I have been playing 1-3 NL live poker for more than 2 years, and I think I am kind of breaking even or maybe losing a little bit. I play poker about once a week. I feel my skills is much better than before and sometimes I can play a very good game. However, here is the thing. Every time I won some money (over 1500 in 2-3 days), I immediately lost all of them back, and then I won them back again. It's going up and down. Makes me wonder if there is any wrong with my skill or it is just a swing. I have trouble cutting the loss when I am losing. Last time I lost 1000 in one night, which was crazy. I just couldn't give up when I am losing money. So can you guys give me some advices? For example, when should I stop when I am losing? How to avoid big mistakes when playing live poker? When should I leave when I am winning? Thank you.

y fronts should do the trick

Sick

They say you have to learn how not to lose in order to be a winner.

I hear the pain in your post and I feel for you. I had a problem when I first started I just thought I was too good, I would build huge stacks playing LAG and then lose it all. See I had a job the money meant nothing to me. If I didn't win like 5k I didn't care if I would lose because I wanted more then the measly $1500 that was sitting in front me.

But that all changed when I lost my job. I would lose a thousand and it would burn inside. Then I realize 1k is only 200bbs. When you play poker you have to be willing to lose thousands on any given night.

I started to search the internet and I came across some crazy post where the guy didn't win for 2weeks, that's 14 sessions I was amazed. I was like damn I never loss more then 5days in a row.

You have to embrace the swings or they will take over your mind like demons.

Ok to answer your questions, when should you leave, when the chair your sitting in becomes a hot seat and It burns inside lol.

How do you avoid big mistakes, by using effective stacks and never over valuing your hand according to the board.


You leave when your winning when all the donkey's or the people you are targeting go broke or get up and leave lol.

Thank you so much for your response. Your advice is very very helpful. I especially like this "avoid big mistakes by using effective stacks and never over valuing your hand according to the board." Over valuing my hand was the reason why I made so many stupid calls. Learning that you have the same up and down experience makes me feel better. I was so disappointed myself and I even thought about quitting poker. Thank you so much for your kind and helpful advice. This is my first post here and I already learned so much. I wish I found this forum long time ago.

It depends what it means to you: "I feel my skills is much better than before and sometimes I can play a very good game"
If that's the case then I know for sure you have a leak. You've got to find out what your leak is and fix it. Leaving when you're winning or losing makes no difference because you'll be back tomorrow. You cannot win in poker or any other game unless you've got an edge over your opponents. Quitting or not quitting has nothing to do with making a profit in poker. Money management is a spurious subject that makes you believe by quitting you somehow can manage or keep the winnings in your stack. I suspect you've got a big leak somewhere the way you think but not sure how poker should be played. I don't know. You just have to figure your game out. Probably you've got to raise a little more, CB for full pot bets, put the 2nd bullet and maybe the 3rd bullet and the final bullet on the river. I don't know.

Che,

I think I made too much mistakes and I played too loose sometimes.

FYP


you honestly need to put in alot of loosing hours and hands in poker before you get really familiar and comfortable with that feeling of loosing. Once you are comfortable loosing and realize tomorrow is another day and that you can get it back you will be much better off

The first time i lost half my bankroll in a short span of time it was inevitable that i grow broke because i wasnt used to loosing so much money and it affected me psychologically. By the 3rd time i lost half my bankroll i was able to wake up the next day with a clear mind and get it all back

you just get used to loosing and learn to cope the more you play

Each session is independent Dont play yesterdays heater.....valuble lesson I learned the hard way. Some days the deck hits you in the ass, some days you cant win a hand no matter what. Learn the feel of which is which and leave when you need to, the game will be there tomorrow.

Thank you for all the good advices. I learned a lot. I really don't handle losing that well.

Poker is gambling, period. I've said this before, but it's often plus EV to put all your money into a smallish pot with just one pair. Over the short term, luck determines how you do. Example: Coinflipping for a lot of money. First time it's pure luck. Once you get past like 100 times, it's EXTREMELY rare that you will have won or lost much more than 50 plus or minus 5 coinflips.

This was posted on another thread not long ago. Not all the rules are applicable but can be very helpful.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...poker-1033104/

