Close to impossible :(

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LemOn[5thF] Czech Republic. Oct 21 2009 17:21. Posts 15163

Yeah it happened again... hypertilt.

I find it really hard not to spew massively at least once in 10 days since I started working. Its like my energy bank is being drained until its really thin and the ice always starts to break and I experience burnout.
Its really easy to spew when your brain stamina is drained 40 + hours per week at your job. I am a spewmonkey at heart, but when I am alert I only use that to my advantage.

Take last Saturday when I was rested - I went on a 5BI downswing, fish were stacking me all over the place, it was pathetic. But I didn't spew once that day and finished 8BI richer.

The same case was on Sunday. I was card dead, and again was pwned. I finished the day break even after 5k hands. But I feeling great sense of accomplishment after going through my larger pots and I couldn't find one fundamental mistake.
I also never got angry whatsoever because of suckouts or one of the 3 KK v AAs.
The only thing that could make me angry was my bad play when I made an automated decision which swould be different should I think about the hand longer.

Same situation today, I encountered some minor troubles (losing 100% of flips).
Correct Adjustment to this is: Nothing. Blank. You don't change your game. Just like I managed at the weekend - at one point I was down 5BI and I felt really great about my game as I knew I played everything close to perfect with information at hand.

But today, 3 days of 24 hours of my job, one exhausting soccer session, 1HR of cardio and one heavy argument with my GF later, I crumbled.
I no longer had the brain stamina to think about what I am doing, and suddenly I was turning my head at every flip I lost. I even punched the desk a couple times when 70vp fish flipped over AA after shove.
Needless to say I also threw out about 2-3 stacks completely, and made some hyper obvious -EV decisions.
Although it was not a hypertilt of a magnitude 2-3 months ago (Yes I am showing improvement), but it was a hypertilt nonetheless.

I don't think there is much more on the poker side that I can do about this. My goal will be to avoid these burnouts completely and find a better life balance.
I am really fat for my standards (I used to to play a game called floorball/unihoc/innebandy for 10 years at the highest level there could be in a pure amateur sport, and I kept gaining weight ever since I stopped)
My sleeping patterns are not good (I don't have a fixed time when I go to sleep really. something between 10PM-2AM)
And I don't relax properly, any suggestions on a proper relaxing activities would be appreciated.

Barry G says that playing Poker successfully and having a busy full-time job is close to impossible, but I will never stop until I can prove him wrong.

P.S.Note: This blog is NOT A RANT ABOUT VARIANCE. Variance is the one biggest reason that we all here can make good money out of poker and anyone ranting about it is an oblivious fish.

0 votes

93% Sure!

Last edit: 21/10/2009 17:22

terrybunny19240 United States. Oct 21 2009 17:26. Posts 13829

You don't understand why people complain about variance, it isn't about its existence its just a natural emotional response to bad things happen and people deal with it in different ways lol

anyway the whole brain-time being limited is why I put school on hold for now, yep

LemOn[5thF] Czech Republic. Oct 21 2009 17:34. Posts 15163

I do understand it, that doesn't mean it is not a sign of Fish.
By ranting about variance you make your brain focus on something you can't change which in return takes focus out of the aspects of Poker that you can.

I believe that the ability to scumble emotional responses to negative side of variance is one of the corner stones of becoming a great poker player.

93% Sure!

Last edit: 21/10/2009 17:35

morph1 Sierra Leone. Oct 21 2009 17:56. Posts 2352

On October 21 2009 16:21 LemOn[5thF] wrote:
P.S.Note: This blog is NOT A RANT ABOUT VARIANCE. Variance is the one biggest reason that we all here can make good money out of poker and anyone ranting about it is an oblivious fish.

rofl.. even top players rant about variance wtf
see u when u go on downswing for 2-3 months

Always Look On The Bright Side of Life

ytricky Germany. Oct 21 2009 18:30. Posts 600

The best counter to tilt is. Anticipate, anticipate, anticipate!! Example: You have aces vs a fish you bet the turn and there is a fd on the board. You say to yourself in your minds if the flush hits im going to check/fold or bet/fold, whatever is apropriate vs this particular player. That way you getting sucked out on is gonna hit you less in an emotional way, and you are less likely to make a bad impulsive play, which is gonna have an even stronger impact on your psyche because you are gonna be mad at yourself.

Into Infinity United States. Oct 21 2009 19:31. Posts 1884

On October 21 2009 16:21 LemOn[5thF] wrote:
P.S.Note: This blog is NOT A RANT ABOUT VARIANCE. Variance is the one biggest reason that we all here can make good money out of poker and anyone ranting about it is an oblivious fish.

so when you go on a 20++BI downswing i won't have to read about it, right?

please.

if this blog post wasn't a rant about variance then you wouldn't have posted your ev graph.

Last edit: 21/10/2009 19:32