Alex.. you gotta forget all your funky plays.

check/raising bottom pair with 28o in unraised pot is not gonna make you any money.
Reread HoH, tighten up play straight foward.

REally some of your play is really bad.

Shoving ATo tilting when you need money is bad bad bad.

[i'll send ya pm Alex.

Sig test...

Yesterday I had a peak at Roy's life. Dammit that was fun. I made more than $250 in less than 1K hands playing a mix of 25NL and $50NL. I must have hit more than 20 boats in this period and lots of people paid me off. It was a really long time since that happened. I was going to stand up with more than $300 up but then decided I had to stay and make that session longer. I stopped playing when i lose to stacks in two flush over flush situations.

Still a great score. The bankroll is now much better at ~1300. I havent cashed out in a while and will probably do it by the weekend. I hope to be able to leave the roll above 1K USD.

Nice to see you winning again Just remember that only have to make the right decisions...

I just read this Article and I was immediately remembered at you
When I where you I wouldn't cashout before my roll is over 2,000 or 2.500$. Then you have 80-100 Buyins for 25NL,so you have nearly zero chances to ever get Busto playing 25NL.
And if the roll gets higher than that number you can cashout this moneys.Or you take a shot at higher levels like the 50s or 1$ and choose a good day.You should only 2 tabling to stay totally focused and choose a day when the cards fall your way,but you know that rules yourself... After getting again over that number you have to try move up to make the next step in you career,or you will never be any better than now and grinded away much years with a bunch of idiots and nits...

If you cashout that small winnings from the 25s every month or 2 month you will be playing 25NL your whole Life and never be able to play and beat a higher level for reasoable $s,because your roll cannot grow again
... I know it from myself after cashing out 1500$ which is 40 Buyins at 25 NL.I played 4 or 5 month for this cashout at Omaha 25PLO which was really Juicy,but It costed me much time and nerves... At the same time I saw Guys making mistakes at the 4$ which was really sick,but I didn't have and had the roll and confidence to play that high,but It sometimes wasn't really harder as the 25s or 50s...
Now I have to rebuild again with 2200 $ playing 50s now and 1$ to adapt to higher stakes and if my downswing should continue and I lose 1 or 2 BI at the 1$ i'll be playing the 50s until I have 2500$ + 1 Buyin for the chance at 1$...
What I want to say is: I really have enough from the Donkeys and the minimumwage at 25NL and 25PLO.Like you know,most of them have not really a clue or they are the same nitty nutpeddlers like at the higher levels 1 or 2$.
Just look at Party 25NL.This Guys play like they have hundreds in front of them.Just a nitty Rock Garden most of the time... You have to play thousands of hand everyday to make minimum wage this way.So the only way to make good monies today,is to build up a roll to play the 1$ and higher tables I think...

Just a word to your losing streak which hopfully ended now:
I don't think that you are a losing player You got much more experience than the most donkeys on this microstakes which play for fun and only sometimes...But the bad plays and the really often bad beats there can lead to several TILT plays and really horrible leaks and you just do not notice it often,because everybody plays the same bad level there and you do not have to play better or improve much to get a small or decent win most of times.So you don't care much about your play and grind more instead and also do not improve all the time to beat the higher levels... So take your time to plug your leaks and build your roll to play the 50sNL again next year... You have to have goals... think this article is really nice and I hope you can get some value out ... :wink
Sorry for the long rant,but I had a feeling I have to write my opinion,because I look at your Journal often and im really a bit depressed to see your roll decreasing every few month... I hope you won't be playing 10NL next year... Just a little Joke,but build you roll...
I wish you best of luck and a sharp Poker mind

Handling Downswings
By Andrew Wiggins

We've all heard of that old saying that if you play poker long enough, you will run worse than you ever thought possible. It's true, and some of the reasons are hard to identify. Many people try to prepare for downswings, but when the downswings happen, they can't recognize or pull out of them.