1. No Going Broke
2. No Drinking
3. No Losing more than 3 BIs per session per player
4. Operating BR is 30 BIs, but $200 BIs are allowed as long as the BR is over $2000. When the BR is under $2000, max BI is $100
5. No Tilting, this is a business
6. If you’re not playing you’re “A” game, tighten up. If you’re not even playing your “B” game, leave
7. “Taking a Shot” @ a game the BR doesn’t support is allow as long as u enter the new game with 3 BIs, and will have 30 BIs for your usual game if you lose. If u get up 2 BIs while taking a shot u gotta walk. If u are in for 3 BIs and even, u gotta walk. Both players must agree to “Taking a Shot”
8. Don’t rush to play, don’t play hungry, don’t play angry, don’t play distracted, don’t play more than 40 hours a week
9. No playing more than 4 hours without a 30 min break
10. No playing more than 6 hours without an hour break
11. If u can’t find a weak spot @ your table, get a transfer
12. All NL play is considered to come from the BR unless otherwise stated before play
13. Do something physical before playing, whether it’s working or walking
14. All play must be tracked, ideally using poker tracking software on a phone. Each player is responsible for keeping track of sessions and putting that data into the master tracker. Data must include start time, end time, breaks, BIs, cash outs, location, game type, and bad beats given or received
15. If you’re not playing during High Hand jackpots times, u better have a good a good excuse
16. MMTs can’t be played for more than 2% of the BR. If both players agree, a “Taking a Shot” exception can be made as long as the tourney BI isn’t over 5% of the BR and leaves the BR @ 30 BIs for cash games
17. No money can be withdrawn from the BR without both players agreeing
18. No withdraws from the BR in the first month of Poker Club
19. A loan can be taken from the BR as long as it is paid back within a week and both players agree
20. At any time either player can void this agreement and cash out from the BR. With the exception of the original stake, the players with split the BR
21. The BR must be kept together. Only 4 BIs can be removed from the BR per player. All BR money must be returned to the BR immediately after playing
22. In the event of a “Gold Fish”, a players may BI a fourth time
23. Withdraws from the BR can only be made once a month
24. The only poker expenses that come out of the BR are drinks and tips, which must be frugal. Gas for sessions may also be taken out
25. To avoid big BR swings avoid calling in only slightly +EV situations. (i.e.- You’re on a f draw facing an all-in from a probable TPTK and getting exactly 2-1 to call a chunk of your stack. Why bother?)
26. If the BR isn’t over $6000, a stop loss of $800 per day is in full effect
27. Beware of low flying elephants

30 BI Guidelines
BR BI
$6,000 $200
$9,000 $300
$12,000 $400
$15,000 $500
$18,000 $600
$21,000 $700
$24,000 $800
$27,000 $900

If you've been able to ride your stack up and you feel it gradually slipping away get up and take a break. Get some food and recharge. You'll come back to the table with you A game ready to go.

Thank you so much. This is very helpful. "Don’t rush to play, don’t play hungry, don’t play angry, don’t play distracted, don’t play more than 40 hours a week"

If op is playing bad no money is enough. I would suggest limit or quit. Some people don't have the emotional intelligence for the game or are addicted but in your case it could be just variance. I would take a break then try to plug leaks then go back but maybe your game is better suited against different players.

If I remeber right this was the rules for two guys sharing a BR, one was a degen I think

I would say if you've been playing at this level for that long & aren't improving at a significant rate then you probably have some leaks. I would recommend reading some of the better books out there & reading the COTWs in the uNL forum. I think you should alway be reading at least 1 poker book at at time.

As far as non-startegy issues you're having, I would suggest reading up on BR management & developing strict BR guidelines for yourself & sticking to them.

Since it sounds like you're struggling with the BR & emotional parts of the game, I would highly suggest reading "The Poker Mindset" as it deals with these issues as well as other aspects of the game such as variance. Also, "Elements of Poker" by Tommy Angelo & any thing else of his you can get your hands on are invaluable. I've also heard good things about Jared Tendler (he has a book coming out soon) but I am not as familiar with his work.

At Foldhmmm - the link you pasted is to this page. Could you please provide the correct link to the page you quoted? Thanks.

Thank you so much. I love this forum! I will definitely take your suggestions and buy some poker books to read. "The Poker Mindset" and "Elements of Poker" sound like very good poker books. Be honest with you, I have never read any book that is about NL poker. I read one book that is about limit holdem, which I don't play it any more. Maybe that's why I can't improve and win steadily. BTW, what is COTWs and where is uNL forum?

just ordered the poker mindset about a week ago hoping its good

also this will be useful to you
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/16...hreads-638296/

Thank you very much! I really appreciate it. All you guys really made my day. BTW, I am a girl. Hopefully, no discrimination here, hehe... I know poker is a men's game.

"The Poker Mindset" is excellent. Probably the most important book for me at this point in my career. I've read it a few times & usually never go more than a month without reading it again.

I just ordered it on Amazon. Can't wait to read it. Thank you so much for recommending it.

Sorry correct link

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...ng-br-1024524/

OP:

First, start recording all of your sessions so you have a much better idea of whether you are winning/breakeven/losing. Stakes (i.e. 1/3), session win/loss amount plus session length should be good enough. Don't be too concerned about short term results (hint: a life time of a once-a-week live player might unfortunately be closer to short term than long term). But at least you'll have a general idea of where you probably are as your hours start adding up. If I didn't keep track of my individual results I would have no idea whether I was up money vs down money; our memories simply aren't good enough to track this, so record it.

Second, it's definitely possible to lose $1000 in one session playing 1/3. It's also definitely possible to win $1500 over 2 nights in 1/3. For the record, I've done neither (although perhaps close to the winning example), so it's *possible* you're playing a fairly loose high variance style.

Third, read some books. I think Harrington on Cash Games is a great place to start (others might have some other opinions).

Fourth, post. Post some hands you felt lost on; post some hands you thought you played fine (but want to confirm). Respond to other posts (with your reasoning for your actions), and see if others agree with your opinions or whether they think you're out to lunch.

Rinse and repeat.

Ggoodluck!G