32o. . .really?
So as you know, I've been swimming in the swirling waters of the Micro-micro stakes SNGs and have done okay by it. Except for the last 50 or so games. Over the last week I haven't hit anything and when I have, it gets busted. Over and over. . .
Now giusnun posted a great article about not complaining but I just can't help it anymore. I can understand the emotions that are running through the Poker Brat's head when he has his notorious outbursts of anger when someone turns over Q10 and I have to get it out before I break something in my house!
There are a couple of things you can count on in the Micro-micro stakes. The first one is that if you decide to enter a pot, you need to understand that if not preflop, there's a good likelihood that your chips will be put at risk post flop. Its the default action of the micro-micro stakes player. . .if they ever get confused about what to do, its an all in shove. After all, its the easiest way to play poker! Doesn't take any thought, just shove it!
The second thing to know is that a preflop raise will not isolate the players (unless you are very fortunate) but it will merely add value to the pot. A micro-micro stakes player will call anything preflop with Ax, Kx, Qx, anything suited or any pair. They will act the same preflop with AK as they do with A5 except that if you raise them preflop and they are holding AK, they will very likely jerk slightly and hit the all in button like the little zombies that they are.
And a final snippet that will help when playing the micro-micro stakes is that they are flush and straight masters. If they are on a straight draw (gut shot or open ended, doesn't matter) or a flush draw, you can be damned sure they will give up their entire stack to try to catch that card. The great thing is that they will fold nicely on the river to a BB sized bet when they miss after having called down 3/4 of their stack.
So thats a little something that I've learned about the Micro-micro waters but I just had it this morning with the beating I took. I played 3 or 4 games this morning and lost with KK as well as QQ in a couple of them (I know you can't win them all) but the last beat put me over the edge and I decided to quit playing and start writing.
I was playing the $.25/ 45 player SNG on PS and we were down to 20 players left. Imagine my surprise when, after raising and then calling the small blind all in with my Rockets, he shows 23o. And then imagine my anger when he goes on to spike a set of threes.
Of course he cackled evilly in the chat box for a while about how he always busts AA with 23o. Then, about five hands later, being extremely shortstacked, I shove all in from late middle position with AQd and get called with Q10c. Again, I smile, thinking maybe I do have some life left. And then the flop flopped. And my opponent had flopped a straight.
That's when I quit. . .I guess it just wasn't meant to be, but, God, its frustrating!
So, does anybody have any good advice on keeping mentally sound when you are in the middle of a bad run?
Comments
Thanks, db, that's good advice. I've been trying to keep my bankroll management under control and have done well so far (aside from the couple times I got frustrated and did the classic jump up to try to make up for my loss). At this point I've lost about 20% of my roll, but half of that was when I jumped up a level and lost.
I'll keep plugging away until I can comfortably move up. Thanks for the response!
Yeah its the worst feeling in poker, downswings really can suck but the important thing is to just remember nothing's changed. You're still the same player who is profitable and (presumably) still IN profit, even if its a bit less profit than your 'peak' before the downswing. If you get to the point where yuo just cant face playing anymore then just dont play, go out and take a break for a few days.
I remember micro-stakes grinding 2NL with a tiny roll, and i swung from $16 to $5 which is huge in terms of %. 2NL was horrid BR management for my roll size which fits in with what dbirider was saying, but i was on it anyway since it was the lowest PS offered and i was inexperienced in tournaments. I got myself into a bad negative frame of mind where i kept thinking "if only i'd stopped playing and not lost that pot" or convincing myself that my plays were wrong when they were actually sound. I was tipped over the edge when a massive pot emerged between my QQ and someone else's AKo. I flopped the set vs his TPTK, the money went in and he caught running J/T for the nut straight to tip my balance down to $5. And again the ROT set in, if only i'd stopped or if only i'd won that pot i'd be back on track...
So all i did then was just to take a break. I made a post similar to yours and got reassurance that it was perfectly normal and that i had nothing to worry about, and this applies to you too. At the end of the day you're a profitable player who understands the micro-stakes well, and theoretically your very next session could be the one where your 70%s and 80%s start going your way again.
Thanks, Alex, its good to hear from people who were where I am and I appreciate the encouragement.
It seems like things have made a turn for the better again after a downswing of a little more than 50 games and about 20% of my roll. I have actually just made it back 'IN' profit now as I had lost my entire bankroll previously (see original entry) so I'm really excited.
So, here's to poker, the most frustrating fun you can have!
I'm sure I'll be posting more questions!
I miss it when players used to call down with anything, chasing almost non-existing draws. After the micro-stakes, the new frustration will be that tables are filled with rock gardens who won't call anything down unless they have a hand that probably beats yours.
The best way I avoid frustration is to never put myself in a situation where a downswing could cripple my bankroll. Playing within your bankroll ensures that extended downswings will be a blip in your bankroll, rather then taking a major chunk out. It's a lot easier to stomach and bounce back from losing 8% rather then 50% of your money.
It seems like you understand the long-run concept a bit, so more experience will definitely help instill that idea in you. If you can keep pushing through the bad beats and downswings, you'll find yourself getting less and less effected by them.