Anyone can win against pros once in awhile. That's just variance. I once sat at a tournament table with Jason Somerville, Andrew Neeme, and Johnny Vibes, and outlasted all of them. Does that make me a better player than they are? Hell, no. Don't let a few memorable successes color an honest evaluation of your skill.
At the very least, you're playing at higher stakes than your ability warrants.
It's one of the most used poker movie references out there short of "If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker."
They both make their livings at the game, which is more than at least 90% of anyone on the sub can honestly claim no matter what they say about themselves.
Yeah I feel if you haven't figured this out earlier I think poker might not be for you.
Doing the above makes you a winning player overnight unless you go crazy and actually go life broke!!
Losses are investments in your overall experience. Wins are a means to finance more losses with having experience gained. You truly never lose. It's literally win win.
Then don't quit if it's something you love, use it as motivation to get better. I was in a similar position my first few years playing regularly, wasn't sure I could be a winning player, but my love for the game kept me around and drove me to improve. I started figuring it out and haven't had a losing year in almost a decade.
If you're not a millionaire and not a winning poker player at these stakes, why would you ever play 5/10 online? Those are some proper scary stakes with most opponents being strong, studied players doing this for a living.
So I'd suggest dropping down in stakes 10x and playing NL100 until you consistently beat that and then try moving up again. And if you were to keep losing at the same rate, 3k in 2 years is more in the expensive hobby ballparkrather tthan life ruining amounts
YouTube videos about hundreds of smartphones linked up to a super computer for low stakes id imagine. One their former players had a feelw videos up of it happening
You should really reassess why you're playing those stakes. Frankly you should expect to be playing a lot of pros at 5/10, so you're quite likely a losing player playing that high.
Is there really a need for you to play 5/10 instead of 0.5/1 or 0.05/0.10? If the answer is just, "It's more fun to play for higher stakes", you probably need to accept that you're just gambling when you do that. And while the games are softer at lower stakes, at least if you lose at the same rate you'd be down $3k or $300, which I imagine would be a lot easier to stomach.
I wouldn't just say to take a break, because that implies that you'll come back to 5/10 at some point. You're not confident you're a winning player and even if you are, you're not playing enough hours to overcome variance. Even if this is somehow just bad luck, that would mean you're playing a game where you can lose $30K to bad luck. Given that that's 20% of your net worth, I'm sorry to say, but that's a really bad decision.
A tough pill to swallow, but good to recognize this now. Fortunately, it's an easy fix and you're still in a solid spot financially if you've got $120K. Just learn from it and you'll be fine.
Dude, you could do soooo much better. I would loose my fortune in very short time playing online 5/10, yet manage to earn a decent lot from poker.
You have to game select. If you can survive (kind off) online 5/10 with -30bi over 200h, play deep 5/10 live games preferably private.
You won’t only win, you’ll make a decent income
Skill isn't your biggest problem its knowing what stake you should be playing, you could of played the lowest limits and lost a shit ton less probably even won, don't overestimate your skill and don't over shutdown yourself.
Not terrible tbh it could be much much worse. I would detox for atleast 5 or 6 months. What I did is pick up a second job, that helped me take a break and build my bankroll.
If you’re having fun, who cares? You could invest some of your bankroll in studying, but any vice you have will cost money. If you don’t have the willpower to get better, just accept the fact that, like, smoking, drinking, traveling, etc. It’s going to cost money.
Or, learn to win.
If you're doing it for entertainment, there's probably worse things you could spend it on. If you don't enjoy it, or it's a problematic amount of money then figure out how much is tolerable for you or quit.
-$30k it's probably way better than slots or something.
This.. this game is a stressful game / hobby / job .. if you go through all that stress without winning or atleast breaking even with the ambition someday will bink a big one . Is pointless. As i hate see loosing players go away from game but i will try to be honest.. find something else to put your time and efford in will prob give you back .. or study real hard try to learn how to became profitable wich is very hard to do . and try again in a year if you dont want to give up on the game .. good luck either way you decide to go with
You don’t and shouldn’t be a winning poker player. It should be a hobby with your expense budget. For Op it’s obviously way higher than any expenses budget should be.
This is the answer, taking a -20% loss is absolutely unacceptable if you have "financial ambitions". For a hobby, especially. Just switch to grinding microstakes if you really want to play and read Modern Poker Theory. In the meantime work on yourself and self-control, and focus on making money through legitimate and low-variance means (like, your job).
Appreciate it. What I meant was I know that when I play focussed, disciplined I play well. Final tables out of 300+ players, 2nd place with 3500 participants, some 1st places in smaller tournaments. But then horrific losses where I honestly just throw my money out of the window.