As focused as poker players are on their results, it's surprising how long it can take them to realize they're experiencing a downswing. Sometimes it's denial, and sometimes the losses happen too gradually or seem too unlucky to seem like a full-fledged downswing. Whatever the cause, it usually takes a lot of losing before a player realizes he's in the biggest slump of his life.

In a normal downswing, players generally assume they'll come out of it, and they're often correct. A larger, longer one, however, deserves more attention.

My biggest downswing began this January. After the online-poker legislation passed last year, I pulled most of my money offline, but continued to select games as if I were over-rolled for $10-$20 no-limit. When I didn't have many buy-ins left online, I began to play differently, but I didn't realize it. Furthermore, I was just cocky. I spent less time studying the game, because I figured that I could keep playing my old game and winning.

I also was playing too many tables. Before the legislation, there were enough soft games that I could play eight tables with a good win rate, but that was no longer the case. This also compounded my other mistakes: Playing too many tables will both increase the number of tough decisions you face and reduce your focus on each one. I already was playing scared without having adjusted to the new texture of the games, and playing eight tables made me play even worse.

I didn't break out of my downswing until I made major changes, the first of which was to stop playing for a month and a half. I think everyone eventually needs to take a break: Playing while burned out is a bad idea, and if you play long enough, you will burn out. I didn't start playing again until I was living in Las Vegas with other poker players. This got me excited about poker and focused on the game, and it also enabled me to review hands with excellent players whenever I was unsure about the correct line. Having people to discuss hands with is a time-tested way to improve your poker, and building these relationships is a good way to fight the loneliness and inertia that the poker lifestyle so often brings.

Even more importantly, I studied the new games and adapted to them. The legislation had reduced the supply of new players, and the existing players had improved, so the games were playing much more aggressively. I was stubbornly playing the same game I had been playing for years, and my results suffered. They didn't improve until I stopped playing mechanically and began using all of the new information I'd been ignoring.

I found that my late-position raises were getting less respect and that I had a harder time winning small pots uncontested. Therefore, I needed to hold stronger hands in small pots, and I had to fight harder when played back at preflop. So, I tightened up; I played 20 percent fewer hands than I had been. When my opponents gave me action as I tried to "steal" small pots, I usually was holding a far stronger hand. Meanwhile, I reraised late-position raises more often, and called or four-bet more often when someone three-bet me. This not only thwarted my opponents' steals, but cultivated a loose image, which helped me to continue getting action; remember, I'd started folding the weakest 20 percent of the starting hands I used to play, I found myself with a good hand post-flop much more frequently.

Once I'd identified where I was losing money, the solutions were logical, but I couldn't find them until I'd admitted that I was losing. I also selected games carefully and played fewer tables, usually four instead of eight. Only then did I start winning again. It took me four years, but I finally learned the truth of that old saying. I ran worse than I thought was possible, but my poker is better for having gone through it.

Andrew Wiggins, 22, is a professional poker player living in Chicago, Illinois. He is also a part-owner of CardRunners

Nice to see you winning again Just remember that only have to make the right decisions...

I just read this Article and I was immediately remembered at you
When I where you I wouldn't cashout before my roll is over 2,000 or 2.500$. Then you have 80-100 Buyins for 25NL,so you have nearly zero chances to ever get Busto playing 25NL.
And if the roll gets higher than that number you can cashout this moneys.Or you take a shot at higher levels like the 50s or 1$ and choose a good day.You should only 2 tabling to stay totally focused and choose a day when the cards fall your way,but you know that rules yourself... After getting again over that number you have to try move up to make the next step in you career,or you will never be any better than now and grinded away much years with a bunch of idiots and nits...

