Just come off the back of 4 losing days in a row. Can't say I have experienced this before and been playing for a few years now.

I am assuming this is pretty normal thing to happen to a poker player?

My question is how do we overcome this and get back to winning ways?

1. Do I stick to the limits Im playing at or drop down a level?

2. Do I take a few days off?

3. Any other advice that one can do to get back on the winning train?

I don't know what kind of sample size (number of hands) you're talking about, but I've heard of downswings lasting 4 months (or more), with only a handful of profitable days in the sample. There's a certain Pokerstars Team Pro (who I won't name) that has been downswinging for 2000 tournaments (I'm on a 170 game downswing myself, although I've had plenty of winning days during it). 4 days is like.... nothing. If it's never happened to you before, you must be playing very soft opponents, in which case I would think the downswing would barely dent your bankroll, unless you've only been playing for a week!

If the downer is affecting you mentally, which I presume it must be if it caused you to make a thread, just take a few days off to clear your head. Residual tilt, or the expectation of further losses can lead to bad play, so go and do something more fun until you're itching to get back in the game.

Why are you losing? If you are playing poorly, step back and examine your leaks and their causes. Are you too tight, too loose? Have you lost aggression and are playing too passively?

If you are just running bad, don't be results oriented. Look at the quality of your play and your decisions. if you are satisifed that you are just running bad, stick it out. If you are tilting and frustrated, take a time out.

One of the best things i do when I am frustrated is a write an analysis about a session, or a hand, or a leak I have noticed. Something to bring me back to looking at poke objectively. this is both cathartic, as well as helping me grow my game.

You have been playing poker for a few years and are just now experiencing a 4 day losing streak for the first time??? How often per month/year have you been playing? Is this live or online?

Downswings are a good time to work on your game, since there is nothing you can do about the variance. As Ray Zee said a long time ago, "Show me a player that hasn't been on a downswing in a year and I'll show you a player that can't be playing well."

If you want to really scare yourself, you could consider that you've been on a heater for a year and now are finally playing at your regular level.

1. No need to drop down in limits if you have the bankroll to absorb downswings. Do you?

2. Yeah, as has been mentioned, take a few days off to clear the frustration and tilt.

3. Analyze your losing hands during this off time for possible leaks.

What poker game/limit do you play?

online or live play?

I really wish I could say that after playing for years my worst losing streak was 4 days in a row.

You've been very fortunate in the past.

2000 tournaments = 2000Buyins!?
Isn't bankroll suggested at 100buyins for mtt's?

Maybe he 24 tables 10 hours a day

was this one worse than your other downswing

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...71&postcount=1

It's recommended that you have at least 100BI for your highest buy-in games, but those 100 BIs for a big game could be one thousand BIs for cheaper tourneys. Some pro players prefer to have 300+ BIs for their regular grind. Some other people are sponsored/staked, or deep in make-up, or have other sources of income. Or they binked something huge early in their career and have been playing in games they can't beat ever since.
Note that making the final table in the Sunday Million means you can 'afford to' brick it every week for the next 3 years or so. (A mate of mine won 158 buy-ins a couple of Sundays ago). You can also 'afford to' lose many more events if you move down to lower buy-ins. (Which is why you'll sometimes see someone that has won a $25k high roller also regging for $33 games).

Hi all,

Wow, I really appreciate all the replies each and every one. Will get back to you all.

@ArtyMcfly: I dont have a sample size of hands but we can say an average of 4 tables over 25hours of playing in totallity. Not playing tournaments, the games Im playing are Headsup Turbo SNG's, Headsup cash @ 0/50.1 and Ring games 0.50/1. Yes, it is affecting me as I made a post about it, havent' had this happen before and it scares me a little bit because I dont know when my next winning day is coming from.

@Spewingismymove: I think its a combination of both. Thank you for that input.

@Ben Gesserit: Pretty much play almost every single day, I do take a few days off here and there particuarly when its the weekend but otherwise its a daily thing for a few years yes. Online in the main.

@venice10: Thanks man

@JoseJohhny: I do have a bankroll to absorb it yes, I play 0.50/1 HU mainly and some ring tables also, aswell as 25/30dollar SNG HU games. I have lost 17 buyins over the last 4 days at 0.50/1.

