This recent downswing of mine has forced me to think about things in a different light. I’ve encountered downers like this before, and I’ve had a few that have been much worse. I just hadn’t had one like this in a while and I forgot how much they hurt.
Poker can be so frustrating sometimes, and I think we as poker players take alot of things for granted. Poker and winning money can be a fantastic feeling, and the ‘work’ we do isn’t very difficult by most standards.
But for all of the people in life who say “what’s so hard about clicking buttons and sitting on the computer?”- they don’t realize the intricacies that is involved with this game. The stress level is insane, the amount of “work” you have to do to maintain your game is very large as well- for those trying to learn poker, think of learning as an investment. Just as going to college is an investment for the future, so is being a serious student of poker. Studying hands, discussing strategy, etc. is all a part of the game…and the stress level/feelings after a large loss, those can’t really be equated with ‘normal’ jobs. The investment for learning poker can be for both pleasure (a genuine love for the game) or for business purposes (wanting to get more money…though, with this outlook, you probably won’t have much success- you have to enjoy and love poker to succeed). And the investment of learning isn’t even guaranteed. There are many many players who have a sound understanding of the game (at least on a rudimentary level), but cannot piece it all together, and are mediocre players at best.
This downswing of mine, it’s to be expected. We can’t run at or above expectation all the time, and there is going to be a time when the cards don’t fall our way. I have to seriously think about what I’m going to do when poker isn’t there. At this point, I can truthfully say that I am playing primarily for the money- I don’t have the drive or passion to play or read or discuss poker for hours on end, as I did in the past. And that could be one of the reasons why I haven’t been doing as well the past few months either…the minute the passion dies- the drive, the motivation, and the desire to destroy, that’s when the quality of play declines.
It’s disturbing how quickly poker fortunes can change. One moment you can be up several thousand dollars, and the next moment, it’s gone, like dust in the wind. Any serious poker player goes through downswings at one point or another, and they all affect us in different manners.
They are just numbers on a screen. It ain’t money until it hits your bank account…that’s the perspective I need to hold. The money has to matter in order for one to play well (if you couldn’t give a shit about it, that is, to go to the .01/.02 tables and go all in every hand, you obviously aren’t going to play well). I need to figure out some things to fix, to discipline myself, and to remember the long run…it isn’t always going to be this bad, and things will turn around.
As stated previously, all poker players experience downers… from the 10/20 player to the .10/.25 player, everyone can understand the feelings associated with downers. It’s just something that needs to be both accepted and thought about.
Anyways, I hope to improve, as always. I hope to rediscover some elements of poker that enabled me to become a successful player.