If you cashout that small winnings from the 25s every month or 2 month you will be playing 25NL your whole Life and never be able to play and beat a higher level for reasoable $s,because your roll cannot grow again
... I know it from myself after cashing out 1500$ which is 40 Buyins at 25 NL.I played 4 or 5 month for this cashout at Omaha 25PLO which was really Juicy,but It costed me much time and nerves... At the same time I saw Guys making mistakes at the 4$ which was really sick,but I didn't have and had the roll and confidence to play that high,but It sometimes wasn't really harder as the 25s or 50s...
Now I have to rebuild again with 2200 $ playing 50s now and 1$ to adapt to higher stakes and if my downswing should continue and I lose 1 or 2 BI at the 1$ i'll be playing the 50s until I have 2500$ + 1 Buyin for the chance at 1$...
What I want to say is: I really have enough from the Donkeys and the minimumwage at 25NL and 25PLO.Like you know,most of them have not really a clue or they are the same nitty nutpeddlers like at the higher levels 1 or 2$.
Just look at Party 25NL.This Guys play like they have hundreds in front of them.Just a nitty Rock Garden most of the time... You have to play thousands of hand everyday to make minimum wage this way.So the only way to make good monies today,is to build up a roll to play the 1$ and higher tables I think...

Just a word to your losing streak which hopfully ended now:
I don't think that you are a losing player You got much more experience than the most donkeys on this microstakes which play for fun and only sometimes...But the bad plays and the really often bad beats there can lead to several TILT plays and really horrible leaks and you just do not notice it often,because everybody plays the same bad level there and you do not have to play better or improve much to get a small or decent win most of times.So you don't care much about your play and grind more instead and also do not improve all the time to beat the higher levels... So take your time to plug your leaks and build your roll to play the 50sNL again next year... You have to have goals... think this article is really nice and I hope you can get some value out ... :wink
Sorry for the long rant,but I had a feeling I have to write my opinion,because I look at your Journal often and im really a bit depressed to see your roll decreasing every few month... I hope you won't be playing 10NL next year... Just a little Joke,but build you roll...
I wish you best of luck and a sharp Poker mind

Handling Downswings
By Andrew Wiggins

We've all heard of that old saying that if you play poker long enough, you will run worse than you ever thought possible. It's true, and some of the reasons are hard to identify. Many people try to prepare for downswings, but when the downswings happen, they can't recognize or pull out of them.

As focused as poker players are on their results, it's surprising how long it can take them to realize they're experiencing a downswing. Sometimes it's denial, and sometimes the losses happen too gradually or seem too unlucky to seem like a full-fledged downswing. Whatever the cause, it usually takes a lot of losing before a player realizes he's in the biggest slump of his life.

In a normal downswing, players generally assume they'll come out of it, and they're often correct. A larger, longer one, however, deserves more attention.

My biggest downswing began this January. After the online-poker legislation passed last year, I pulled most of my money offline, but continued to select games as if I were over-rolled for $10-$20 no-limit. When I didn't have many buy-ins left online, I began to play differently, but I didn't realize it. Furthermore, I was just cocky. I spent less time studying the game, because I figured that I could keep playing my old game and winning.

I also was playing too many tables. Before the legislation, there were enough soft games that I could play eight tables with a good win rate, but that was no longer the case. This also compounded my other mistakes: Playing too many tables will both increase the number of tough decisions you face and reduce your focus on each one. I already was playing scared without having adjusted to the new texture of the games, and playing eight tables made me play even worse.

I didn't break out of my downswing until I made major changes, the first of which was to stop playing for a month and a half. I think everyone eventually needs to take a break: Playing while burned out is a bad idea, and if you play long enough, you will burn out. I didn't start playing again until I was living in Las Vegas with other poker players. This got me excited about poker and focused on the game, and it also enabled me to review hands with excellent players whenever I was unsure about the correct line. Having people to discuss hands with is a time-tested way to improve your poker, and building these relationships is a good way to fight the loneliness and inertia that the poker lifestyle so often brings.

