I appreciate the sentiment but if common sense advice worked to eliminate deep seated mental issues nobody would have them and this topic wouldn't exist. Don't get me wrong, it is helpful but my goal is to take out the trash in unconscious competence and change it; which is really not a simple task

Anyway, there is a lot of trash there. Just look at the mental observations I wrote since yesterday:

I see myself as a winner in tournaments, visualise my winnings etc.

recognition: instantly feel excited and almost visualize (sometimes
actually) the winnings when I get a good hand vs fish; can start the
procedure then! EVEN BEFORE A HAND! just sitting on a very fishy table I was getting all giddy and nervous

nervous but dunno reason; not paying attn maybe? heat around the head but no pressure

when I'm losing I start "begging" for cards to come or spots!

big ego esp HU, I can't quit a reg even though I'm clearly playing badly and have no edge now

it really tilts me when I think I can't have an edge HU on a reg; but my game prob sucks ass

hand attachment, gambling too much in tourneys as well - when calling
overshove for ex, common occurence

after a bad session I feel very disappointed and depressed, that's why I spend hours online. And it can continue the next day if I lost a lot or if I made mistakes in a tournament

Can't be arsed now but will need to make a mental hh for all of them and find ways to start working on them. Seems I have so many mental issues there's no end in sight.

I bet this is the reason for so many braekeven/barely winning/ slightly losing regs

Now fk it I will just start playing and can study/work more tomorrow. Going to keep the same session goals this session as I tilted a lot yesterday

Let me try and explain to you my thoughts on this. If you go on tilt or make decisions that are obviously incorrect, whether it be calling with draws when not getting the right odds or maybe calling a 4 bet all in when you know the guy basically has you crushed (two very vague examples). These decisions where possibly based on emotional non logical thoughts. Thus if you are thinking logically and treat your poker one hand at a time or part of a large session the likely hood that you will make tilty or poorly justified calls and or decisions will greatly reduce because you are using actual measurements to make your decisions. So this is one way to eradicate tilt. Now if you just cant stop yourself and you have no self control then this is another factor all together. By studying you force yourself to think logically when following certain material thus eradicating tilt somewhat. Its reciprocal. Tilt is the opposite of logical thinking. So if you are being logical unless acting impulsive how can you go on tilt?

Yeah man I understand what you mean but here's the thing: it doesn't work quite that well. What happens with mental problems that are deeply entrenched, at the UC (Unconscious Competence) level in the brain, or with accumulated emotion is that it overwhelms you once it reaches a threshhold and then cuts off your brain's ability to think logically.

And if some skills are developed badly at the UC level or close then you will do them badly no matter how much logic and knowledge you put into it. And what you end up doing is fighting yourself which is not good anyway.

The only permanent solution is to take out the mental impurities and change them, which needs to happen at a deeper level than logical thinking. Read a bit about the neurology and psychology of learning, the adult learning model and you will see. A bit of it is in the first post of this thread.

Haven't done any sort of post session grrr...all this tilt will work more on my mental game today, create more profiles etc.

I have found I'm not playing well on this georgian site, not adapting - people are more aggressive than usual, especially fish, and do stuff like pot size bet bluffs all the time, when usually that's a sign of strength. Also raise bluff a lot more than I'm used to. Today's session goals:

1) Have an observations file to write general/population reads in and find ways to adapt

2) Watch for people that x turn with good hands, can raise a lot vs their turn bets, or jam in case of 3b pots, or wait till river to exploit their capped range; but mostly vbet thinner than bluff more!

Just skimmed through couple posts, but it looks like you really really like to call I've got the same problem - whenever I begin tilting (or just slipping into my C game), I start calling down way too much.
GL!

Yeah it's getting better though. I think my main problems are hate-losing tilt and mistake tilt, which I've started to deal with. Read the chapter on hate-losing tilt twice and will work on it tomorrow. Pretty interesting stuff.

Haven't done a post session analysis in a while, so it's about time. Playing without a hud atm on my main site so there won't be any hands; hopefully they'll get the converter thingy working soon, but it's a nice experience anyway I think it's forcing me to focus better/aquire reads.

First I'll just say that I'm feeling more hopeful than I've been in the last dunno how many months because this last session I was playing HU, messed up a couple of pots to double up this aggro guy (like they all are on this site), got QQ called his 3bet and was planning to call 3 barrels when I timed out on the turn. Timing out is what I've done a TON in the recent past but it's getting better now since I cut tables, however it still happens.

