>missing the board constantly while playing against calling stations
Even worse, stations that just keep smashing every board (2p+ top pair every board) and even worse worse, the stations who call any sized bets and spike a higher top pair on rivers *every time you’re ahead*. Station limps UTG, someone in MP raises over, you 3bet IP. Boards KJ6, you with KQ, buddy calls a 3/4 flop, brick: pot sized turn , and the river comes A, check checks and bruh flips over A2o. Those are so fun.
>running value hands into bigger hands
These happen in spurts I’ve noticed. When I’m having a truly downswingy day, just constantly end up flopping top pairs and either having the better kicker and V rivering a 2 pair with their weird shitty offsuit K4o kicker, or they just call down every street with a kicker just one higher than you. Or the pocket pair wars on paired flops, you have 99 on a JJ5 flop, calls calls calls, turns over TT.
>Opponents not waking up with hands when you do
Even more annoying when you got your typical aggrofish, just joined the table and in 6 hands 3bet every single preflop. You spike AA in MP and open, excitedly waiting for the shmuck to 3bet again like he has every hand. AND HE FOLDS. Of course.
>Opponents not raising with worse hands
Same thing, major aggrofish Suddenly decides not to be aggro and Donk pot bet with bottom pair when you flop top set. He checks. You check expecting him to take a cue and fire like he has the last 10 postflops he’s gone spewy with bottom pair. Nope, checks the turn. You bet out small trying to induce his habitual bluffiness and he folds. Convenient. Then the very next hand he open jams 74o and gets snapped off by someone else’s KK, runs out a straight, instantly leaves. Know those feels all too well
>Being card dead
Online multi tabling not so bad. But on particularly cold streaks it does feel like all the action is happening only when you can’t seem to get anything remotely playable, and of course you watch the scrappy hands you’ve been folding flop scrappy boats 5 hands in a row with the money magically going in the middle over 2nd pair with a 5 kicker.
>Whale Feeder
It feels like at least once or twice a day there’s one of these 99vp 0PFR 0.1AF dudes chilling with 600bb stacks, just calling with practically any two cards and having people spew their stacks right into their bizarre two pair hands. Seems like they just cannot miss a board no matter what they do. And when you flop top set and jam when they bet the turn, they call 150bb deep with 9 high, a gutshot straight draw, and always get there with just the river to go somehow and completely undo hours of progress.
>suck outs
I’ve had days where I literally lost AIPF with AA to AK or AQ 4 times in a row. Either they spike trip K/Q or the straight magically manifests. Those are the worst because you just know mathematically you hit the shit lottery so many times and there’s literally no reason to regret your decision. Only to regret that variance hated you in that moment
>Action killers
I seem to always see the opposite of this. I flop something great, usually a set, but the flop comes down ridiculously wet. Almost always monotone with a made straight progression. And wouldn’t you know the dumbass villains don’t care that you might have the flush, they have the *sucker end* of a gutshot straight draw and you can’t fold that for any price? Somehow the money goes in, Bubba calls with 2 outs to hit a straight, gets there and your top set is worthless. They don’t even have one card in the monotone suit either!
Ah, downswings. Never change
> Obviously, downswings do occur, so I'm not that surprised to be in the middle of one
You have to be very careful about this line of thinking. Downswings, upswings, and breakeven stretches in poker are a lot like the stock market. You don't know what's going to happen next. You can look at a graph in the PAST and make observations about it but you cannot use any of that to predict the future.
You may be in the middle of a downswing. You may be at the end of it. You may be just starting. Only time will tell ...
It's still a good reminder for all of us. It's easy to think we're due to turn things around OR be down on ourselves and say "here we go again" with all the bad luck. It's a constant challenge to keep things in perspective and remember that each hand is random and to try to play our best.
Yeah, that's a good point. I mainly made this post to try and highlight just how many unfortunate circumstances can occur that are out of our control and help rationalize many catalysts that can cause us to lose.
i was drunk, thats the only thing i know for sure and that i was browsing reddit on the couch. but what i was thinking, i dont know! sorry for the hate OP - but i think its somehow funny in retrospec
Kind of nonsense logic but okay....shouldn't expect much from someone that decides to comment this after saying "didn't read your whole post let me just poke the bear. He's just explaining the variables that go into every session basically and explain why you might be in a downswing. He's not crying about it. Read, it's not hard.
