We all know poker can be brutal- I wanted to start a sort of "recovery thread" for players looking to change mindsets/get advice for down-swings.

I am a young, live NLH player playing only 1/2. I see myself as a decently good player, but still learning a lot.

My bankroll usually fluctuates up and down, I managed to float myself playing for 6 months without having to reinvest or put more money in. Now after 5 back-to-back unlucky/card-dead/bad sessions, my bank roll is depleted and I feel stuck. It obviously sucks losing money, but that is not the main point of the post. sh*t happens, right? I am simply just trying to defeat the down-swing mindset.

I usually dont mind losing if its good play, but the last sessions have been utterly awful. Just not getting cards, and when I actually do play losing to one-ups.


In these times, how do you play it? Do you take a break from poker in general? Do you simply change poker rooms? Do you play online microstakes and break from live?

Right now I am planning on taking a break from live poker until a Vegas trip this summer and playing on ACR until then. The table grind seems to be tilting me a bit.

Any insight/advice would be great.

Moved from Poker Theory

I would recommend a total break from playing poker for a little while. You should have something else you like to do, or find something new to enjoy. Then after a while, when your desire to play poker is stronger than your desire to do this other thing, only study poker and prepare for your “comeback”. During this time you are saving up a bankroll.
Once you have the desire, the study, and the bankroll, you may be better equipped than ever to make it work.

Also, I do not recommend ACR. Having played there with moderate small stakes success, my personal opinion is that it is reg infested, possibly bot infested, and will surely be much more difficult than live 1/2.

While any site will likely be tougher than live 1/2, I hear that Bovada is most likely your best option for USA players.

First of all, I want to start out by saying, you seem to have the right attitude.
That's a big plus.
There are many points to tackle so forgive me if I don't put them in the correct order or if it seems I'm skipping around.
Like I said, you seem to have the right perspective on what poker is about, or at least what I think it's about.
Like Doyle Brunson said, "poker isn't about making money, it's about making the right decisions" .
So, we recognize, if we make the right decisions, play optimally as much as possible, we'll have the odds in our favor.
We'll be a winner over the long run.
If you put it all in pre with aces and still lose to kings, to give the most obviously extreme example, sure you'll be upset if you get out drawn, it happens.
But what are you going to do, fold aces?
You can feel happy about yourself and the way you play even when you lose because you know you're making the right decisions.
So, poker is as much about decisions as anything.
Make no mistake about it, it's a poker skill.
What people fail to realize is, bankroll management, table selection, these are not just things to take into consideration, these are vital poker skills, even for a recreational player.
So, you're young, you have talent, you have the right attitude, but, are still making bad poker decisions?
You went broke after 5,6 losing sessions, are you underolled?
Do you continue to play at a tough table when you're losing, instead of switching or quiting for the day outright?
All things to think about.

This totally depends on your personality and your bankroll. I like to take some time off after bad runs to 'cool off' and refresh my mind, but I play a ton so the forced breaks are a welcome respite from grinding. You don't have to totally turn off poker. Do some reading, some studying, think about hands, etc. I find I usually come back with a better mindset after breaks with more enthusiasm for the game.

How bad is your run? Keep in mind 5+ 100BB buyin downswing is not unusual in NL, depending on your style/game conditions. Also, be honest with your self and do some hand reflection and acknowledge if you played hands badly, i.e. call down the tightest player who obviously have the nuts is not bad luck, and try not to do the same in the future.

Robert, Peeme, Donkey,

Thank you for the responses.
I am slightly under-rolled, I started w/ 6 100bb buy-ins. (most of the time I have to play at a room where the 1/2nl is 30bb buy in, so i will usually play multiple buys if needed)- also, I know this is a terrible room/game to play- I will be finding a better game.

To address Donkey's question of how bad is the run? The last 4 sessions i have played (lost my notes on the 5th, but this has been happening for more than 2 months) were all 3+ hours, playing tight, but due to unluck/card dead/etc., I only saw maybe 15-20 playable hands. Then when I do play, I completely miss all three streets or lose to literal nuts. i.e. losing a flopped boat to a player whom got runner runner quads, and similar situations.

I think I will take some time off, do some reading, do some posting/replying to hand reviews on 2+2, maybe some online micros- I think I also need to change my play philosophy.

It is interesting, looking back on it, the mid-big hands that I do make, I feel that I play very well (good bet sizing, good opponent reads, no fear of getting chips in, etc.) but as soon as my hand is questionable (i.e. low pkt pair, middle pair low kicker, middle pair bck-door draw, etc.) I play scared and lose all of the confidence in the hand and fold too often- I guess this should be considered missing opportunities.

Thanks again folks,

Just to clarify, I completely separate my poker bankroll from the money I need to live. Im not broke (the roll is hurting) but I dont have to go sell a kidney to get by- which I am also thankful for.

Now that I think about it, that is a good thing to remember. I may be down, but I play responsibly and never risk what I cannot afford to lose; for me poker is about challenging myself and learning as much as possible from every hand.

That's not card dead, that's about normal for 3-4 hours of hands. You get about 25-30 hands/hour in NLHE. Getting 20 playable hands over 100-120 hands is well within the low 'normal' range. Play long enough and you'll run into stretches where you have 0-2 playable hands/hour over 5+ hours.

This is run-bad, but again, play long enough and you'll run into stretches where they will run back-to-back-to-back. Again part of the game.

You should lose confidence with these hands, they are all marginal to unplayable situations. You're not suppose to win big with them and are suppose to fold them in most cases.

I knew that by your writing style, as much as that may sound like baloney.
I never meant to imply that you're some degen and are playing with the house rent.
To the contrary. When I ask if you're underolled, it means I understand you're responsible and simply don't have enough EXTRA money for an adequate poker bankroll.
I'm talking from personal experience.
It took me several years to realize the importance of this my self.
If I have, for example, 1000 set aside and I lose 2 buy ins, then I'm playing scared after that. It's a nightmare scenario.
We know the reality, even the best players in the world can lose two buy ins in one session. Anybody who emediatly criticizes someone for that is a clueless donk.
So, I approach my bankroll in this way.
Well, I use a different bankroll than what I'm going to recommend but, no offense, I think my skill level let's me get away with it.
Always have, for 1/3- 1/3, 3k put aside. At least.
If You lose some in a session, top it off again as soon as you win it back.
If you exceed it, then it's up to you, set it aside to move up in stakes or use it best you see fit.
Heck, it's your money.
You should look at your bankroll as your stock.
Can you open a hardware store without having it stocked, constantly, with goods to sell?
Well, I could go on forever, I hope that helped.

I face the same issues as you. I have money but I never keep it in cash. This makes me reluctant to hit the ATM when I should but ultimately without the ability to absorb swings you can't play the game so I try to watch spending and keep what i can on hand.