Hi my name is Strung and I have a problem....

I don't know what has happened to me in the past week or so but I find myself playing very aggressively and it is costing me. I'm not down a whole bunch but more or less breaking even over the lastweek or so.

I see myself in situations and I play something like I normally do and I get played back at sometimes like everyone. Most of the time I'm a good boy and I fold when I'm pretty sure I'm beat but there have been some hands where I "play back". I'm usually thinking like "screw you, you don't have anything" I push and I lose lol. All of these hands where I've pushed like this I've lost.

As an example today I was in SB with AK. UTG min raised, folded around and I re-raised. Flop came A J 4. I checked, he bet, I raised, he called. Turn came blank. I bet 3/4 pot, he raised me big, I push. He flips over AJ. Normally on this big raise by him I would probably fold but for some reason I didn't even think and I pushed.

I'm not sure if it's the fact that I feel like I'm breaking even "forever" and it's bugging me or what but I have to stop this. Suggestions or similar experiences?

Just think about the possibilities that he might have.

Poker players tend to have one of two problems:
1) They're too passive. They become calling stations that are always afraid of things and lose value forever.
2) They're too aggressive, seeking out anything and everything to attack. They get trapped and will not believe their instincts when it is clear that they are behind.

You're #2. I'd suggest trying to think about what your opponent may have and assign probabilities to each hand that you think he might have. Then, do a simple Expected Value calculation in your head and take it from there.

Sometimes it's good to get caught up in the heat of the battle, but for us aggressive players (I'm a #2 type as well), we have to pick our battles wisely.

Settle down, take time to make decisions and put people on hands. Drop to fewer tables for a bit if you feel rushed. Don't trap yourself into results-oriented thinking. Make a play you'll feel good about reguardless of the results.

Otherwise don't worry, you're probably just running bad and running into more than your fair share of hands. Be happy to run only break-evenish when this happens.

I'm usually thinking like "screw you, you don't have anything" I push and I lose lol.

If you think he doesn't have anything, don't push! He'll fold to a lot less, and if he does have something you'll lose a lot less.

I'm having a similar problem at the moment. I went through a stage where opponents were spending a lot of money with bad hands, and I made a lot of money out it. Now I've got a bad habit of thinking people are overvalueing hands a lot, and it's costing me money.

Sometimes, even though I know I should be folding, I'm not, and that's the worst thing - thinking it's the worst decision but doing it anyway.

It's probably just a case of getting some strong self-discipline happening for a while until the bad habits are no longer habit.

If you can't occasionally fold a winner you will never be a winning poker player

Originally Posted by crushednuts

If you can't occasionally fold a winner you will never be a winning poker player

Weak tight. J/K

Originally Posted by crushednuts

If you can't occasionally fold a winner you will never be a winning poker player

I'm running at 12.6 BB/100 at 100NL over 15K hands right now, I'm quite sure I'm a "winning player". I'm just trying to reslove this hype aggressive play I'm having right now.

Part of it may be your subconscious devaluation of money. When I first move up to new stakes I tend to play well because I respect money more. When I get too comfortable at a level, I tend to call and make larger bets and play back more often to test whether people are just trying to make a move on me. I nice downswing usually puts things back into perspective. But, just recogniszing that you are doing so is probably going to help you address the situation.

Originally Posted by r8ed

Part of it may be your subconscious devaluation of money. When I first move up to new stakes I tend to play well because I respect money more. When I get too comfortable at a level, I tend to call and make larger bets and play back more often to test whether people are just trying to make a move on me. I nice downswing usually puts things back into perspective. But, just recogniszing that you are doing so is probably going to help you address the situation.

This is exactly my problem. Anytime I am not afraid of losing my money I start playing extremely stupid.

Ditto - I used to play almost exclusively at £25NL and found that whenever I played $25 instead I just couldn't take it seriously. Now play a mix of $25, £25 and $50 and seem to be able to cope with all equally. But it took a while and sometimes I still revert to donkishness at $25 (I lost a buyin Sunday, in the middle of a decent weekend's play, when I joined Party in an impatient mood and called every hand).

nice downswing usually puts things back into perspective.

i've never had a nice downswing, downswings make me unconfident.

wow wee sounds alot like reading my blog. same problem here dude its like you push me im gonna push back. I bet you hit that raise button in a real hurry. I wait till it tells me i have 5 seconds to respond. look at the board and try to put him on something if it doesnt feel right to you FOLD!!! there will be another hand dealt after this one is over. I struggle with this everytime i play but am getting better at being more patient and remembering there will alway be another had after this one.

Strung,
Why does everyone gotta be full of shit? Are you looking at bets as money when playing ring? Or are you thinking of bets as a story someone is telling you? If its just some bad beats, or some reads gone wrong.. Its probably just a little downswing.

This post probably hits a nerve with a lot of us. I, too, have had that "screw you ... call this" type of attitude and of course lose a stack every time. Now, if I think they are bluffing, I may call or raise, but I have tried to restrain myself from the push. Most times I still lose (as others have said ... people tend to bet their good hands at 25NL and 50NL) but not as much. Ego is still a problem and a leak I am working hard to correct.

You are not alone.