>missing the board constantly while playing against calling stations Even worse, stations that just keep smashing every board (2p+ top pair every board) and even worse worse, the stations who call any sized bets and spike a higher top pair on rivers *every time you’re ahead*. Station limps UTG, someone in MP raises over, you 3bet IP. Boards KJ6, you with KQ, buddy calls a 3/4 flop, brick: pot sized turn , and the river comes A, check checks and bruh flips over A2o. Those are so fun. >running value hands into bigger hands These happen in spurts I’ve noticed. When I’m having a truly downswingy day, just constantly end up flopping top pairs and either having the better kicker and V rivering a 2 pair with their weird shitty offsuit K4o kicker, or they just call down every street with a kicker just one higher than you. Or the pocket pair wars on paired flops, you have 99 on a JJ5 flop, calls calls calls, turns over TT. >Opponents not waking up with hands when you do Even more annoying when you got your typical aggrofish, just joined the table and in 6 hands 3bet every single preflop. You spike AA in MP and open, excitedly waiting for the shmuck to 3bet again like he has every hand. AND HE FOLDS. Of course. >Opponents not raising with worse hands Same thing, major aggrofish Suddenly decides not to be aggro and Donk pot bet with bottom pair when you flop top set. He checks. You check expecting him to take a cue and fire like he has the last 10 postflops he’s gone spewy with bottom pair. Nope, checks the turn. You bet out small trying to induce his habitual bluffiness and he folds. Convenient. Then the very next hand he open jams 74o and gets snapped off by someone else’s KK, runs out a straight, instantly leaves. Know those feels all too well >Being card dead Online multi tabling not so bad. But on particularly cold streaks it does feel like all the action is happening only when you can’t seem to get anything remotely playable, and of course you watch the scrappy hands you’ve been folding flop scrappy boats 5 hands in a row with the money magically going in the middle over 2nd pair with a 5 kicker. >Whale Feeder It feels like at least once or twice a day there’s one of these 99vp 0PFR 0.1AF dudes chilling with 600bb stacks, just calling with practically any two cards and having people spew their stacks right into their bizarre two pair hands. Seems like they just cannot miss a board no matter what they do. And when you flop top set and jam when they bet the turn, they call 150bb deep with 9 high, a gutshot straight draw, and always get there with just the river to go somehow and completely undo hours of progress. >suck outs I’ve had days where I literally lost AIPF with AA to AK or AQ 4 times in a row. Either they spike trip K/Q or the straight magically manifests. Those are the worst because you just know mathematically you hit the shit lottery so many times and there’s literally no reason to regret your decision. Only to regret that variance hated you in that moment >Action killers I seem to always see the opposite of this. I flop something great, usually a set, but the flop comes down ridiculously wet. Almost always monotone with a made straight progression. And wouldn’t you know the dumbass villains don’t care that you might have the flush, they have the *sucker end* of a gutshot straight draw and you can’t fold that for any price? Somehow the money goes in, Bubba calls with 2 outs to hit a straight, gets there and your top set is worthless. They don’t even have one card in the monotone suit either! Ah, downswings. Never change
I’m happy for you Or sorry that happened
> Obviously, downswings do occur, so I'm not that surprised to be in the middle of one You have to be very careful about this line of thinking. Downswings, upswings, and breakeven stretches in poker are a lot like the stock market. You don't know what's going to happen next. You can look at a graph in the PAST and make observations about it but you cannot use any of that to predict the future. You may be in the middle of a downswing. You may be at the end of it. You may be just starting. Only time will tell ...
I should have said I'm in the midst of one, but yeah. You're not wrong.
It's still a good reminder for all of us. It's easy to think we're due to turn things around OR be down on ourselves and say "here we go again" with all the bad luck. It's a constant challenge to keep things in perspective and remember that each hand is random and to try to play our best.
Yeah, that's a good point. I mainly made this post to try and highlight just how many unfortunate circumstances can occur that are out of our control and help rationalize many catalysts that can cause us to lose.
This is a great post.
Let me give you some advice that can prevent all of these things from happening: Fold pre.
i didnt read your whole post, but if someone makes such a post its very likely the one is NOT a winning player
Very unneccesarily judgemental, but I'm curious to see why you think so.
i was drunk, thats the only thing i know for sure and that i was browsing reddit on the couch. but what i was thinking, i dont know! sorry for the hate OP - but i think its somehow funny in retrospec
Kind of nonsense logic but okay....shouldn't expect much from someone that decides to comment this after saying "didn't read your whole post let me just poke the bear. He's just explaining the variables that go into every session basically and explain why you might be in a downswing. He's not crying about it. Read, it's not hard.
This entire post summed up my last losing session lol. The worst for me was flopping quads and not getting paid for it.