Psychology of a heater.

[d0zer]

Heaters have a way of making me feel invincible, just like coolers have a way of making me feel hopeless. The former turns me into a laggy spewtard, and the latter turns me into a NIT.

I'm posting this because I'm currently on a heater, and I'm pretty sure it's impacting my play a bit, making me feel invincible.

Here's an example:

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
9 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ctcdad ($306.95)
UTG+1 ChkRazed ($299.60)
MP1 ArtieRufio31 ($232.00)
MP2 CoachTooz ($200.00)
MP3 Hero ($203.00)
CO 024KOBE ($97.00)
BTN Schneida ($505.30)
SB ImCheckin ($86.60)
BB piper3450 ($82.75)

Pre-flop: ($3, 9 players) Hero is MP3
4 folds, Hero raises to $8, 024KOBE calls $8, 3 folds

Flop: ($19, 2 players)
Hero bets $12, 024KOBE calls $12

Turn: ($43, 2 players)
Hero checks, 024KOBE bets $25, Hero raises to $164, 024KOBE calls $52

River: (more proof I'm on a heater) ($284, 2 players)

Final Pot: $197
024KOBE shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $281 ( won +$97 )
024KOBE lost -$97.00



When I re-think this hand, in the moment I seriously overestimated my FE. He was a looser, somewhat stationey shorty, who in retrospect was repping an ace or better that he probably wasn't gunna lay down given the pot size relative to my turn push. I've been winning more than my share of semi-bluff pushes lately, so my feeling of invincibility led me to just say "mmMmm...I think I should fold but fuck it, let's push my turn draw".

I don't think this hand was OMGWTF bad, but still a bit -EV given the villain & his actions.

A reminder to me (and everyone else who hasn't yet achieved jedi-like control over the psychological aspects of poker) to keep reminding yourself what your "A" game is, and when thoughts like "oh fuck it, PUSH" come into yer head...for the love of god try to think.

What kind of villain is this, what range are his preflop/postflop actions suggesting, realistically thinking about FE & EV, instead of using heater/cooler induced wishful/hopeless thinking.

[sweetlemon69]

my hero!!

[BankItDrew]

The trick for me is recognizing when I'm on a heater and when I'm on a cooler. When I'm on a heater like this, try to be results oriented. Then, try the opposite when you are on a cooler. jk, don't do this.

I think this is just a classic example of tilt when you feel good about yourself. It's not as destructive as when on a cooler tilt, but it still takes you away from your 'A' game. IMO, it's impossible to master 100%.

[badgers]

I think the key to playing poker for a living (other than being profitable), is having little or no emotion whatsoever. That's all.

[sweetlemon69]

I think as my hero you have a responsibility to entertain. I vote for keep spewing and hope for the best.

[BankItDrew]

lol

[d0zer]

I think as my hero you have a responsibility to entertain. I vote for keep spewing and hope for the best.

*drinks another beer*

*checks preflop stats for last 3k hands*

hmmm...19/15.5. So far so good

[Fnord]

Lately my opponents have just been giving me their money...

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
PokerStars
4 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero ($212.30)
BTN ($340.95)
SB ($201.70)
BB ($93.70)

Pre-flop: ($3, 4 players) Hero is CO
Hero raises to $6, BTN raises to $12, 1 fold, BB calls $10, Hero calls $6

Flop: ($37, 3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, BTN bets $8, BB calls $8, Hero raises to $30, BTN calls $22, BB folds

Turn: ($105, 2 players)
Hero bets $75, BTN calls $75

River: ($255, 2 players)
Hero goes all-in $95.30, BTN calls $95.30

Final Pot: $445.60
Hero shows:
BTN shows:

Hero wins $443.60 ( won +$231.30 )
BB lost -$20.00
BTN lost -$212.30

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
PokerStars
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($196.60)
UTG+1 ($177.55)
CO ($78.25)
BTN ($154.60)
SB ($105.95)
Hero ($194.95)

Pre-flop: ($3, 6 players) Hero is BB
3 folds, BTN raises to $4, 1 fold, Hero calls $2

Flop: ($9, 2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $4, Hero raises to $16, BTN calls $12

Turn: ($41, 2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $10, Hero calls $10

River: ($61, 2 players)
Hero bets $50, 1 fold

Final Pot: $61

Hero wins $108.05 ( won +$28.05 )
BTN lost -$30.00

[badgers]

I'vejust had a thought and there's no such thing as being on a heater or cooler. They only affect your past sessions and if you come to the table with either mentality your play will be affected.

[d0zer]

I'vejust had a thought and there's no such thing as being on a heater or cooler.