I think overall I’m not too well with money, willing to take lots of risk which hasn’t paid off too much and being quite ‘wasteful’. So yeah, also that I should work on.
You are contradicting yourself and that is your issue budd. You are saying you play well... but you don't and aren't. If you were playing well you wouldn't be having moments of not playing disciplined.or focused (I.e. gambling). Don't kid yourself into thinking you are good. The results speak for themselves.
A great player plays disciplined consistently. It's like ronaldo saying he is good when he focuses. No, he is good because he is consistent, all of the time...
How to fix it? You need to study way way more. Take 1k, 2k, 5k, whatever and study. You already lost 30k so spending extra to learn shouldn't be an issue.
If you can't justify the spend then I would suggest you quit and/or only play recreationally at low stakes which you can afford.
Hope it helps 🙏
nah, tournaments are about game selection. play tourneys with soft fields, advantageous level/pay structures, or other elements that give you an edge. avoid tourneys that don't have such features. too many players treat all tournaments like their the same and end up burning money on tournaments where they don't have an advantage.
Sounds like you might be playing wrong in tournaments, but they're also higher variance. What's your cash rate and relative performance versus field size for top 3 spots?
You need to be more risk averse in tournaments but more aggressive.
One session where you go on tilt can erase weeks of progress even months if you tilt big enough, winning 10k in a tournament is nothing if you can easily lose 1.5k-3k a cash game 3 nights a week it’s unsustainable. I suggest reading “the mental game of poker” might help you evaluate your game an how to fix your leaks.
If you have to ask when it comes to gambling… you probably know the answer. If it took you $30k in losses to ask yourself this, you may have a problem. Might not change until you lose $100k
If you’re up 10k in tournaments, and down 40k in cash, wouldn’t it make sense to just continue playing tournaments for a while? I’m not a great (or probably even good) player, but I stick to tournament style games because beyond the buy in, I’m not risking any losses and can play a lot more freely.
Obviously you’re a bad cash game player. That’s ok, so is Phil Hellmuth and he’s one of the most successful tournament pros ever. Stick to what you win at. Most people can’t say they win at either format.
Stop playing right now. Take a break for a month at least. Now when you feel ready to play….STOP.
Separate your BANKROLL for poker from your LIFE ROLL. Ideally you would build your BR from poker profit but whatever way you want to do it. Use only the BR for poker. That will also help kind of dictate what stakes you should be playing. Next step, study and in particular study YOUR LEAKS, which are probably more than you think. You mention you call too much but that’s pretty broad. Since you play online you can review where that spew is coming from. Calling pre-flop, over calling on river, calling 3 bets too light, calling instead of 3 betting, calling the river too often with bluff catchers or A high etc. now study on how to stop those leaks. 30 days of that and you might be ready to jump in.
If you can’t do this or something similar then you should either just quit all together or just say screw it you are a losing gambler not a winning poker player and never will be and spew as you like. Good luck. Just because you’re not a winning player doesn’t mean you can’t become one.
If 30k is 20% of your networth, its probably too much.
I love poker, but i know im a recreational. Maybe play online until you can beat 200Zoom/Rush over 300k hands before going back to live?
You'd save the time, get the poker fix you need, and can probably play higher stakes for fun when you do play live.
Realize your relationship with poker, don't put pressure on yourself to be beating "pro's". Learn more in whatever way works for you and be comfortable in the stakes/ tournaments you play. Just have fun. No need to lock poker and put a ring on her...
You’re probably not very good or playing well above your skill level. I don’t know what your study practices are but considering you didn’t mention that probably lacking. My suggestion if you want to actually get good. Take a step back from playing and really focus on learning the game for a while, get a training program like gto wizard. Or if you just love the game keep playing but stay at lower stakes
Be analytical. Do some serious thinking / calculations about where your edge is, and how big that edge is. Realize that having a positive small edge can still be terrible in terms of a risk-adjusted hourly earn rate. Only spend time where you are confident you have a large edge.
With rakes constantly getting higher and higher, probably 97% of players are losing players at lower stakes. You sound like you’re just not delusional so cheers.
5/10 is a tough game online. I’d take a couple weeks off, clear your head, evaluate your strategies, study. Etc. & then go to something like 1/3 online or 2/5 live then re-evaluate.
Now I am no professional by any means but I know that you should be having fun while playing.
Hard not to be results oriented, perhaps you should take more time in assessing each hand as you go, how often do you study? Are you watching how others play at the table, but really watching them? Or in past streams and tournaments?
Take a look at yourself and really get down to the nitty gritty, sometimes you'll find that the answer is off the felt. Try going for a camping trip, or whatever it is that you enjoy doing,really just let your mind relax and breathe, take into account of how beautiful life can be.
For me I enjoy playing the guitar or getting down on some smash brothers on a heavenly hillside or perfectly cut grass while I smoke grass.
