Going thru my first real bad run of sessions (18 out 21 currently) of with each session not really a wipe but a loss still the same. It is your typical run of lack of good cards and the few you get some how get beat or you pull in the blinds.

I am not an expert player but feel i did not tilt. played solid poker and think i made the correct decisions. I play micro limit holdem and thus i know i will be against some time callers from everywhere. I can accept it and roll thru the punches and play ABC poker till the run is over. evaluate my sessions and continue to look for weaknesses. Bankroll is ok i ensured i did not move up till i had enough for 50 buy ins.

Just want to know if tightening up would help. my limited numbers are 17.9/8.6/2.9/18782. At times i have early AX suited and fold from early position only to see it hit on the river etc etc. i know i should not play certain hands out of position, but can one play to tight in micro limit holdem ?? or should i tighten it up and ride on the bad run.

Thank you for any wisdom from past experiences.
respectfully,
Colonel

Limp/call less, raise more preflop. Try to get PFR and VPIP pretty close.

Yeah, sometimes the cards just aren't on your side. It happens, just gotta strap on the boots and keep truckin'.

Bruzer

Sounds like your game is solid to me. If you're not tilting, keep making good decisions and you'll be fine. If it's upsetting you, then take a break from playing for a little while.

If you play full ring, your stats look normal to me, although 2.9 AF suggests you might be a bit of a raise/fold type player and there are definite times playing more passively post flop is ok. But 2.9 isn't crazy; it's just a pretty high AF.

Folding Axs in EP (where x <T) is standard. In a really loose passive game, you can open limp Axs in EP. The way I handle Axs in EP/MP is to limp with it only if there is at least one other limper.

Tightening up won't help. If anything you could be *slightly* looser. It might help to see your stats from every position rather than just overall. Go to the microlimit forum, find the Stats thread, and compare your stats to the ones there. Also, check out the microlimit sticky for good information on what stats are "normal." Bottom line, though--your stats fall in the normal range. It doesn't prove your play is correct, but it indicates you're not doing anything crazy.

I go through runs like this every now and then, too. It's frustrating. Review your hands, participate in the micros forum, sign up for a session review, post hands that give you problems, re-read SSH or WITHG, take a few days off, and get back to it.

But I don't understand why you'd want to change anything about your style of play just because you'd had some recent losing sessions. There's an epic post by Q-Tip somewhere in the archives where he compares poker to Monopoly and he basically says that if you start rolling bad and always going to jail or landing on Boardwalk, you don't trade away your railroads and sell off all your houses just because you want to do something different while you're having a run of bad luck. You just realize it's crappy luck and keep going. He says it way better than I ever could. Anyway, point is, if your play is solid like you say, you'll win.

Good luck.

CTB, this advice probably pertains better to NL. He's a LHE player.

How big is your sample size of winning previously?


I ran at something like 60% losing sessions 40% wins and made a handy profit. Session is a horribly subjective measurement.

I thought so originally but 50 buyins? OP please clarify

Ughhh Afk to slit my wrists for my incompetence.

I never notice when people say limit.

To Sputum, he said 18.7k hands.

Bruzer

if the decks cold then just walk away for a few.....

normally I take it out on $2+.15 HU tourneys to see how I run and it can either be a confidence booster or small fee for more frustration

thanks for the guidance so far, i use the 50 buy ins as a secondary means / to move up a level in limit holdem. meaning if i need $20 to by into a a .50 - $1 game i ensured i had $1000 in bankroll to cover runs. of course the main thing i used to judge whether to move up was how have i played during current level of play. that may seem extreme and or playing it to safe but for me it works on the mental side to have a good size bankroll.

had strong winning session perctanges on previous 3 levels of approx 70% of course some small some big, moved up to current level played good for about a week and now for past week (18 lose out of 21). I am assuming i am on one of the runs i read about here in forums. and was just seeking advice on how some of you players have dealt with bad runs.

I apologize if this is within the wrong forum, please forgive.

respectfully,
colonel

You're not in the wrong forum. I just don't want to assume too much (although now I see your joining date)
Is 17k hands the downswing or your total play?
If you are playing well it is entirely possible to have a losing 17k hand stretch. But review your play anyway. You either reassure yourself or improve. Maybe a little of both.

Sorry for the thread hijack, but since you guys are talking about stats, is an AF of 4.7 way to high? I think that may be a leak in my game since I noticed when I get good hands I bet a lot and everyone folds every time (I can't remember the last time I played AA till showdown =( ) But at the same time, I hate slow playing hands (has bad experiences while doing that)

actually he could just go with raising more of the hands he plays when he has position. 18/10, 20/12 would do just fine preflop at fullring. if you play with a pfr of like 8 or less then observant players (or even just ones running a tracker) will not payoff....play 22/12 against the same guys will put you in tough spots but youll also get paid off better. its a fine line though. a nonvet might actually be better playing an 18/10 type game whilst learning.

yes. it isually means you are raising too much or folding too much. teh muck maligned call has a place in poker . if your AF is too high and you cant get paid off its more likely you are a 14/5 rock than a 30/15 lag. for those of you guys interested in limit stats...we have a dedicated stats thread over in microstakeslimit. it might be off the first page but you can always find a link to it in the stickied digests. all i ask is that you have a read of it before you post...theres a lot of stats posted in there and chances are people have already posted stats that look like yours and have gotten good feedback.

If anyone can provide some advice on the matter I'd greatly appreciate it. I've had bad runs in the past and always came through them but my current one is my worst so far. I'm close to giving up the game I love because of it (apologies for sounding whiney but my mental state has clearly been affected )

The graph I've posted is all the hands I've played since I moved to full tilt at the beggining of May. I only play about 10,000 hands a month so this cooler has lasted a long time for me (from hand 18,000 onwards)

[IMG][/IMG]

It could always be worse

Without looking, I'm assuming this is the guy with the Indiana Jones avatar. He's having a rough go.

Without remembering his avatar I would bet $$$ we had the same person

This graph doesn't actually tell you much. Your Net Run Luck Graph, and your Game Analysis Graph give you more information on how you are running.

Shady or something? He has x's in his name too I think

when i feel a bad run is occuring, i tighten up. if things still get bad, i take a break from the game for a day or two and practice my favorite sport