Thoughts on my recent cash play (pseudo blog post)

Not sure why I am posting this. Probably to organize my thoughts mostly since I don't have a blog. Here goes.

I have been 24 tabling 1/2 for awhile. Yes 24 tables. Sounds really hard, but you just get used to it to the point where anything less seems like torture (live poker was yawnnnn) I cascade the tables... tiling drives me crazy anytime I try to do any more than 9 tables.

I have done pretty well lifetime, but I feel like my play has suffered lately. I don't feel like I am playing particularly well for a number of reasons and it has showed as I am barely a winning player ($50/hr) over the last 50k hands (after winning about $200-$250/hr on average for the last 6 months). Obviously $50/hr is not that bad, but fairly disappointing by comparison.

Here are a couple ideas of why I could be doing poorly:
1) Money doesn't mean as much to me as it used to --> making erratic plays
2) Boredom. Has lost a lot of the fun factor. Find myself gambling more and raising more hands PF, perhaps to try and compensate for the "grind" feeling.
3) Too much emphasis on PF stats... was proud of being a top player while playing 20/16 (extremely LAG for full ring) and I try too hard to maintain these stats by raising too many hands in EP (suited connectors, any pair, etc.) when these hands are probably -EV to play up there.
4) Regulars have caught onto my style and I haven't adjusted. I think this is a big one with how prevalent the everyday regulars are at 1/2. I am getting re-raised much more often preflop and my continuation bets are getting "floated" (called with speculative hands or air) a decent percentage of the time.
5) Trying too hard to win every pot I am in rather than maximizing the $ I make. Seems common sense, but my competitive edge gets the best of me sometimes.
6) Other players are getting better while I am standing still. The games continue to get harder everyday, and while I think I have improved, I think playing so many tables (the "robot" factor) has really stunted my growth as a poker player. The limited time for decisions usually just leads me to go with my first instinct and I usually do not have time to see the results of the hand much less to process them and update my reads or analyze if I could play a hand better.

it looks like you have taken the first step and thats to find the problem...


Just from reading that it sounds like you need to take a little break or vacation...

I cant possibly imagine getting bored while 24 tabling but it seems like you have and being bored does not lead to playing good poker...

Id either take a week or month long break...

or try mixing it up and playing some tournys...or some different games...

throw some razz or stud tables up there to change the pace...

and I also find that if I am in that gamblin mood like it seems you have been then its time to hit the omaha tables...

just take some time away and refocus and yer A game will show back up

$50 an hour = $100,000 a year.

Considering I am making about $10 per day I would say mine is a hobby and yours could still be a job. (Although I typcially only play about 40min per day.)

I feel like I agree with almost everything you said except #3. I don't care about my stats when trying to always make the best play. In my eyes limping small PP in EP is still the best EV play even if it widens my gap.

I feel refreshed having moved up to 12 tables, and also having started a new site. I am playing ridiculously loose aggressive on Cake now and absolutely destroying it. (Maybe 24/18, no PT allowed there so cant tell) Me and my roommate have turned $1000 into $3700 after about only 80,000 hands and in my opinion, running below average to poorly. The players there are not much short of comical. (Bluffing when you are commited and they have no draw, calling stacks with TPTK, folding to cbets 80%+, folding to 1/10 pot river bets, calling 5x pot overbets etc.) Cake would not be very viable for you because they dont even spread even close to 24 200nl tables.

However, I would recommend a break, if you can't enjoy the game at all, you need to take a break. Although it is hypocritical advice from me because I hit that point a long time ago but I am just too invested and locked in on my goals for next summer. And I cant achieve winrates anything near yours.

Just my .02 take it for what its worth.

great post, chris. i've definitely felt most of those... except that i stopped using poker tracker years ago when my pc crashed, so stats really mean nothing to me.

that was another thing that worried me; whether i would get to the point that live play would become boring to me. but, as dave said, $50/hr is nothing to sneeze at.

wish you the best with whatever you choose!

thanks for the feedback and support guys

I am going to take the next 2 weeks or so off from cash games to refocus and reevaluate my game. I'll post an update down the road.

Your obviously a great player making that money and I think taking a break is the best idea. But even though not as hot as you where you are still winning. Maybee you should cut your tables and make the jump to the next level. Playing at higher stakes should fuel your exitement and you will avoid most the players who have caught onto the way you play. I dont know how much better the players will be at that level as I only play .25/.50. Im having similar problems to you as I used to easily beat sngs but in last few months have barely made a profit. My answer was to start playing cash games, Im not winning as much as I used to but at least Im winning again. Ps if I start playing more than 1 table I get a headache lol.

good feedback, thanks

Well Chris...

after yer big win I think a vacation is well deserved...Hell you even made enough to take me along...

so where we goin?

What was your hourly rate on Sunday? ;)