But for the first time ever I didn't even care that I timed out a great hand which was a very promising moneymaker, I actually started laughing! Never would have happened before, feeling quite proud of that.

I think the main reasons are the hate-losing chapter I've read today and the good meditation I've done just prior to playing. Haven't mentioned this I think but I'm meditating twice daily, 1 hour each and it's starting to really affect me in a positive way.

Therefor a realization loomed: good mood is the nuts! I will include it in my session warm-up, if I'm not in a good mood before sitting down to play I'll maybe just meditate for 10 minutes or do something to lighten it up.

Wow, this post is getting long, let's get to our goal analysis:


1) This was a brilliant idea, used it a lot and gained some really valuable insights - i.e.
!!!In general, many blf with no eq
ppl blf overpot [F] a lot, sometimes continue 1/2 [R]
POT size bluffs are common, like bop [R] even on dry-ish K52xK
BUT lots still vbet with pot!

Etc. etc. - I need to keep refining this and read it before every session

2) This went good too, I think I manage to use it in a couple of hands as well.

Finally going to sleep feeling optimistic about the game. See you tomorrow poker

Such an eventful first session. Pretty illuminating as well. It seems my accumulated emotion is really high, a slight - maybe not even - mistake can send me over the edge, especially when a big pot is involved.

It's funny cause I played better and was winning some buy ins early, a feeling I had almost forgotten. Then the tilt started and my game dropped, not catastrophically but visibly. Maybe I should just take a break and calm down when that happens. Still I ended up 4 bis which is nice and really needed. Starting to pay more attn, really think about ranges and stuff and play more exploitatively.

That observation file helping again, will keep reading it as preparation for a session. I decided to also do a 10-minute read from a wonderful book, Zen and the Art of Poker; an insta calmative. Hope I manage to do it and not procastinate.

Other relevant notes I took:

when winning I'm becoming very restless as well

no time to get bored and spew with all this reading/writing obs

have revenge tilt, want my $ back from this or that guy

So far I have just about every type of tilt in one degree or another and a lot of accumulated emotion, yay! Time to start really dissecting and working on each one.

Procastinated quite a bit today, avoided working on my mental game but forced myself to do a mental profile and work on some inject logic statements.

Also in the evening I find myself tilting badly because I didn't keep my schedule and will end up starting the session after 10 PM, which messes up my schedule for tomorrow etc. The preparation was good though, read from the zen and the art of poker book and as mentioned worked on some mental game aspects and read a bunch of my mental profile. Now I will try to follow my breath for 5 minutes before starting the grind.

Session goals:

1) Realize that the amount won or lost at any point during the session is totally irrelevant, like a grain of sand in a desert.

2) Be more careful triple barreling for value, ask myself if there really are more combos of hands I beat than not that call my bet; count combos if I can

Finally doing a post session analysis before sleep.

Sooo overall I think I'm playing better, not mindlessly clicking anymore although I do still make horrendous mistake. But had a nice winning session on one site at least (the one where I'm being staked). Had some troubles closing tables and staying in a HU game that wasn't doing me good - the guy quit me too haha.

Goal evaluation:

1) Well that was intense; must have done the breathing-inject logic-strategic reminder thing dozen of times. It's definitely a huge problem taking up vast areas of mental space; will be nice when it's cleared up

2) I kind of lost track of this one; I mean I was more careful but still (probably) misplayed a hand where I triple barreled jam QT on a T high board vs a fish, in position. I think I should have just thin vbet river instead of jamming

Anyways too tired to write much, good night.

Hmm half an hour for a session warm-up; it's getting too much especially if I need to play only 2 tables for the first half hour. Note to self: establish a faster prep routine, something like 15 minutes tops. I'm having trouble thinking about today's goals, but let's try:

Session goals:

1) Take a break every hour or 1 1/2 hour. This is tough as I'm playing both HU and tourneys so you can see my conundrum. I should try to sync my breaks with tourney even if it means abandoning a HU game if it's not THAT good.

2) Be more careful triple barreling for value, ask myself if there really are more combos of hands I beat than not that call my bet; count combos if I can

Am about to start playing soon but have no idea what session goals to create. I guess I'll revert to simple ones but first about last night's session, a goal evaluation:

1) It was ok-ish but the breaks only lasted 2-3 minutes which is not enough; I need to realize when the tourney(s) are going on break beforehand; one cool thing is that I managed to quit some HU games as well just to take a break

2) I'm not sure if I really did that; perhaps I should do it now.

