Streaking

No Charles, I’m not talking about running naked through a soccer game….

Poker, in many different ways, is a game of streaks. It’s the rare player (I certainly haven’t met one yet) that either wins or loses roughly the same amount every time out. The vast majority of players have good runs that last for days, weeks, months, in some cases even years, and these good runs are invariably followed by bad runs of varying lengths of time as well. The goal, of course, is to maximize the length of the good runs, and the money won during these runs. Conversely, you need to try and minimize the length of the bad runs, and the money lost during these times.

We’ve all had them, those periods where the stars align, and the cards are just slapping us upside the head. Those periods where you win all the races, where it seems like every decision you make is the correct one, and when you do make a bad decision you draw out on the other guy anyway. I believe the good runs pretty much take care of themselves. There’s really not a lot to be said about them, except: Ride that rush! Play as much as you can, and enjoy it while it lasts (because it may not last long).

I don’t need, nor want, to describe the opposite situation in detail, but we’ve all been there as well! In the relatively short time I’ve been playing this game, I’ve been fortunate enough to have not had a bad run last more than a week or so. I’m not naïve enough to think a longer run isn’t out there waiting for me, in fact I’m sure that it is, but I’d also like to think I’m mentally prepared for it when it comes.

Many poker players, as with other types of gamblers (whether poker is considered gambling or not is a topic for another day…), seem to have a “double up and catch up” mentality. So often I’ve seen players who are having bad night, rebuy time after time then push the action to try and get their chips back. Needless to say, more often than not the result is that they just end up losing up more money. It’s my belief that sometimes when things aren’t going your way, you just need to suck it up, book the loss and call it a night.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that you should necessarily pack up and leave just because you’ve lost a couple races or suffered a few bad beats. If you’re surrounded by weak players, there’s a lot of money on the table, and if you’re not tired or on tilt, then you’re most likely better off staying for a while. I’m simply saying to always be aware of your situation, be disciplined enough to step back and look at it through subjective eyes.

One of my favorite sayings is very appropriate for this discussion: Don’t throw good money after bad. I don’t steam too often (real steam, not the fake steam designed to trap opponents), but it happens. On nights where things haven’t been going my way, and I felt the hot vapor begin its steady escape through my auditory canals, I’ve usually been fortunate enough to recognize it in time for me to leave with the rest of the money in my wallet. I certainly can’t recall many times where I fought my way through the steam and made some or all of my money back.

If a bad run continues, consider spending a week or two away from the tables. Go fishing, do crosswords, go watch a movie, clean the garage, anything to get your mind off poker for a while. If all else fails, as a last resort you can even spend time with your family. That should do the trick, because for most of us it will quickly remind us why we took up poker in the first place. Okay, kidding aside…

Poker players are a competitive lot, and hate admitting “defeat” on any given night. I like to think of one night of poker as just one inning in one game during a long season of baseball. The fact is that every poker player, from pro to amateur, will have many, many losing nights. You have to be able to see the big picture. Michael Jordan missed more than 9,000 shots in his career. Cy Young lost 316 games. Reggie Jackson struck out almost 2,600 times. You get the idea…

Nobody likes to lose, but poker is a game that many of us will (hopefully) play for the rest of our lives at one level or another. Being able to put the bad streaks in the proper perspective, and learning to play through them, will help add to the enjoyment of this crazy, wonderful game.

See ya at the tables…
Rick