incidents, and not like a bad run over a few days. Just stupidity. Gave stoneface £100 with 7 high once, he had top set :( - But its an example of trying to play agro, with funky hands, but like u sed, theres a time, place and an opponent to do this against - that wasnt one.

    Bak in my ipoker days - I did £600 on poker/Bjack once, that really hurt - was my whole roll at the time, but was years ago and hasn't happened since I become a "proper player" (lol).

    I think you are definitely good enough to play all 3 disciplines - all 4 if I include Heads Up. There are a few regs on here - who I jst used to avoid - because of reputation. Being a p 1ss artist, I send alot of times in mornings watching the higher games - as I cant play 2 days in a row. Its really opened my eyes as to how average some of these guys are. And I believe people with your style-and general poker ability, can crush these guys.

    I have the up most respect for your game - think you could make really good money at poker, even playing just for fun. I fully expect to see you back at the tables winning pennies very soon.

    If only we had discipline eh?

    Anyway - great post, for so many reasons, very helpful to others, and honest with yourself.

    Cya at the tables soon, DOHH

    PS - U still owe me a PM!!


  • edited March 2010
    2 Incredibly honest posts 
    Respect
    My vote for thread of the week
    HAL_9000
  • edited March 2010
    Cheers for all the replys guys, honestly didnt expect this many, crackin bunch of people on here! actually really has given me a huge confidence boost!-so very much appreciated! especially as some of the replys have come from people who i know are far more experienced and talented at the game than i am.
    anyway decided this afternoon that im stickin to my original plan of havin a few days away and will be back playing over the easter weekend hopefully fully refreshed and ready to go again!
    Thanks again & good luck all of ya on the tables - Andy

    p.s Hal thanks alot for nominating this as thread of the week! respect!
    pps Dohhhhhhh the pm is on its way buddy lol ;-)
  • edited April 2010

      a very honest thread no b.s on this ,
     
      congrats eagle in winning thread of the week ,

     go win some cash now with your free enrty !

  • edited April 2010
    Congratulations Eagle
    10% will do fine mate

    Keep Smiling
    HAL_9000

  • edited April 2010
    lol - are you back with us today eagle??? - what is ur prize? wd, DOHH
  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Starting Over:
    Hey guys, fancied writing a post on my game and whats gone wrong and perhaps looking for abit of advice for anyone that cares and for those that don't fair enough but keep ya beaks out the thread ;-) so joined skypoker just over a year ago and had a fairly successful first year, makin a bit on the cash tables, going deep and final tabling the main 8pm tourneys on several occasions without actually taking one of em down! (annoying!) won a couple of little tourneys like the deepstacks and had a decent win ratio in the double your moneys! also won webby234 xmas little heads up tourney! ended the 2009 quite a fair bit in profit and SUNDAY 28TH MARCH - after getting over my hangover decided to play a bit of cash and try and repair a bit of the damage from the night before so opened up a table at NL50 and another at Nl100 and once again played like a complete and utter muppet and lost another few buy-ins! everything ive learnt from the past year went out the window for some unknown reason and i took it upon myself to try and outplay everybody with any 2 cards be it in position or out, i didnt care! im the eagle im awesome i thought lol like i said anybody that knows me or has played against me will know im quite loose and like to get funky now and then, but its usually well timed and opponent dependent but not today! anything and anybody will do! ....so after that disaster decided to play the primo and lasted a whopping 7 minutes! so that was me done for the night! contemplated entering the vegas semi again but opted out as my play had been so horrible! MONDAY 29TH MARCH - still tilting a bit from the day before i opened up a another 2 tables, 1 at Nl50 and another at NL100 again. and within 15mins i had lost my buy-in on both tables - one was a bad beat to be fair but i just chucked another £100 away on the Nl100 table with a J high bluff - why???????? anyway after a cigarette decided id open up a NL200 table and after about 10mins i flopped a Q high flush, bet out got -re-raised and flat called, bet the turn and he shoved all-in I snap called and he  hit the A flush on the river! i was so angry not at the hand but because id just chucked more money away on a table where im not rolled for- and it hurt! what was i thinkin? and i packed up for the day there and then! so for the first time in over a year the past 3 days have hurt me and ive been stressin about it so much lookin through my hand history and laughing at some of my moves they were completly ridiculous! to the point where players at my table have been 'lol'ing at my game! (players who i know are completly useless themselves-and have hunted down to get there money!) and my nice bankroll that ive done so well building up has taken a very noticable hit. so after thinking about it alot tonight  ive completly withdrawn the whole of my bankroll - everything! ive not got a penny on there  im gonna enjoy at least some of the money ive earnt. and im not gonna be on the tables for a few days whilst i get my head straight and decide what i want from the game! ive not enjoyed playin the past couple of days and have been playing so so bad its laughable and i have no idea why! one thing i know for certain is that im not gonna be treating the game like a job anymore and when i decide to deposit again -probably in a few days after ive sorted my head out im gonna be playin for fun again but how much, what levels and what format i dont know (although i think tourneys probably are my strongest asset) I know this thread is long (im aware there are blogs for this stuff lol) and probably boring to alot of you but it feels good to get a bit off my chest coz its been on my mind constantly! and just wondered if any of you have had any experiences like this, any times you suddenly just drop everything you know and play like complete loonys and just start chucking money away for no reason? and if you figured out why this is, and what you did about it? does having more money in your account make you more complacent? and should i play all 3 disciplines or find the one that suits me best and stick to that? cheers for listening and see you on the tables in the not so distant future! - Andy  
    Posted by Eagle26
    Eagle ,you must have been flying too high and missed my BRYAN ORYAN TOP 100 POKER TIPS.When you finaly land,please take time to catch up with these tips,we put them on here to help all you lovely sky players who often find themselves lost, and bewildered,gl  on your catching up my friend.If you find these tips useless,please take at least 6 months off the tables,as it would appear you have come down with a nasty case of pokerintoxiocationtiltalization,youll be affected by losing a few pounds,but with a break youll surely put the pounds back on,yours Bryan Oryan
  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Re: Starting Over:
    In Response to Starting Over : Eagle ,you must have been flying too high and missed my BRYAN ORYAN TOP 100 POKER TIPS.When you finaly land,please take time to catch up with these tips,we put them on here to help all you lovely sky players who often find themselves lost, and bewildered,gl  on your catching up my friend.If you find these tips useless,please take at least 6 months off the tables,as it would appear you have come down with a nasty case of pokerintoxiocationtiltalization,youll be affected by losing a few pounds,but with a break youll surely put the pounds back on,yours Bryan Oryan
    Posted by bryan1960

      genius or should i say geniuses lol !
  • edited April 2010
    In Response to Re: Starting Over:
    In Response to Re: Starting Over :   genius or should i say geniuses lol !
    Posted by IRISHROVER
    Cheers Dennis,let 1 out the bag there,wasnt gonna introduce it until TIP38,but thought it necessary on this occasion to help a fellow player,gl at the tables
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