Posted by Junelli 9:30 AM
My sabbatical from poker began last night at 12:15am.

In my entire poker career, I've never experienced a cold streak as bad and as long. For approximately 6 weeks, I've endured loss after loss after loss. I can't explain all the reasons, but I'm sure it's a combination of poor playing, unfortunate circumstances, and bad luck. Last night's loss encompassed all 3:

Bad playing.
After initially running my stack up ~$500, I played loose/aggressive, and gave some of it back. On one hand against Swankowski, I held A8 against a board of 7889. I smooth called his underbets on both the flop and turn. The river brought a Q, and he led out for $10. I raised him to $25. He reraised the pot, making it $130 straight. For whatever reason, I really didn't believe he had the straight, and figured him for a big 8. So I called, and he turns over Q8 (rivered a full house). I misplayed this hand by (1) not raising earlier; (2) raising the river with a vulnerable hand (I should've just smooth called); and (3) not folding to his reraise on the river.

Unfortunate Circumstances:
I hold 88 in middle position. There were 3 players and the pot was $135 before the flop. The flop is A83, giving me a set of 8's. The Small Blind and I both check. The button (initial raiser and also short stack) moves all-in for $65. The SB raises all-in for $250. I thought he might be trying to isolate with a hand like AK, AQ, KK, etc., and honestly believed my 888 was the best hand (after all, there is only 1 hand that can beat me). I call, and he turns over that one hand: AA. Set over set puts him at a 95% advantage, and I lose. Unfortunate circumstances, but entirely consistent with how the past 6 weeks have been going for me.

Bad Luck:
This was the nail in the coffin. I have $225 in front me with AA. I get it all-in before the flop against Edens who holds TT. Guess what comes? You got it, a Ten. So much for being a 4:1 favorite to double up.

So that's it. I'm done playing for good long while. Maybe some time off will help me overcome permanent tilt.

1 Comment(s):

Posted by  Dr Fro, at 4:03 PM, August 04, 2005  

Been there.

Just walk away and take a break. Cool down, get your head on straight.

Getting back on that horse while your nuts are still sore makes the problem worse.

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