Swings
 

Hey guys,

Probably one of the things I find to be most interesting about poker is the swings people get, and variance in general.

I was just wondering what all your guys's worst session has been at whatever level you play.

So please mention your limit level and what type of game it is.

For me, I have had 1 session on .25/.5 NL where I lost 220 bucks. That was definitely the worst. (so 4.4 buyins)

When I first started playing I played the penny NL tables, and once went on monster tilt losing 30 bucks! Only 6 max buyins, but still insanely huge imho :).

Cheers,

Gutzz

I'll let you know when I stop for the evening tonight. Not much is going my way today, this may be a hall of fame type ass beating.

Ruh Roh...

How bout you just quit while you're behind? :)

Gutzz

Now where is the fun in that???? Besides, I'm gonna get crushed today mostly because of a ton of 4th place finishes in SNG games and alot of people probably lose more in one hand than I'll lose today, so it's not that big of a deal I guess.

i lost
 

I lost $300 in one sitting once kept missing everything got bankroll up to $400 then dropped it all in like 2 hours it sucked.

I lost around $300 in one sitting also, $100 multi, all in with trips on the turn, flush draw calls and hits it, then i play a $200 SnG and take a bad beat.

Where do you play $200 sit n gos?

Guttz,

How many hands are you playing Preflop ? What kind of NL are you playing SnG, MTT, Cash game ? I'm assuming the Session your referring to is one Tables play ?

Just curious 'cause it sounds like you may be playing a tad to loose.


4Flusher

Hey,

.25/.5 NL on PS with 50 buck buyin ring. 3-5 tables.

My VPIP is less than 20 and more than 15 :).

It was just a very rough session. I haven't lost that much since, and don't plan to :).

Cheers,

Gutzz

party

I lost $1400 in about an hour and a half of 10/20 at Party once. Yeah, that sucked.

That full table or SH TalkingPoker?

Cheers,

Gutzz

PS. I have heard of players losing 90 BBs in such a short period in SH tables, but not FT. Musta been rough :).

1K in 1 Week
 

I had a week long run of variance that found me down 1K. It sucked! I had trouble dealing with it so went back to 3/6 for a while. However this week is the exact opposite and I have had a 1K run in the positive over the weekend! Woo hoo! Now I am back to even.

One of the hardest things about poker is dealing with the variance and realizing everything is one life-long session. In the longrun you will win if you play correctly.

I agree, variance is a bitch :).

But, to be honest, I almost look forward to reaching a level where I can say I lost 1k in a day. I consider it to be one of those things every good player has to deal with eventually. Of course when It happens I'll feel like crap and probably take a few days off from playing... man, I can't wait! lol. I'm one sick puppy ;).

Cheers,

Gutzz

PS. I don't think I'll reach that level for a while tho... *sigh*

My worst streak was losing a buy in in a limit ring game, usually about 60-80x the big blind.
I know you are supposed to play through tough streaks, but I wish I could just get up and leave, find another table, take a nap , whatever. I read an interview with Phil Ivey, saying you had to commit at least several hours to a session or it is pointless. I know the $1 tables online are just a bit different from what PI plays, but..... if your losing you should leave right? or wrong? I know its hard and I wish I could do it myself. When I start on a bad run, I normally dont grind it out to finish on the plus side. I also, seem to do well in the early stages when I sit down. I wonder if I should look to hit and run more, and leave if I get on a downswing. If so, when do you think you should head for the exits? Speaking mostly of limit play?

I agree variance sucks, but if you have a big bankroll it doesn't hurt as much as if you are trying to build off something small. The thing I hate most though is those cold streaks where you just can't win a pot. This is where the bad are seperated from the good, and the good from the great. On the contrary, there is nothing better than going on a great rush and busting out of your cold streak. :D

Annie Duke said that Howard Lederer told her to quit a session once she lost 30 big bets. I think his/her reasoning is that if you've lost that much at the tables it could be because you're getting bad cards, or playing not that well, or just playing better players. The real downside to this is that the other people will see that you're on this big downswing and might start taking shots at you because emotionally you could be a little more fragile than 'normal'.

I reload after a bad beat or whatever, but if I feel that the players are a littlepushier than usual, and I'm kinda flustered after the beat, I'll leave ASAP.

PI I believe was talking about B&M cash games. Which makes sense since you see a lot fewer hands than online. I mean online you can see more hands in 1 hour than what a B&M player sees in 8. Assuming you multitable and the tables are fairly fast.


Cheers,

Gutzz

Short. And I was playing 2-3 tables the whole time, so I guess it was really more like 4 poker hours - only 90 minutes on the wall clock.

That was a SICK night. Can't even describe what I was seeing - hand after hand after hand.

Not Sure..
 

I am not sure it is always good to play through tought streaks. Sometimes you need to hit it again the next day or something.. or take a few days off..

Does play through it mean you have to stay at the same table? I have often switched tables when the cards have gone cold and sometimes I'll turn it around that way.

I have 3 separate occasions where I've lost $900+. Other than those 3 days, I'm a winning player :) :) :)

I don't play for nearly the same money as you guys. I have had a $100 dollar plunge and a $70 plunge and at the time, they about killed me. I have since, though, gotten my roll back up to $400+ and have avoided the HUGE swings. Started with $20 and doing ok, so far.

My swings havent been that huge yet. I probably don't play near the amount of hands and hours that some do but my biggest swing was 1/4 of my bankroll. Given it wasn't a very big obe yet it still hurt.

Swings can get real frustrating. I think my worst day was $650. It seems like some days nothing hits and then when something does hit well, you always get outdrawn by some junk hand.

It seems to happen on the weekends more often. Perhaps because there are more loose players who see the flop with anything and take it to the river on a draw without the correct odds. If you are running bad this just compounds the whole mess.

David

I woulda need a new set of underwear, a new wife, and a new place to live under those circumstances.




Seriously.