Dealing with Downswings !!!

Posted by on 2012-11-22 at 12:00 AM

My Tips On Dealing With Downswings

A downswing in my opinion is a period of time where the odds go against you and consequently you. The mathematical concept where say you get AK in vs AQ in a session and he hits his Q. Now preflop you are favourite 75/25 but what that means in terms of poker is that he will actually win this hand 1 out of 4 times. So a downswing is a more short term aspect of the game.

Here are some tips on how to deal with a downswing and what to do. However this will depend on how big the swing is, how it has affected you, your game and your mental game. I have just put together some ideas though.

Take A Break – this for me is probably the most important factor. If poker really is starting to affect you when you aren’t at the tables then it is time for a break. If you find yourself being snappy or short tempered towards family or work colleagues this is probably a sign that its getting to you. Take a break however long you want until you feel in the correct frame of mind for playing or you feel the urge to grind again.

Drop Stakes – When your urge to grind has come back or you feel in the correct frame of mind for playing then I would advise to drop stakes. This is also important because naturally the competition will probably be softer at a lower limit to you so you can build your bankroll back up, gain confidence and get something going again.

Drop Amount Of Tables – I would seriously suggest this and focus on playing the correct way. Analyzing your opponents and exploiting their tendencies will help you actually to play better and also will slow your downswing down.

Analysis Of Your Game – This should be done all the time but the fact is most people don’t, during heaters people just want to grind and grind to rake in the cash. So some ways to fix up your game are to check your stats. Organize some sweat sessions with buddies, post hand histories, analyses others hands to check you are thinking the correct way. Watch videos on poker to give you some confidence, every time I watch a poker video I feel more confident and am ready to grind.

That about wraps it up but dealing with downswings is very personal and different things work for different people so these are just some ideas to get you going.

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