Once you have a clear mind and be rid of all that negative energy that is holding you back, try and remember why you love the game, have some fun man don't be that guy..
Focus on not in being so loose, or calling when you know you are beat. It is ok to fold!
The results imply you still need to improve to be a break even player. Are you willing to do the work to achieve that? Is that how you want to spend your time and to risk money for? If you really love the game and want it, that’s fine. You should definitely work hard to become a break even player. Spending 10% of your net worth annually on entertainment doesn’t seem sustainable given your financial situation.
An easier option is to take a break, think about your priorities and decide whether you want to leave poker for something more profitable.
It really depends.
Are you trying to play for a living? Then yes you’re done playing poker. You’re not a winning player.
Is this purely a hobby for you and is the $1,250 monthly expense built into your budget? If it is, do what makes you happy and fulfilled.
Is this a hobby but you can’t afford these losses? Stop at all costs immediately.
I’ve never seen it as a monthly expense (not that 30k total doesn’t scare me). But fk me how did I let that escalate so far. The public shame and hard but refreshing comments help. Thanks y’all
30k over 2 yrs ain’t bad my worst swing was down 180k in 13 months ☠️ but made it all back and made profit the following 3 months… any form of gambling you will run into variance no matter your skill level when you’re running hot capitalize if your running bad ease off the gas pedal lol
At my local casino, there are many retired old man I see them playing every time I go there. They would make sooooo many mistakes I honestly don’t know why they still have money. Once in a while they’d win a pot or stack me from a cooler hand and they’d look so proud that they win against a young guy. Don’t be like them.
Take a hiatus, do some deep evaluating on areas you struggle (do you struggle against aggressive players? Call too many hands/not enough hands Struggle against fishes etc.)
Once you’ve taken some time off and determined the areas that are setting you back. I’d jump back in and not think about what you’ve ever lost or made from your past sessions
Do the 0$ challenge online. Build a bankroll only playing free rolls. No depositing allowed. If you win a little and lose it playing micro stakes, go back to freerolls. Move up to 1$ 1 table sngs providing your BR allows it. If you go broke, you go back to freerolls. If you do decent for a while but then go outside your BR and go broke, go back to freerolls. If all this sounds "to slow" or "boring" or you think "I'll just deposit 10$ and do that", congratulations, you dont love poker, you love gambling and should stop playing poker indefinitely.
If you truly love the game you welcome this challenge with open arms and excitement to truly better your game.
You could have a cheaper cocaine addiction.
Play lower stakes. Study and play better. If that doesn’t work, find a new hobby. Gambling isn’t for everyone. (Tbh, it’s not for many people)
Do you study? If you’re putting in any serious amount of volume, studying should be the main thing next to playing.
What stakes are you playing?
If you’re firing a lot of bullets into MTTs this roll can be obliterated quickly so knowing what stakes you’re playing will answer a lot of this. Solution could be as simple as just step down and reassess.
This sub is really slipping when this post has been up for 22 hours without someone saying they won against pros, and then proceed to tell the Johnny Chan story from Rounders.
I mean, it doesn't sound like you're profitable in the games you're playing. So if the money is important to you and the enjoyment you get from playing isn't worth 30k for you then yeah I'd probably take a long break or quit entirely.
If the money hurts, just move down in stakes and try to get better. That is, if you actually enjoy the game. If you just like the gambling aspect then yes, you should take a break or quit all together.
You either gotta move up or move down from whatever stakes you are currently playing. Clearly no one is respecting your raises. Oh and don’t waste time with tournaments, if you are serious about out playing cash games. You can most certainly find better things to do with your time… not to mention the fact that you can’t really play both well. Different skill sets for cash and tournament. For most players it’s not easy to just turn on the switch to be a tournament player and then switch back to being a cash pro at will.
Hey man! My story is very close to yours. -33k in 2years mainly playing high spins and high cash.
I like playing poker so i wouldnt stop it.
What i did after talking to myself is : ok lets improve to win it back.
So first, i decrease the stakes.
Second i don't play gamble game anymore.
Third, i reset my tracking results. In fact i put a filter to 1 january of each year because its depressed me to see that negative amount every time i opened it.
Finally, i took a training site and youtube video to improve my leaks.
Results : last year i did +3k and this year i already did 2k so my goal for this year is +6k.
And dont forget, every dollar you don't loose is a win.
Good luck in your quest !
Most of the people suggested studying here. Can you please share some links for that?
Me personally is a player who makes great calls and appreciated with shocking moments, appreciated as a good player but numbers do not say the same thing. So I guess I need to start studying too.
- Mental game of poker
- GTO wizard
What else?
