Downswings in Poker

Posted on April 24 2009 Posted Under: poker
4 Commented

By: John Nobluff, Friday, April 24, 2009

Poker is definitely a game of skill and luck but oftentimes, luck dominates the game.  Many poker players (including Online Poker) would end up losing more money than winning.  What defines poker winners from losers is that winners win more money than they would lose.   Many players, who have excellent playing styles, would often experience downswings and it is definitely an inevitable situation that every player must handle well.  Most players would end up hating poker because they have succumbed to the encroaching power of misfortune.  This article will help you how to solve your frequent poker downswing.  Downswings are definitely part of the game so all you have to do is face it and make effective solutions to combat it.

What is a Poker Downswing?

To have a better view of what poker downswing is all about, we need to use two sides of the coins as an example.  If you’re going to flip a coin, there will be two possible outcomes.  The coin can reveal the heads or it can reveal the tails.  Either way, someone will win or someone will lose.  Coin flipping is an independent event with a probability of 60-40 for the purposes of this example.  If you flip the coin for more than 400 times, you’ll realize that more than 200 of them were heads and the rest are tails.  This means that you’ll have a good outcome if you bet on heads.  You’re head runs will be your hot runs while your tail runs will be your downswings.  If you think about it, most winning players would never realize the concept of downswing because they are used to winning.  But it is important to understand that players, such as these, can also experience terrible downswings.  So when you’re experiencing a downswing, you must know what moves to make to combat it so you will not feel devastating failure.

How to Deal with Poker Downswings

Without a doubt, poker is a game of surprises.  In playing poker, you have to look at both sides of the situation.  In case of downswings, a good player must be equipped with the appropriate knowledge on how to deal with poker downswings.  Here are some of the strategies you can use to combat poker downswings:

    • Luck or Skill.  There will be moments when you’ll feel that all your tricks are useless because your opponent keeps on winning while you’re on a losing streak.  If a player is experiencing a downswing, then he must assess his current status in the game. Remember that poker is not played purely on luck.  You need to master the strategies and use it at the right moment.
      • Loose or Aggressive.  You need to bear patience especially when you’re making your next move because a good strategic plan takes time.  But you should also remember that poker is a game that requires alertness so you need to be aggressive at times to convey that you’re ahead of the game.  Plan your every move and execute them accordingly to achieve optimum success in your game!
        • A Poker Bonus can help with downswings, as even when you are in a downswing, you could be clearing your bonus.
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          4 Responses to “Downswings in Poker”

          1. Casino Bonuses Says:
            May 7th, 2009 at Thursday, May 7, 2009

            This is probably the most frustrating thing you will face in poker, whether it be online poker or live poker. It is inevitable that you will hit a losing streak at some stage, there is no way around that.

            The best thing to do is to stay calm and play your usual game, and the bad streak will eventually pass.

          2. Per Von Poker Says:
            May 14th, 2009 at Thursday, May 14, 2009

            I read your blog for a long time and must tell you that your articles always prove to be of a high value and quality for readers.

          3. Poker dude Says:
            June 20th, 2009 at Saturday, June 20, 2009

            I agree on your story, but how do you deal with a downswing of a year?
            So many times I get 2,3,4,5 outered on the river it’s not funny anymore. My style is tight/aggresive and I always know when the money is going in in my favor… still losing AA 3 out of 5 times from the turn to the river seems impossible… but it happens to frequently to me. And it always happens when I have a big stack and the only stack on the table that can kill me decides to play me and I lose the big pot.
            Do you have any advise to stay positive?

          4. nobluff Says:
            June 22nd, 2009 at Monday, June 22, 2009

            Well Poker Dude, look on the bright side, if you survive the “downswing of a year”, then you have accomplished something when a lot of other players fail and give up at this point. Even the very best poker player in the world has major downswings, and you just have to take your medicine.
            You should also remember that when you are in a downswing, a lot of players start to play badly, so this compounds the downswing, so try your best to keep on playing your “A” game.

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