Poker Downswings

One of the toughest parts of poker is enduring a downswing. When you are in the middle of a downswing it feels like you will never pull your way out. It is possible that you will begin to doubt whether you were ever any good in the first place. Maybe you consider quitting altogether. Another reaction is to put all of your remaining bankroll on the table at limits beyond what you normally play. All of this is normal. Perhaps you are in a downswing right now and even after reading the first few lines you are still convinced that it will never end and that you are just the unluckiest player on the entire planet.

I am here to tell you that there is hope. The best players go on the worst downswings imaginable, just as some of the worst players will catch some of the most incredible runs of cards, from time to time. If you plan on playing poker for a long time you need to accept the fact that you will encounter a downswing. Not only will you encounter a downswing, but you will find yourself in the middle of one fairly often. Many times players will suggest brilliant resolutions to end the existence of downswings completely. One of the most humorous solutions I have heard was to pay out what is “owed” to the unlucky players from the account of the players who got lucky. This would not be logical for many reasons, but the most obvious is evidenced by how poker players remain profitable. If it weren’t for the luck factor in poker many of the biggest fish wouldn’t participate at all. Think about it, would you play in a game where you had literally no chance at winning? The players who are called “fish” or “donkeys” are playing because they could be the big winner on any given night, regardless of their skill level. If you took away the existence of downswings you would eliminate the possibility for these players to ever win money. Once the possibility to win is gone they would then leave the games.

Dealing With Downswings in Poker

Dealing with a downswing is much easier to do in theory than it is in practice. In a perfect world every player would remind themselves that it will all even out on the end and that they will be rewarded for their efforts in due time. Of course this is not how it works. It is only natural to get angry when a big hand gets cracked.

So how do you deal with this anger and frustration? One option is to take a few days off and re-collect your thoughts. You will be able to come back with a clear mindset and will likely play better as a result. If you don’t decide to take a break you could always reduce the amount of tables you are playing or move down in limits. Both will help take your mind off the downswing. If it continues you will be losing less, and more importantly the reduced tables and/or limits will provide you with a bit of an added edge. This edge can then help you play profitably which will in turn help you regain some of your lost confidence. Another way to deal with a downswing is to review your hands in-depth after you complete a session. Maybe there are some leaks in your game that have gone unnoticed because you were too frustrated with how the past few days had been going. Often times downswings are self-inflicted. Once the pattern of losing starts it begins to feel natural, it is up to you to reverse it.