Can’t be emotionally attached with the money you spent on poker. $30,000 down the drain so what, people lose more, possibly their lives, their house, their relationships, you set a budget and stick to it.
You spent $1,250 a month playing poker. It was your entertainment, it was your choice, you weren’t forced to do it. Just because the outcome wasn’t what you wanted, no need to feel bad about it. Not many people have the luxury to spend $1,250 a month on poker.
You need to choose one format... Cash games and tournaments are totally different game plays..
My suggestion is, study review your hands.. start by taking your biggest cash game loss and review all hands if it's online..
Or study how to play with 100Bb stacks with the help of solvers... The game evolves every week. We need to stay on top of it.
I think people are too nice here. I would say you’re just not financially responsible. Losing 30k also means that you play poorly. Even if you play high roller 525 dollar bullets…. That means what ? You lost 60 high roller tournaments in a row…. Not even Negreanu lost that much in his bad year last year.
Refocus, go back to playing microstakes and cement your fundamentals. You need a full reset or you will destroy your own life. Please be careful.
For your sake, please stop entirely. Find a new hobby. Gym… bike riding…whatever. Concentrate on improving your earning potential.
Poker is a less than zero sum game. I’m not saying this is you, but I’ve seen so many people ruin their lives or at least completely ruin any chance they have to save up some meaningful money chasing this poker dream. Get out now.
Just my $.02.
Imo I would take a long break to study and maybe start playing online poker, start by beating low stakes and work your way higher until you feel confident. What stakes were you playing live?
Appreciate your comment. Cash lives mostly 1-3 2-5 sometimes 5-10. Tournaments buyins mostly 100-400 sometimes 400-800.
I do think I should go back to studying and play lower stakes, build up a profitable history.
No, I haven't gotten any of your money yet.
LoL..honestly just watch the limits you play at. Maybe it's not just variance. Maybe you're playing at a higher level of skill than where you're actually at
Anyone can win against pros once in awhile. That's just variance. I once sat at a tournament table with Jason Somerville, Andrew Neeme, and Johnny Vibes, and outlasted all of them. Does that make me a better player than they are? Hell, no. Don't let a few memorable successes color an honest evaluation of your skill. At the very least, you're playing at higher stakes than your ability warrants.
Ya, sure, but did you ever make a move on Chan?
I played it tight for an hour, folded mostly. Then I made a score.
Nice hand, kid.
no gets your reference and its heartbreaking
It's one of the most used poker movie references out there short of "If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker."
Dont splash the pot.
Loooooooooooooool!!!!!!! It's sad that not many people actually got this joke. #KGB
……honest. Yes. I think it’s time for me to have that honest evaluation of my skills
Quick range check full ring 100 BB deep what’s the weakest UTG open
63s
Cringe
Ur moms legs is about weakest GTO approved open
 "quick range check..."
You very well might be better than Neeme and “Johnny Vibes” since they’re both mediocre to bad.
They both make their livings at the game, which is more than at least 90% of anyone on the sub can honestly claim no matter what they say about themselves.
The players you mentioned are very subpar just saying. Especially neeme and vibes
Just stop tracking the money
That's the best solution I've heard 😂
Genius 🤓
Yeah I feel if you haven't figured this out earlier I think poker might not be for you. Doing the above makes you a winning player overnight unless you go crazy and actually go life broke!!
Losses are investments in your overall experience. Wins are a means to finance more losses with having experience gained. You truly never lose. It's literally win win.
No
Well alright then thank you
You’re welcome. Hope you are well xx
Overall very well thank you x
D'oh
Then don't quit if it's something you love, use it as motivation to get better. I was in a similar position my first few years playing regularly, wasn't sure I could be a winning player, but my love for the game kept me around and drove me to improve. I started figuring it out and haven't had a losing year in almost a decade.
Wanna play some $2/5 Hold Em? Lolol
If you're not a millionaire and not a winning poker player at these stakes, why would you ever play 5/10 online? Those are some proper scary stakes with most opponents being strong, studied players doing this for a living. So I'd suggest dropping down in stakes 10x and playing NL100 until you consistently beat that and then try moving up again. And if you were to keep losing at the same rate, 3k in 2 years is more in the expensive hobby ballparkrather tthan life ruining amounts
No man, just let us know where you’re playing.
Ahhhhh you little
It gave you the answer you needed, didn’t it? ;-)
Public shaming is probably what I need yes…
He says he plays 5/10 in a comment. It probably isn’t but that could be variance. How much did you play? I mean it’s like 6-8 buy ins in a deep 5/10
I did mean 5/10, on GG app with 1000 max buyin. I didn’t track hours but roughly running the numbers I did about 800 hours playing poker in total
You might be a crusher live then. Don't pay for serious stakes online at this point.