Even more importantly, I studied the new games and adapted to them. The legislation had reduced the supply of new players, and the existing players had improved, so the games were playing much more aggressively. I was stubbornly playing the same game I had been playing for years, and my results suffered. They didn't improve until I stopped playing mechanically and began using all of the new information I'd been ignoring.

I found that my late-position raises were getting less respect and that I had a harder time winning small pots uncontested. Therefore, I needed to hold stronger hands in small pots, and I had to fight harder when played back at preflop. So, I tightened up; I played 20 percent fewer hands than I had been. When my opponents gave me action as I tried to "steal" small pots, I usually was holding a far stronger hand. Meanwhile, I reraised late-position raises more often, and called or four-bet more often when someone three-bet me. This not only thwarted my opponents' steals, but cultivated a loose image, which helped me to continue getting action; remember, I'd started folding the weakest 20 percent of the starting hands I used to play, I found myself with a good hand post-flop much more frequently.

Once I'd identified where I was losing money, the solutions were logical, but I couldn't find them until I'd admitted that I was losing. I also selected games carefully and played fewer tables, usually four instead of eight. Only then did I start winning again. It took me four years, but I finally learned the truth of that old saying. I ran worse than I thought was possible, but my poker is better for having gone through it.

Andrew Wiggins, 22, is a professional poker player living in Chicago, Illinois. He is also a part-owner of CardRunners

Very nice post, fanatiker. I appreciate it.

The thing is I dont think im in a losing sstreak. I am a losing player. And the problem has been I dont even know how or why. I still think it's an insane bad luck, and that is unlikely, but possible. Over the past 22K hands in the cryptos (25NL, 40NL and 50NL), Im losing at -2.11ptbb/100. I have basically tried everything. I have tightened up. I have loosened up, I stopped bluffing, I stopped being WT, I implemented the second barrell, I have moved down, I have cut tables to 5, 4, 3 and 2. Every single adaptation makes me feel im playing much better, but yet the results are still the same or even getting worse.

The last advice I was given was the same by two good players (excessiona dn Roy): I was too weak tight. I have tried to change that and im now winning more than 20% mor epots tha n what i used to. My stats are now more similar to those of the biggest winners in the higher stakes (20/13/2.8 with 41% w$wsf) and stll im losing.

Until last friday, I was up almost 400. Now after losing quite a bit in the past two days and today Im up barely $100 and im losing about 120 on the tables.

Since I havent been able to really beat the games in a very long time I stopped trying to build a roll. Even if I had the roll to play higher i wouldnt do it because i would only lose more money. There's no point in moving up if you dnt beat the games your playing for a decent margin. That has been my case for as long as i can remember.

I reread TOP and NLHETAP and there's really nothing I could say i am missing. I dont post hands because i hineslty dont find myself in any super tough spot. I have been playing for so long against the same level opponents that pretty much find any situation is known.

I was considering a coach but i cant afford one. And Roy coached me for a couple sessions (2hours) and even him didnt find anything horrid. I was playing more the style i knew he wanted me to, not exactly how i play but nothing really remarkable was found, except than me being WT. It wasnt enough play to identify leaks in post flop play i suppose.

I have a couple job interviews this week and if i get a job I will stop posting in the journal because the poker career would be over. I might take what is left of the roll to partially pay for a vacation, or just spend it in random shit . Or maybe i leave it there and try to play a bit without the tension that creates having to make money to cover expenses, if things keep going at the pace they are now then i know vacations on poker money is the best choice.

Thanks for taking the time to help. I really appreciate.

Curent bankroll is about 1100 and i need to cashout really really soon. I will try to pospone it at least until i finished the bonus im currently working. I only need 300MPPs and i ill start 8tabling again to get there sooner.

Following on from our IM, are you really paying attention to your opponents, or (like me) are you too easily distracted by IM, surfing etc?

Are you identifiying weak tighties and raising their CBs IP?

Are you identifying habitual floaters and sometimes check raising them OOP?