Just looking to vent and possibly get some sort of conversation going about how others deal with just having bad luck.

I've been on a downswing the past two months that really has me questioning if I should continue to play. I'm not inspiring to be a pro and primarily play once or twice a week, so I'd consider myself nothing more than a rec player.

During this downswing, the only thing I can say that I'm proud about is the fact that I have not been on tilt as I don't view my play as being bad/fishy but I almost feel like I should because being a solid player (in terms of quality of hands I'm playing) is only getting me stuck and I have zero clue how to change it. Over the past handful of sessions, which are reflective of the past couple of months in general, I'm being felted with the following...all is $1/$2NL

set over set.. rebuy for max, very next hand set over set
AA vs AK all in preflop, flop is K, K, x
KK vs KQ flop is a Q, get it all in and turn is a Q
AK suited, UTG raise to $10, I 3bet to $20 from UTG+1, BB calls with 3/5 clubs.. and two 5's hit the flop.

sets over sets happen and it just is what it is but back to back hands is just brutal. the other hands, all of the money/action is in when I've been way ahead so nothing could be done differently(with the exception of the AK vs 3/5). I know I want the 3/5 to call 10x preflop out of position raise all day but how the hell would I have put him on a 5 in that situation? the turn came an Ace and that's when the money got in, so by all accounts I thought he had A/x and I really couldn't see any 5's being involved.

Is it pointless to try and put some players on a range at $1/$2NL? I asked the guy to my right (who was the initial raiser) "does any amount get him to fold 3/5 preflop?" he replied back with, "I don't know maybe make it $30" as if the min 3bet from early position held zero weight.

I just don't know any more. it's gotten to the point now that any possible hand that could beat me, I just assume the opponents have it and I've been actively telling myself that I can't let that make me tentative and to play my hands as they should be.. but how many times can I keep running into brick walls?

I'm starting to think that I'm just an unlucky player as the past two months have been filled with these situations/suck outs. I wish I could call them coolers (set over set I'd categorize as such) but they're not coolers.. they're suck outs and horrible ones at that..

anywho, sorry if this is in the wrong forum if there is a thread dedicated to this type of depression.

There's no such thing as an unlucky player. Luck is a reflection of the past or a hope for the future. It is not a state of being.

Assuming everything you say about solid play is true, then you are dealing with variance, and specifically being on the bad end of it.

It sucks, but get used to it, because if you keep playing it will happen to you again, multiple times, over and over. No one is immune.

There's no way to fix it, other than learn to handle it, and either have a big enough bankroll to survive it, or just wait until you've made enough recreational money to try again.

you're not unlucky, it's called variance but maybe you can improve your game.
how much did you "get it all in" on the flop? How did the betting go?

3bet more. Don't min-raise (especially so early) and maybe the BB won''t call pre. It's not about what he was holding, you don't want to make is easy to intice multiple callers to see a flop (especially when you have ace high).

GL

It's possible that you are an unlucky player, but you are definitely not "just" an unlucky player. You 3bet a $10 open to $20, and you are wondering aloud if that was the right move and how you could have put him on a 5. You don't have your fundamentals down.

Bro...he called a 9x raise with 16x already in the pot. You seriously need to reevaluate how much of your downswing is attributed to luck. Also it's not a minraise, which would usually be a nitty point but here we are.

There are just so many red flags as I read this:

If you mean to say that you only 3bet premiums from EP, then that carries a lot of weight and makes me more eager to call 9x from the BB with 53. Do you understand that?

*sigh* yeah I hear ya. been playing consistently now for 4 years but these past months with zero break of bad beats is starting to weigh on me. I love the game but need this damn downswing to at least take break from kicking my ass.

trust me, I know I could improve my game.. if I had to generalize my level of play it would be 'knowledgeable" of general situations and wet toes when it comes to combo break downs and things of that nature.

for the KK vs KQ hand, the pot was <$75 and the KQ pushed for about another $75 or so, which I called. Could be wrong, but don't think there was any other way to play this hand as I didn't try to be sneaky and any action outside of calling was taken from me (I would have bet roughly $50 if I had the option).

"Don't min-raise (especially so early)" - yeah I guess you're right. I honestly put too much value in what I perceived to be a strong play given position of the min re-raise.

it's super frustrating when a few hands previously I folded pockets 8's after I called a raise to $10 and then it was 3bet to $25 and 4 other callers. I know/knew that I was getting fantastic odds to call additional $15 but just figured that I would only hit a set 12% of the time on the flop and just didn't want to get into a fishy gameflow so thought it to best to sit on the sidelinee.. and then the 8 flops and I sit there looking at everyone go crazy, putting money into the pot and just think "well that should all be mine".

every session is a lesson I guess.. some more frustrating than others.

do appreciate the feedback however.