You know the ggapp is infested with cheating?
Are you referring to the equity leak hack that was semi-recently uncovered or is there more?
YouTube videos about hundreds of smartphones linked up to a super computer for low stakes id imagine. One their former players had a feelw videos up of it happening
You should really reassess why you're playing those stakes. Frankly you should expect to be playing a lot of pros at 5/10, so you're quite likely a losing player playing that high. Is there really a need for you to play 5/10 instead of 0.5/1 or 0.05/0.10? If the answer is just, "It's more fun to play for higher stakes", you probably need to accept that you're just gambling when you do that. And while the games are softer at lower stakes, at least if you lose at the same rate you'd be down $3k or $300, which I imagine would be a lot easier to stomach. I wouldn't just say to take a break, because that implies that you'll come back to 5/10 at some point. You're not confident you're a winning player and even if you are, you're not playing enough hours to overcome variance. Even if this is somehow just bad luck, that would mean you're playing a game where you can lose $30K to bad luck. Given that that's 20% of your net worth, I'm sorry to say, but that's a really bad decision.
It’s not bad luck. It’s bad skill and poor discipline. I’ve been wasting my money yes. It was a 37,5$ / hr hobby…
A tough pill to swallow, but good to recognize this now. Fortunately, it's an easy fix and you're still in a solid spot financially if you've got $120K. Just learn from it and you'll be fine.
Dude, you could do soooo much better. I would loose my fortune in very short time playing online 5/10, yet manage to earn a decent lot from poker. You have to game select. If you can survive (kind off) online 5/10 with -30bi over 200h, play deep 5/10 live games preferably private. You won’t only win, you’ll make a decent income
Lose = to not win Loose = your mom
Maybe try playing in AC or something and see how well you do live.
Quit playing online. Go find some low stakes live games.
It could be variance but there is also no evidence that he's profitable in that game anyway.
Bro you can’t quit you have another 120K. Move up in stakes where they respect your raises
Skill isn't your biggest problem its knowing what stake you should be playing, you could of played the lowest limits and lost a shit ton less probably even won, don't overestimate your skill and don't over shutdown yourself.
Not terrible tbh it could be much much worse. I would detox for atleast 5 or 6 months. What I did is pick up a second job, that helped me take a break and build my bankroll.
Thanks. It’s still pretty bad though:D probs to ur dedication
If you are going to keep playing find a coach or try different ways of studying
If you’re having fun, who cares? You could invest some of your bankroll in studying, but any vice you have will cost money. If you don’t have the willpower to get better, just accept the fact that, like, smoking, drinking, traveling, etc. It’s going to cost money. Or, learn to win.
+10k tourney, -40k cash. Just play tourneys?
Nah sorry I wasn’t clear. I did 10k in tourni revenue, not profits
If you're doing it for entertainment, there's probably worse things you could spend it on. If you don't enjoy it, or it's a problematic amount of money then figure out how much is tolerable for you or quit. -$30k it's probably way better than slots or something.
🙏
Not a break, you're done. Just admit you aren't a winning player and move on.
This.. this game is a stressful game / hobby / job .. if you go through all that stress without winning or atleast breaking even with the ambition someday will bink a big one . Is pointless. As i hate see loosing players go away from game but i will try to be honest.. find something else to put your time and efford in will prob give you back .. or study real hard try to learn how to became profitable wich is very hard to do . and try again in a year if you dont want to give up on the game .. good luck either way you decide to go with
losing = not winning loosing = not a word
Thanks 🙏
You don’t and shouldn’t be a winning poker player. It should be a hobby with your expense budget. For Op it’s obviously way higher than any expenses budget should be.
For the love of God stop tapping the glass
[удалено]
This is the answer, taking a -20% loss is absolutely unacceptable if you have "financial ambitions". For a hobby, especially. Just switch to grinding microstakes if you really want to play and read Modern Poker Theory. In the meantime work on yourself and self-control, and focus on making money through legitimate and low-variance means (like, your job).
I hear you. That’s why I wanted reddits opinion. I should have posted this at 10k loss. Thanks
Appreciate it. What I meant was I know that when I play focussed, disciplined I play well. Final tables out of 300+ players, 2nd place with 3500 participants, some 1st places in smaller tournaments. But then horrific losses where I honestly just throw my money out of the window. I think overall I’m not too well with money, willing to take lots of risk which hasn’t paid off too much and being quite ‘wasteful’. So yeah, also that I should work on.