Anyways today I'm in a low mood due to some personal stuff so I have an idea for session goals:

1) Accept that I'll probably not be on my A game today but my B game with a good chance of C-game creeping in

2) Create an inject logic statement that will stop me from spewing due to boredom/feeling down and push myself to play without quitting early

Well I was in a low mood and couldn't pay too much attention, lost a couple of BIs and misplayed some hands but still nothing atrocious. I remember in the past when I was playing in these moods I was doing horrible things, not even knowing what I was doing and was ending up losing 10 or 15 or who knows how many buy ins. So I think clearly a TON of progress has been made in that regard. Let's go to our goal evaluation:

1) I was pretty good at this and managed to not get upset for making mistakes which is really a new thing

2) Did it and I think it worked quite alright.

As a final note, I think I should bluff less on my current site as ppl are just atrocious callers.

In a hurry because I only have one hour to pla; this means I won't be using proper warm up but w/e, I'll use it next session. Not really in a good mood so I can keep the session goals of last time, for this short first session.

Didn't write anything else yesterday because I was on life tilt pretty much. Now I am calm and optimistic so I think it will be a good session - 2 hours and 15 min probably.

Did some good technical work yesterday that's also related to the mental game, the ALM (adult learning model) to be specific. Watched a video by notes for like the 5th time BUT this time started an excel file where I wrote different skills that are not in my UC level (perhaps I should write those too in the future and sort by skill level?) and their skill level. It looks like this http://gyazo.com/6a4c002ead3b248220040b5136763497


I've always dreamt about doing this but never got around to it (of course); the book gave me a very clear structure and reason to do it. In the near future I'll make an excel file with a lot of skills, technical and mental with the stages they are at and evaluate them after each session (not all of them but 2 or 3 at a time) then I'll be able to track my progress and focus on new skills to learn etc.

For now I decided to focus on learning a skill I'm not good at - UI or CI level along with skill I'm decent at, in the CC level, just to get it to the UC level or close and clear up mental space for new skills to learn. So today's session goals:

1) Focus on folding any one pair, even most 2-pair hands in spots where ppl show obvious strength, such as triple barrel from passives, c/raises or river raises, big sizings of pot or more, river or turn aggression after I showed strength - I tink this is in the CC stage right now, which alone shows how much I've progressed!

2) Fold the bottom part of my blind vs button 2x calling range when btn raises 2.2x-2.5x - something in my CI level, pretty bad at it

Sooo back after a 5-day festival break. Did some ground breaking mental work today as I started to analyze the last session before leaving which was a very tilty session, and write down the kind of mistakes I'm doing at my worse.

I'll try to do that daily for a few weeks, to have a really good idea of where my game is, according to the level I'm playing at. Then I'll be able to adjust differently to my current playing level - like have different strategies for when I'm at my A-game, B-game, C-game. My feeling is my C-game has improved a lot, which should really pad my win-rate.

Another development: for the next 16 days I'll be working 10 hrs/day -yay! I think I'll play 6 1/2 to 7 hrs and do off-table work 3 1/2 hours. It's cool because the last 10 days of the month I won't play at all almost (at least the last 7 days) and I really need to put work in.

Not sure what I should put for today's session goals:

1) Think hard if there are enough worse combos to call when value betting river for stacks - like when triple barreling or c/jamming; I overestimate my value sometimes

2) Don't run bluffs trying to fold ppl off TP, including regs, without reads. At least at ~$25nl (the weak player site) as I've seen a lot of surprises.

Very quick post sess analysis: I was on the edge of tilt a lot but was able to stop myself every time - the money obsession was manifesting in one form or another; taking up a ton of mental space which could have been put to much better use.

Didn't make too many mistakes but didn't feel too confident or that I was playing that well anyway. Won both sessions today with the same feel so that's not bad.

Goal analysis:

1) I did it more than usual, even saved a hand to show but HM is being gay, hiding it. Basically I didn't triple barrel OOP with KK on JT7Tx, instead I checked with the intention of calling. Vs a fish too but he has too many trips and straights imo, and some Jx may fold to a shove anyway

2) Respected this one as well, which is nice.

Tomorrow will go on the new schedule, waking up just 5 and a half hours from now (ouchie!) - but I have to thanks to party poker's happy hour

Hmm morning session analysys: it's pretty bad without doing a warm up, especially at 7AM. Did some big mistakes, calling ones especially - it seems they show up much more in my C-game than B-game. I do notice that my bad sessions are not ones I lose a bunch of bis with necessarily anymore, more like break even or lose 2-4 bis which is great - really stoked about that!

