Dealing with Downswings in Poker
Downswings are inevitable in poker, regardless of how well you might play the game. Any endeavor that possesses an element of luck will have variance. Here is the good news and the part that should always encourage you to study and continue to improve your game … good luck is the result of the preparation meeting opportunity. The point is the more knowledgeable you are about the game, the more emotionally grounded you are, the weaker the competition you play, and a host of other variables will have a significant impact on the number of downswings you may experience versus the legion of lifetime losers at poker that you may encounter.
You’ll never be able to bring those exasperating times down to zero, so let’s explore some ways to deal with them.
Take a Look at Your Game
First and foremost, you need to gain a fix on the genesis of your downswing. Is it simply variance, or have you lost your focus and started to play poker poorly? Asking tough questions of yourself and demanding honest answers can be very effective.
I try and use the inevitable downswings as a time of renewal. When you’re running well, even the most grounded among us tends to puff out his chest with pride at how well he has mastered the poker game. If you reach that level of hubris, it is tough to invest the time and effort to improve – because you don’t think you need to. The harsh reality is you always need to improve because if you’re not, you’re going backward relative to the growing strength of your competition. Use these frustrating times to ferret out why the downswing has occurred and then work to counter its effect and get back on the winning track.
Common Reactions to Downswings
The title of this lesson presupposes that you are a winning poker player. If you are in a constant state of downswing, then I think you know you need to work hard by studying and gaining playing experience to become a winning poker player. If you are a winning player, you know that downswings are negative that can be turned into positive if approached correctly and positively. When a downswing occurs, there are many ways that one can react. These are the most common reactions:
- I was cursing the poker gods.
- You are maintaining your focus and moving forward, making solid decisions.
- Recognizing that something might be amiss and investigating what that might be.
- I am reviewing basics and rededicating myself to study the game.
- You are reviewing hands and sessions since the downswing began to determine if you have opened up your game, gotten lazy, or are playing above your head relative to the competition.
- It was dropping down in limits.
- I am taking time off.
- I am seeking out a coach.
Let’s take a look at each of them in detail…
Cursing the Poker Gods
All listed reactions to downswings are worthy of consideration, including cursing the poker gods. Who among us has never condemned the poker gods? I know I have if only to vent some frustration and then get back to the task at hand. While a brief rant against your bad fortune may be therapeutic, dwelling on your misfortune and reinforcing the negative vibe surrounding grumbling and whining will not help reverse the situation. It may well extend it. So, if you need to curse the poker gods, go ahead and focus on something that will help.
Maintaining Your Focus
One should always be in this mode of operation as it is the route to winning poker. It is also the best way to determine if your current state of affairs is just variance or if it continues, there may be a deeper, darker meaning. Maybe, just maybe, the decisions which you believe are good may be flawed. That scary thought leads us to the next element.
If It’s Broken, It Needs to be Fixed
Since the third, fourth, and fifth reactions to a downswing are interrelated, we’ll group them all under “If it’s broken, it needs to be fixed.” If you recognize something is amiss in your game, it is broken and needs to be fixed. Many poker players drift away from basics as they grow stronger in their game; they open up their starting hand values believing they can outplay their opponents after the flop. While this may be true, it may smack of arrogance, and when they meet up with the competition, that might be playing above their skill level becomes problematic. Reviewing basics and rededicating yourself for improvement is always a positive action.
When you’re running well, taking pride in your accomplishments is natural. However, if that pride turns to hubris, you’ve taken the wrong fork in the road. Show me a poker player who believes he knows it all, and I’ll show you a player doomed to face-to-face with the reality of how false that belief is. Sometimes all your game needs is a little tweaking, not a complete overhaul. Be objective; if something is broken, work hard to fix it.
Dropping Down in Limits
How long have you been playing at your current limits? Have you been beating this game for some time, or just recently stepped up? These are important questions that need to be asked and answered honestly. Entering into a downswing is not the time for denial.
Conventional wisdom in the business world gained its name from the very successful book The Peter Principle. The Peter Principle states that every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence in a hierarchy. Facing the possibility that you may have reached your level of incompetence against stronger competition can be a hard pill to swallow. But swallow it, you must, or you will squander away your bankroll.
Even if you have played at your current stake level but are now in a downswing, dropping down temporarily isn’t a bad idea as you address how to reverse the recent downswing and get back into the winning column. The competition should be a little weaker on balance; if the downswing continues, it won’t damage your bankroll as much.
Taking Time Off
Taking time off and getting away from poker can help you deal with the negative feelings accompanying downswings. We can all get burned out occasionally, and a downswing just exacerbates the negative vibe, so finding another outlet for your competitive juices can refresh you and save your bankroll. The game will be waiting for you when you’re ready to return.
Seeking Out a Coach
Formal poker coaching has become an industry since poker’s popularity soared off the charts several years ago. Coaches come in all forms – live, internet, and the written word- and are cheap, reasonable, and very expensive. However, a poker coach can also be a friend with a greater knowledge of the game than you. Discussing poker hands and strategies can always be beneficial, as not everyone has the same outlook on the game. The intent of this avenue of improvement is not to recommend specific coaches or boot camps but to advise the reader that it is another viable way to improve one’s game. Maybe you have reached your Peter above Principle and need advanced poker coaching to help you reach a new level.
Conclusion
Positively handling downswings to move forward is the hallmark of a winning player. Using these frustrating periods as a wake-up call to learn something new can be rewarding. You should ask yourself to read a new poker book, become active in a poker forum – like right here on Pokerology, exchange views and strategies with players you respect, perform post mortems after your sessions for both winning and losing hands and maybe, most importantly, add something of your own to this list.
Something as simple as committing to paying close attention to the game will help you on your journey. Are you paying attention? Try giving yourself a pop quiz during your next session to determine your observation level. After enough time to know, ask yourself who the strongest and weakest players are at your table. If you need to think about it, you’re not paying close enough attention. You should already steer clear of the tough opponents and exploit the weak ones.
This kind of commitment to excellence will make you lucky. Lucky, you ask – why yes indeed, as good luck results from a preparation meeting opportunity!