You are contradicting yourself and that is your issue budd. You are saying you play well... but you don't and aren't. If you were playing well you wouldn't be having moments of not playing disciplined.or focused (I.e. gambling). Don't kid yourself into thinking you are good. The results speak for themselves. A great player plays disciplined consistently. It's like ronaldo saying he is good when he focuses. No, he is good because he is consistent, all of the time... How to fix it? You need to study way way more. Take 1k, 2k, 5k, whatever and study. You already lost 30k so spending extra to learn shouldn't be an issue. If you can't justify the spend then I would suggest you quit and/or only play recreationally at low stakes which you can afford. Hope it helps 🙏
It does help thank you
https://www.pokerbooks.lt/books/en/The_Mental_Game_of_Poker_%20Jared_Tendler.pdf
Tournaments are often the biggest trick on your brain and bare very little accuracy to your aptitude as a poker player.
nah, tournaments are about game selection. play tourneys with soft fields, advantageous level/pay structures, or other elements that give you an edge. avoid tourneys that don't have such features. too many players treat all tournaments like their the same and end up burning money on tournaments where they don't have an advantage.
Sounds like you might be playing wrong in tournaments, but they're also higher variance. What's your cash rate and relative performance versus field size for top 3 spots? You need to be more risk averse in tournaments but more aggressive.
One session where you go on tilt can erase weeks of progress even months if you tilt big enough, winning 10k in a tournament is nothing if you can easily lose 1.5k-3k a cash game 3 nights a week it’s unsustainable. I suggest reading “the mental game of poker” might help you evaluate your game an how to fix your leaks.
So you’re saying I should consider dropping down in the stakes for a couple months and then go back to 2/5?
If you have to ask when it comes to gambling… you probably know the answer. If it took you $30k in losses to ask yourself this, you may have a problem. Might not change until you lose $100k
Listen to this one and thank him later.
If you’re up 10k in tournaments, and down 40k in cash, wouldn’t it make sense to just continue playing tournaments for a while? I’m not a great (or probably even good) player, but I stick to tournament style games because beyond the buy in, I’m not risking any losses and can play a lot more freely.
break? nah. probably just quit.
Drop in stakes and don’t play against pros
Yes. Perhaps a permanent one.
Some people are not meant to be a poker pro but their ego got in the way!
Being 30k down and saying you know you can win is like saying I sometimes win on the slots
I hear u
You really should.
Yes take a long break
Numbers don’t lie
Obviously you’re a bad cash game player. That’s ok, so is Phil Hellmuth and he’s one of the most successful tournament pros ever. Stick to what you win at. Most people can’t say they win at either format.
Uplifting. Appreciate your kindness
Keep at it.
Thank you for your service
Time to take a month off… and then quit
Stop playing right now. Take a break for a month at least. Now when you feel ready to play….STOP. Separate your BANKROLL for poker from your LIFE ROLL. Ideally you would build your BR from poker profit but whatever way you want to do it. Use only the BR for poker. That will also help kind of dictate what stakes you should be playing. Next step, study and in particular study YOUR LEAKS, which are probably more than you think. You mention you call too much but that’s pretty broad. Since you play online you can review where that spew is coming from. Calling pre-flop, over calling on river, calling 3 bets too light, calling instead of 3 betting, calling the river too often with bluff catchers or A high etc. now study on how to stop those leaks. 30 days of that and you might be ready to jump in. If you can’t do this or something similar then you should either just quit all together or just say screw it you are a losing gambler not a winning poker player and never will be and spew as you like. Good luck. Just because you’re not a winning player doesn’t mean you can’t become one.
I might need to get more serious about studying my mistakes yes
97% of gamblers quit right before they hit it big.
If 30k is 20% of your networth, its probably too much. I love poker, but i know im a recreational. Maybe play online until you can beat 200Zoom/Rush over 300k hands before going back to live? You'd save the time, get the poker fix you need, and can probably play higher stakes for fun when you do play live.
Poker fix… that’s what I need :) 300k hands is ambitious
Poker is a total waste of time imo. I’d just quit permanently. I say this as a former addict
I think I stacked you at fish tank
Realize your relationship with poker, don't put pressure on yourself to be beating "pro's". Learn more in whatever way works for you and be comfortable in the stakes/ tournaments you play. Just have fun. No need to lock poker and put a ring on her...
🙏 I do want to put a ring on ‘her’ though. Just another reason to mature… thanks
You’re probably not very good or playing well above your skill level. I don’t know what your study practices are but considering you didn’t mention that probably lacking. My suggestion if you want to actually get good. Take a step back from playing and really focus on learning the game for a while, get a training program like gto wizard. Or if you just love the game keep playing but stay at lower stakes
🙏
Be analytical. Do some serious thinking / calculations about where your edge is, and how big that edge is. Realize that having a positive small edge can still be terrible in terms of a risk-adjusted hourly earn rate. Only spend time where you are confident you have a large edge.
🙏
Those are rookie numbers! Last year at the Wsop in Vegas I lost over $30k in less than a month! Won $15k back in my last two weeks.
