Hey all,

I am a frequent reader of the forums and wanted to get some advice.

I have been playing live poker for about 6 months now and I don't think I can continue. I love the game, the strategy, the mathematics, but I continuously lose hands where I have a 70-90% chance to win. These are always the hands I go all in to get maximum +EV, yet the cards never hold.

I was fine the first few times this has happened as I know I can get back to even with one good hand that can hold, but it never seems to work out.

My bankroll cannot sustain this bad, bad luck, yet I want to continue playing. I just always have a feeling I won't make the hands when I need to and keep diving myself deeper and deeper into the hole.

I am at a loss of how to continue playing a game I love as I don't have the unlimited finances to pursue my passion.

What can I do in this situation? Do I stop playing to manage my finances and wait for a better spot further in my career that can sustain the endless downward swings? Do I continue playing hoping that a hand can hold?

Please help!

Are you actually tracking your wins and losses, and are you just selectively remembering the hands you lose on? Are you actually that big of a favourite when you get it in? Post some hands

Poker can be a pretty brutal game, and playing live means you can't get in enough volume to "overcome" the variance. (You can't actually overcome variance, because it's ever-present, but playing live is particularly brutal, because the downswings can last months due to the low volume).
Take a break to let any residual tilt subside. Maybe read one of the "mental game" books while you're away from the tables.

And also how often are you playing in that 6 month period? How long do your sessions last? What stakes? Casinos, Underground rooms, home games?

I try to play between 1-3 times a week depending on bankroll. I never intend to re-up after my initial buy-in to manage this. While this does cause issues due to sizing, it is a necessity.

I play 2-5 as the players aren't as nitty as 1-2 and the potential for gain is higher. My sessions last as long as my buy-in lasts. If I get lucky and don't bust, then I will play 3-5 hour sessions at the casino.

An example of some of my most brutal losses:

H: $300 V: Has me covered
4th hand into the session I get dealt Q9o in the HJ. Two EP limps, LJ bets 15, I call, BB calls.

Flop is J108hhh. BB check, V leads for 35, I call, BB folds.
Turn is Jd. V tanks before betting, looking at his cards. This signals he may have a flush draw on the river, but definitely doesn't have the flush. He bets 125, I shove all-in, he reluctantly calls.
River is the As. He flips over AdJc.

H: $435 V: $355
UTG limps, I raise to 20 in UTG+1 with KK, folds around to UTG who 3b to 75, I shove, he calls with AKo. Hits the ace on the flop, no help on turn or river.

H: $520 V (Old lady): ??
I am in MP with 1010, raise to 20, LJ calls, button calls.
Flop is 5710ss. I lead for 35, LJ folds, button calls.
Turn is 6s. I lead for 110. Button calls.
River is Js. I check, button bets 100, I tilt call. Has AQss.

After maximizing price on the turn, she gets lucky and hits the river. Last call was a mistake, but the multiple hands that proceed like the above is not sitting well with me and I believe I can't ever win a hand.

I make many correct reads, but it doesn't matter if the cards never fall into place. I have The Little Green Book of Poker, Super System 2, and the Mathematics of Poker on the bookshelf, but once again, the knowledge won't help in these situations that are determined by the fate of the cards.

Is poker worth continuing even if I take a break when I feel like it will end up the same way?

Hand 1: Fold pre
Hand 2: Standard
Hand 3: More OTF, less OTT, fold riv (though you are getting zillion to 1, villain is an old lady...maybe sigh call an aggro reg)

Take a break for a few weeks, clear your head.

When you get back, move down to 1/2 because you are getting cut up by better players. Pre-flop on hand 1 is laughable. Based on that, you are playing worse than the average 2/5 player and worse than I would guess 25%+ of 1/2 players.

If you can play online for pennies, do that. Learn some preflop skills.

Thanks for the clarifications, OP. 2-5 games are usually folks with better skills and experience than 1-2 , not everyone, but most. There are also always a few dumbasses with a stack of money to light on fire at most 2-5 tables. Your problem likely is that you are not really skilled enough YET to be a consistent winner at those stakes. With only 6 months experience this is NOT unusual for most folks. So why not drop down to 1-2 and see if you can recover some confidence in your game? If that does not work out for you , then consider another hobby with less stress.

From this alone I can say it is highly unlikely you're a winning player at 2/5.

In third example, I am unclear exactly why OP believes old lady 'gets lucky' on the river when she turned the nut straight.

Concur on the first one that it was a hand to easily get rid of early in a session when you have precisely zero reads to work with AND you have people in front who like their hands. Further, three to the flush on the flop even without the board having paired is never a good spot to be in when you have none of the suit...

Second example is simply poker crap that happens from time to time. You should WANT players that will call light. That you will lose some of those is a given, but those are the players that you will more often than not be able to profit from if you exercise a modicum of patience.

Sometimes it is better to take the small wins at lower stakes than to play where the skill levels may be better AND where players might have more funds to light on fire.

I didn't even see there was a flop in hand 1. There should never be one.

It should, shouldn't it?

You shouldn't be playing with money you can't afford to lose. Since lower-stakes games are available, why not give those a try?

As others have said, you don't appear to have the skillset (mental or technical) or bankroll to play at the stakes you are playing, so move down or quit.

I think because you have some books you think you have the knowledge. Poker doesn't work like that. If you go back 5 years and read my posts, I was exactly the same...took me about two years to work that out...fortunately I had no ambitions to make a living out of it. Anybody that does, needs to learn a hell of a lot quicker than I did.

Yeah or realise that trying to make a living from poker is a suboptimal choice for like 98% of winning regs* and 100% of everyone else.

*citation needed.

You sound similar to me. I feel I am the unluckiest player alive. Even other people makes jokes about my bad luck at poker but I guess if I look back at hand history it may prove to be just me just remembering the bad beats.

Are you quite emotional like me? That could have something to do with it. Keep playing mate. Never give in

Only a smaller group of more skilled, experienced players can ever get over dwelling on the negatives too much. This is just simple human nature IMHO. It is also NOT just limited to poker.

You need to feel the same winning or losing at this game.
You need to also feel the same not playing this game or playing this game.

Believing these two will fix your problems. You can play the game with your last $ or play with plenty of money in your bank account. You can play your best while winning and while your losing. your not effected by losing big hands and causing stress that's not needed.

take up meditation op.

that's your decision. I would say enjoy being broke and homeless and enjoy having a 100BB bankroll and 12 months savings in the bank.

whatever decision you make you don't know what the future will hold. you could quit poker for awhile and get sick and end up using all the money you earned on doctors bills. you could play poker now and go on a winning streak.

Don't worry about things and enjoy life.