If you're getting paid better than 8-1 odds if and when you do hit a set, the bet makes mathematical sense since you will profit from it in the long run.

call pre with all those callers

no, I don't "just" 3bet premiums from EP. I have different plays in my game other than just doing "x" with "x" hands from "x" position.. and it really is dictated on the table dynamics(whether right or wrong). This guy actually just got to my table from a broken table so there was literally zero history between us.

yeah I know and completely agree.. it was bad on my part..no way to defend it really

I've been on a downswing this year. I've lost with my last three AA and two KK hands to very few outs (except one KK vs. AA -- right after my AA lost to KK) and lost with a set to a player who will bet anytime he's checked to who hit a gutshot. It happens. It's variance. Take some time, but don't give up unless you can't afford the variance.

That is flat wrong. Anyone that says that is not unlucky.

Always look at your hands when the chips go in ... anything that happens after that is variance. Did you call a smart bet? Did you get a player to call/shove with -EV?

The other aspect to look at is do you start chasing when you get hit with a beat? Opening your range or playing more hands (from out of position) will probably inflate your 'bad luck' simply because you are in more marginal spots by default.

You can only control what you do at the table ... You can try to influence what the other players do by how you play but in the end you sometimes can't beat a 'gamble' taken by an opponent.

1) I put you on AK
2) I just felt it coming
3) It was my turn to win a hand

My phrase of 2017 is poker is a war, but don't try to win the war in one battle. Be happy winning small battles and hopefully the cards fall your way when an opportunity jumps up.

The math looks stupid ... set over set in 2 straight hands? Unbelievable, and yet it 'can' happen. I busted a guy's AA with my KK on a K-high board. The very next hand I busted his KK with my AA! I've seen 4 people have a flush in the hole on a 4-flush board. I've seen a guy get a Royal 2 hands in a row!

Again .. Look at the hand flow and make adjustments to your table dynamic. GL

You have been cursed ..... you have angered POKUR the God of Card Games. You will continue this way until PUKUR is satisfied....

There must be a blood sacrifice ..... POKUR's thirst for venegence must be quenched.

tell me do you have children?

I do.. at least until the sacrifice occurs.

If you can't handle swings poker isn't for you

just venting and having a discussion.. figured a poker discussion forum would be a decent place for that to occur. thanks for wisdom though.

Take a fair coin and flip it.

Heads, you win.
Tails, you loose.

Flip it 32 times.

Repeat for every person on Earth

One person should get 32 heads. Is she lucky?
One person should get 32 tails. Is he unlucky?

Without reading OP....

Unlucky player gii slightly ahead
Lucky player gets there
Only ever happens to unlucky player

amirite?

You don't play often enough (weekly +) to have much of a sample to evaluate this situation. This downswing could have been just the opposite ( major heater) and you could be really feeling good about your game. Usually things even out eventually, but when you only play occasionally it might take longer and seem endless. I guess that you are just dealing with normal poker downswing annoyance and don't need to make changes to rescue yourself. Play thru , GL

Stop with math and statistics jargon. There isn't much time. The next solar eclipse is only 2 days away. He must travel to a region affected by the solar eclipse and at the darkest moment of the eclipse he must sacrifice his youngest born to POKUR god of card games. Failure to feed POKUR's blood lust will only lead to further bad luck.

How long have you been playing? If you were actually an "unlucky player", why have to only noticed this in the past two months? Did someone put a curse on you two months ago?

The hands that you posted and your logic behind them indicate that you might not actually be a winning player. If you were winning money in the past, it may simply have been that you ran well. And thus your current losing period is just the other side of that variance.

I would recommend trying to improve at poker. The most glaring thing that sticks out is you seem to be focusing on the absolute size of a bet and not the size in relation to the pot in determing whether it is reasonable to call.

I've been playing for 4 years, but only tracked my stats for 2016. Prior to this downswing from hell, I'd say my graph looked about how I'd expect it should...ups, downs, but overall going in the right direction.



As far as the size of bet/pot, I don't necessarily agree..with the pockets 8s,yeah label me guilty.. obviously leak.

The 5/3 example, I don't know, we simply weren't that deep and personally I'm not playing that hand from that position with that action on my first hand at the table..but I get it, pokers not for me and I need to learn the game more before I could possibly understand. Nonetheless, it sure as hell stings a little more with the way I've been running.

Their no such thing unlucky days in the poker game. It just happen that their are much better player on the table when your playing. Polish your skill even you don't want to be a pro.

I'd rather run good in life and bad in poker than vice versa. Are you healthy, well fed and have a roof over your head? How about the people you care about? If so who cares if someone sucks out on your aces. If not you have bigger things to worry about.

You're on the internet complaining about the fact that you've only won $7k in the past year playing a game. That's a first world problem. Either you're a winning player and your luck will probably turn around, or your not and you're like 90% of people who play poker as a fun hobby. What's the point in complaining about it?

P.s. - I would never expect someone in a 1/2 game to raise to $10 pre and then fold for $10 more.