So new plan is to wake up at 6:30 and do a proper pre-session warm up before playing. There weren't enough good games today, if that will always be the case might ditch the morning session altogether, or play on the non-happy hour site. I did do the session goals properly again which is good (same ones as last night). Off to work a bit on my mental game, analysing some more tilty hands to find out the mistakes I make when tilted.

Well just in a rush as I'm not getting enough hours in, will only play about 6 1/2 today, which is not too shabby. But gotta start NOW so session goals:

1) Make raises and 3bets bigger, closer to 4x than 3x, esp OOP

2) Play simple and str forward vs fish / weak regs before getting definite reads. Fold ot big aggression w/o reads, even good hands.

Pretty disastrous session; not money wise but mental wise. Started well enough on the georgian site and on party casual games, but then "happy hour" happened on party so I recklessly opened 4 fast tables along with my casual game.

Of course that, combined with being tired, meant I couldn't focus on anything and endedd up doing the stupidest **** ever; such as





a really lol one, where I didn't even know what went on in the hand :



All in all now that I look at them I was able to close down a table rather quickly and I only lost a bi so my C-game is still improving probably. Made a bunch of mental notes:

must do a profile for my urge to open too many tables, also for

mistakes; then keep track in excel file!

tiredness combined with too many tables creates havoc; ask myself how

tired/good I'm feeling be4 deciding on tables, and only gradual!

add freq to excel file tracking mistakes

And now I wake up in 5 hours and less than a half, so good night. Being motivated is great

Session analysis: more freaking tilt, both last night and this morning. I really need to work on accumulated emotion and warming up before playing, always, at least for 10 minutes.

Otherwise disaster strikes it seems, especially when tired and mixing up 4 fast table with a nromal one.

Off to analyse my tilty hands and create some mental profiles.

After some 2plus hours work I came to the conclusion I don't know what's going on most of the time I'm tired/playing too many tables; for instance wrote down I'm really bad at reading sizings, or at folding speculative hands to preflop 3bets and the most important, that I don't adjust to site/stakes (something I'm probably bad at in my B or even A-game as well)

What happens with 25nl fast on party is that ppl play weirdly their strong hands, and they rarely bluff in big pots. What I need to do is count the nuts sometimes in someone's range when I normally wouldn't, and more good hand combos.

Session goals:


1) Adjust to 25nl fast by playing much more str forward and tight, folding even big hands to big sizings and aggression even if their line doesn't make sense

2) Try cbetting with no equity more as an expoitative play vs ppl that fold too much in spots that don't hit their range

Seems like I'm only playin on tilt the last sessions; maybe because I played without keeping my schedule and really tired and without warming up, plus my accumulated emotion is really high, get pissed off at the slightest mistake/loss

Pretty bored and jaded with the whole thing, so I will just warm up a bit and play.

The insta-tilt has gotten so bad I found myself again procastinating to avoid playing or thinking about poker. After some hours of that I managed to do some mental work though. I have a strategy for seeing mistakes in a positive way, as part of the learning process (which they are).

From now on I want to look at spots where I made the same elementary mistakes before each session, and/or look in spots where I didn't make them. Today's session goals:

1) Use the new strategy to treat the repeated, elementary mistakes I
make as a positive thing, an essential part of learning

2) Focus on putting people that appear weak (mostly at 25nl) on nutted ranges, thus folding a lot and not bluffing, as most slow play

Interesting session, or should I saw another episode of my struggles

The mistake thing and injecting logic at the right times worked pretty well, I was more accepting of my awful playing; I played better overall, still did some horrendous calls though.

25nl fast on party plays so incredibly nitty, the regs there only raise or triple barrel the nuts I swear; but of course I still pay them off so I guess the 2nd part of my goals today didn't work too well.

Gave myself some homework: "to do : filter HEM for fast hands where ppl raised and saw SD! also try to see how I do calling triple bar from agg fish" - maybe I need some more convincing.

Hope I can wake up at 6:30 am tomorrow, that is 5 hours from now. Good night.

Well woke up early at 6:30 but only managed to open my first table now. Read a bit of "Zen and the Art of Poker"; happy hour is starting but I'll take at least 10 minutes to play 2 tables and read up on my mental profile.

Going to keep the same session goals for now, with an emphasis on being extremely nitty when it comes to raises or triple barrels at fast 25. There's so much money to be made just by stealing blinds and 3betting those nits (some have fold to 3bets of 90% haha) and I throw it all away calling too much. Also, just remembered I need to look at some hands that I got overattached to.