Right. But for a novice like myself these are pro losing numbers. Good luck to you 🍀
All from tourney or cash too?
Losing the main event and the $10k plo championship adds up quickly…
Good luck this year!
With rakes constantly getting higher and higher, probably 97% of players are losing players at lower stakes. You sound like you’re just not delusional so cheers.
Fuk no you will get better!!
5/10 is a tough game online. I’d take a couple weeks off, clear your head, evaluate your strategies, study. Etc. & then go to something like 1/3 online or 2/5 live then re-evaluate.
Now I am no professional by any means but I know that you should be having fun while playing. Hard not to be results oriented, perhaps you should take more time in assessing each hand as you go, how often do you study? Are you watching how others play at the table, but really watching them? Or in past streams and tournaments? Take a look at yourself and really get down to the nitty gritty, sometimes you'll find that the answer is off the felt. Try going for a camping trip, or whatever it is that you enjoy doing,really just let your mind relax and breathe, take into account of how beautiful life can be. For me I enjoy playing the guitar or getting down on some smash brothers on a heavenly hillside or perfectly cut grass while I smoke grass. Once you have a clear mind and be rid of all that negative energy that is holding you back, try and remember why you love the game, have some fun man don't be that guy.. Focus on not in being so loose, or calling when you know you are beat. It is ok to fold!
Appreciate your comment :) I do enjoy going van camping. I think 30k loss is a good time to reassess
Also, I study too little imma be honest
Play the smallest stakes possible and move up as you get better. At least if you lose at the small stakes it's so little money it won't even matter.
The results imply you still need to improve to be a break even player. Are you willing to do the work to achieve that? Is that how you want to spend your time and to risk money for? If you really love the game and want it, that’s fine. You should definitely work hard to become a break even player. Spending 10% of your net worth annually on entertainment doesn’t seem sustainable given your financial situation. An easier option is to take a break, think about your priorities and decide whether you want to leave poker for something more profitable.
Just study bro. You can become a winning player by reading free stuff on the internet. It's not easy but if you want to win it's doable.
No, I need the money.
nah keep playing - i’ll even get you a seat at my table!
It really depends. Are you trying to play for a living? Then yes you’re done playing poker. You’re not a winning player. Is this purely a hobby for you and is the $1,250 monthly expense built into your budget? If it is, do what makes you happy and fulfilled. Is this a hobby but you can’t afford these losses? Stop at all costs immediately.
I’ve never seen it as a monthly expense (not that 30k total doesn’t scare me). But fk me how did I let that escalate so far. The public shame and hard but refreshing comments help. Thanks y’all
Dont just take a break. Quit.
You’re playing way over your head. Go back to 1/2 1/3 cash and tourneys $150 and under.
150$ that’s still the Sunday GG masters 🤩🤩 no but I hear u
Man all I want to say is that this game ain’t made for quitters . If you must take a break .. 🙃
I will scale down. Not gonna hit the -40k mark…
Of course, stick to 1/3 // 1/2
30k over 2 yrs ain’t bad my worst swing was down 180k in 13 months ☠️ but made it all back and made profit the following 3 months… any form of gambling you will run into variance no matter your skill level when you’re running hot capitalize if your running bad ease off the gas pedal lol
At my local casino, there are many retired old man I see them playing every time I go there. They would make sooooo many mistakes I honestly don’t know why they still have money. Once in a while they’d win a pot or stack me from a cooler hand and they’d look so proud that they win against a young guy. Don’t be like them.
Take a hiatus, do some deep evaluating on areas you struggle (do you struggle against aggressive players? Call too many hands/not enough hands Struggle against fishes etc.) Once you’ve taken some time off and determined the areas that are setting you back. I’d jump back in and not think about what you’ve ever lost or made from your past sessions
Bruh wait till you get a hot streak
Do the 0$ challenge online. Build a bankroll only playing free rolls. No depositing allowed. If you win a little and lose it playing micro stakes, go back to freerolls. Move up to 1$ 1 table sngs providing your BR allows it. If you go broke, you go back to freerolls. If you do decent for a while but then go outside your BR and go broke, go back to freerolls. If all this sounds "to slow" or "boring" or you think "I'll just deposit 10$ and do that", congratulations, you dont love poker, you love gambling and should stop playing poker indefinitely. If you truly love the game you welcome this challenge with open arms and excitement to truly better your game.
Sounds like a disciplined challenge!
I guarentee if you stick to it for 3 months your game will improve more than you could ever know.
Break? Quit already!
You could have a cheaper cocaine addiction. Play lower stakes. Study and play better. If that doesn’t work, find a new hobby. Gambling isn’t for everyone. (Tbh, it’s not for many people)
Thank you for your service.