@King spew: Online in the main

@Kelvin: Sjo, heavy. Sorry that you had worse run, it doesnt feel great at all where I am at, cant seem to even sleep well last night. ANY suggestions on what you did to get out of the hole you found yourself in?

@Desultory: close, about 6-8hrs a day 4-6tables

@Playbig: Yes , this is way worse.

- You said a Pokerstars Team Pro is downswinging for 2000 tournaments....?
I realise a downswing doesn't mean he hasn't cashed during those 2000tournaments, but it seems like an unusually large amount?
Not that all pokerstars team pro's are profitable.
Do I misunderstand that the suggested 300buyins bankroll wouldn't cover this 2000tournament downswing?

So much fail, in so few words. Let's unpack and see if we can help.

What EXACTLY does this mean. it read's like you've played 25 hours online, surely not? Please tell us:

How many weeks/months/years you have been playing online and what sort of volume you put in per month?

A HU turbo sng is a tournament. This matters because...

Cash are games where dollar value = chip value = constant

Tourney are games where dollar value and chip value are not completely different, but change in relation to stack depth, blind sizes, tournament progression and payout structure.

...and because of that the strategies required are COMPLETELY different.

So it pays to know which is which.

yes you did, you made a similar post a few weeks back, here's a quote from it

Neither does anybody else. It depends when you run into your next heater (assuming you don't go bust first)

One thing I do know; you have got a lot of cash to chuck around. Still, best piece of advice I or anybody else can give you is drop down in stakes to the very lowest rungs until you have this sorted out and learn the game(s). Even if you are well funded, no need to just spew it away.

mtts players often have losing YEARS, its the poker format with most variance. 300bi for mtts is absurdly low, if you are playing for a living you need 2k+ abis

Losing years make sense if the bankroll is 2k average buyins. 2k/365 = 5 a day. I don't know what a full time pro would play normally. 250 a month?

This is really interesting. The places I've read (which isn't many) about mtt bankroll i've not seen higher than 300bi's. But I've always thought variance was way more epic than culturally suggested.

I wonder what proportion of players and even staking companies are rolled for 2k buyins.

Don't think I can edit post after a long time away from it?
2k tournies/365 days a year = 5 tournies a day. I don't know what a full time pro would play normally. 250tournies a month? (Thats what I should have wrote for clarity)

youve been playing a few years and never had a 4 day downswing? consecutive losing days are kinda different from a downswing but 4 straight days of losing isnt that much and if youre playing less than like 3k hands a day its practically nothing.. as for downswings i been playing full time for the past 3 years and currently on the tail end of a 3 month downswing at cash games so yea... welcome to hell

Pokerstars Live Pro, doesn't have a whole lot of volume online. Probably can't beat the game, but had one profitable online year in 2010. Possibly gets a discount price (e.g. no rake) for online tourneys as part of the sponsorship deal.


Meaningless sample in 2017, but getting destroyed whether it's the Milly, a $500 WCOOP event, or an $11 tourney:


I don't know who funds 7-year downswings like that, but there are loads of so-called Pros that have results like this. The variance in large field MTTs is ridiculous.

Once upon a time I had a losing year which was mostly due to a failed shot attempt at 20/40 limit holdem at Foxwoods. 1/16 ain't bad if you ask me.

4 days? haha that's nothing.

@FATBOY54:

25hours in total for the 4 successive losing days in a row. 25divide by 4 days...
Been playing for about 5yrs +-

Cool yes referring to Sit and Go's not MTT

Thanks yes, I checked back and remember that past post. But this is different this time round referring to my previous post.

With all due respect you are making out that I am losing player that is just on a heater? Okay and FYI not well funded I just feel like I have a good bankroll management discipline that doesnt mean to say 17 buyins down and 4 consecutive losing days in a row is concerning me... I wonder when my next winning day is coming if that makes sense?

@Degen:

Wow, that doesnt sound good, hope your form turns soon.

@Bob:

Okay, gives me some sort of relief that this is pretty "normal" thing to occur, do you have any tips to stay mentally focused and/or starting turning the days into winning days?

Thanks for all the replies positive or negative I do appreciate it

Here's my short guide to the mental game. Works for me:

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/2...70/?highlight=