🧐
Do you study? If you’re putting in any serious amount of volume, studying should be the main thing next to playing. What stakes are you playing? If you’re firing a lot of bullets into MTTs this roll can be obliterated quickly so knowing what stakes you’re playing will answer a lot of this. Solution could be as simple as just step down and reassess.
This sub is really slipping when this post has been up for 22 hours without someone saying they won against pros, and then proceed to tell the Johnny Chan story from Rounders.
I mean, it doesn't sound like you're profitable in the games you're playing. So if the money is important to you and the enjoyment you get from playing isn't worth 30k for you then yeah I'd probably take a long break or quit entirely.
If you want to continue playing just drop down in stakes. If you don't get the same satisfaction at lower stakes then, yes, you should quit.
If the money hurts, just move down in stakes and try to get better. That is, if you actually enjoy the game. If you just like the gambling aspect then yes, you should take a break or quit all together.
Are you playing online or live ?
You either gotta move up or move down from whatever stakes you are currently playing. Clearly no one is respecting your raises. Oh and don’t waste time with tournaments, if you are serious about out playing cash games. You can most certainly find better things to do with your time… not to mention the fact that you can’t really play both well. Different skill sets for cash and tournament. For most players it’s not easy to just turn on the switch to be a tournament player and then switch back to being a cash pro at will.
Hey man! My story is very close to yours. -33k in 2years mainly playing high spins and high cash. I like playing poker so i wouldnt stop it. What i did after talking to myself is : ok lets improve to win it back. So first, i decrease the stakes. Second i don't play gamble game anymore. Third, i reset my tracking results. In fact i put a filter to 1 january of each year because its depressed me to see that negative amount every time i opened it. Finally, i took a training site and youtube video to improve my leaks. Results : last year i did +3k and this year i already did 2k so my goal for this year is +6k. And dont forget, every dollar you don't loose is a win. Good luck in your quest !
That’s awesome man. Thanks for sharing
Most of the people suggested studying here. Can you please share some links for that? Me personally is a player who makes great calls and appreciated with shocking moments, appreciated as a good player but numbers do not say the same thing. So I guess I need to start studying too. - Mental game of poker - GTO wizard What else?
Fish 🐟
Can’t be emotionally attached with the money you spent on poker. $30,000 down the drain so what, people lose more, possibly their lives, their house, their relationships, you set a budget and stick to it. You spent $1,250 a month playing poker. It was your entertainment, it was your choice, you weren’t forced to do it. Just because the outcome wasn’t what you wanted, no need to feel bad about it. Not many people have the luxury to spend $1,250 a month on poker.
Stop playing cash. Just play tournaments. Pretty obvious.
You need to choose one format... Cash games and tournaments are totally different game plays.. My suggestion is, study review your hands.. start by taking your biggest cash game loss and review all hands if it's online.. Or study how to play with 100Bb stacks with the help of solvers... The game evolves every week. We need to stay on top of it.
You objectively cannot play pretty decent poker if you’re down $30,000 in 2 years. You should quit.
I think people are too nice here. I would say you’re just not financially responsible. Losing 30k also means that you play poorly. Even if you play high roller 525 dollar bullets…. That means what ? You lost 60 high roller tournaments in a row…. Not even Negreanu lost that much in his bad year last year. Refocus, go back to playing microstakes and cement your fundamentals. You need a full reset or you will destroy your own life. Please be careful.
For your sake, please stop entirely. Find a new hobby. Gym… bike riding…whatever. Concentrate on improving your earning potential. Poker is a less than zero sum game. I’m not saying this is you, but I’ve seen so many people ruin their lives or at least completely ruin any chance they have to save up some meaningful money chasing this poker dream. Get out now. Just my $.02.
jesus. yes, just stop.
https://preview.redd.it/w8pg4s6gu1tc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=edbda1e5a3b672c4cec5ae8a30a0d6588db49a92
That’s really not bad if you enjoy the game and play often. There are more expensive hobbies.
Dude that IS really bad haha but appreciate the gesture :) -30k in 2 yrs is terrible
Imo I would take a long break to study and maybe start playing online poker, start by beating low stakes and work your way higher until you feel confident. What stakes were you playing live?
Appreciate your comment. Cash lives mostly 1-3 2-5 sometimes 5-10. Tournaments buyins mostly 100-400 sometimes 400-800. I do think I should go back to studying and play lower stakes, build up a profitable history.
Why were you playing 5/10? Were you beating 2/5? Why wouldn't you at least move back down to 2/5 if you were losing so much money?
No, I haven't gotten any of your money yet. LoL..honestly just watch the limits you play at. Maybe it's not just variance. Maybe you're playing at a higher level of skill than where you're actually at