A heater and a cooler are just terms we give to negative and positive variance. More terms we use to describe how good we've been at flopping sets lately vs loose players who also flop TPGK+, and not losing tons of money in between, AA>KK, etc...

To think that a heater and cooler will influence any individual hand is silly. Reminds me of one of the classic gambler's fallacies of something being 'due'. Oh...this slot machine hasn't given me a cherry in a while so a cherrys 'due' to hit. A 3 hasn't been used in a few lottery #s for a while so it's 'due' to be used.

a cherry/3 is no more likely to come up than they ever have, just having a downswing of -EV is no more likely to flop you set over set etc (in either direction). Random distribution and such.

But we perceive these variance patterns, and they have a way of affecting the psychology, and influencing the actions of the weak minded. The weak minded like myself

[badgers]

Yes but my point is you can't go into a session thinking I am on a heater. It is always in the past.

"I ran well yesterday" makes more sense than "I am on a heater at the moment."

[d0zer]

Yes but my point is you can't go into a session thinking I am on a heater. It is always in the past.

"I ran well yesterday" makes more sense than "I am on a heater at the moment."

Oh absolutely. I try to remind myself at the beginning of each session (or hand) that I'm a winning player, and regardless of what's happened before -- I'm more likely to make money this session than I am to lose it, while fully accepting the possibility that this winning player could lose 3+ BIs.

I'm finding poker to be a great exercise in mental discipline. To detach oneself emotionally from results, and to stay in a calm, rational headspace seems contrary to our inclination to stop touching a hot stove when it burns us over and over again...

[Monty3038]

Yes but my point is you can't go into a session thinking I am on a heater. It is always in the past.

"I ran well yesterday" makes more sense than "I am on a heater at the moment."

Could Heater and Cooler refer less to the variance you are on and more to the mindset you have obtained recently?

Meaning, when you feel hot you play hot and when you feel 'cold' you play like crap?

[badgers]

Yes but my point is you can't go into a session thinking I am on a heater. It is always in the past.

"I ran well yesterday" makes more sense than "I am on a heater at the moment."

Could Heater and Cooler refer less to the variance you are on and more to the mindset you have obtained recently?

Meaning, when you feel hot you play hot and when you feel 'cold' you play like crap?

I hope not.

I want to play well all the time.

[Monty3038]

Ok, I admit, I want to play well all the time too...

But I've been reading on the 'Zen' golf concept... here I thought it was 'no mind' that I was searching for, where a lack of influence from outside, from the past, etc. affects you, but it appears I've been approaching it wrong, according to what I've been reading you are actually looking for a total awareness of the past, present and influences from the environment... "hey, look at that, he raised again" and being totally 'in' the moment... so the heater would affect you somewhat, though advancing the theory you have to be able to let those influences pass, and not matter, quickly in poker, less quickly in golf... but basically it is the same idea... that you absorb the influence and let it pass, so its effect is minimal...

man what a bunch of drivel...

Just play your best, ignore what happened.

[sweetlemon69]

Yes but my point is you can't go into a session thinking I am on a heater. It is always in the past.

"I ran well yesterday" makes more sense than "I am on a heater at the moment."

Oh absolutely. I try to remind myself at the beginning of each session (or hand) that I'm a winning player, and regardless of what's happened before -- I'm more likely to make money this session than I am to lose it, while fully accepting the possibility that this winning player could lose 3+ BIs.

I'm finding poker to be a great exercise in mental discipline. To detach oneself emotionally from results, and to stay in a calm, rational headspace seems contrary to our inclination to stop touching a hot stove when it burns us over and over again...

So I guess the hand you posted above was you merely balancing out your stats at the table?

[d0zer]

So I guess the hand you posted above was you merely balancing out your stats at the table?

That was simply a product of this labrat getting a dose of opiates every time he mindlessly pressed the 'semi-bluff' lever.

[BankItDrew]

Lately my opponents have just been giving me their money...

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
PokerStars
4 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero ($212.30)
BTN ($340.95)
SB ($201.70)
BB ($93.70)

Pre-flop: ($3, 4 players) Hero is CO
Hero raises to $6, BTN raises to $12,

wow
min raise with kk

opp are brutal vs ftr

[bjsaust]

Buttons are easier than sliders for some people.

I'm sure thats it...

[Seabass]

In my experience, behind every heater there is a cooler waiting to smack you in the face.

[MehFU]

as already said heater and coolers are illusions.
u can mention that ur getting annoyed by getting cold decked when actually ur playing pretty solid live or likewise when ur playing pretty wild and say ur on a big heater and start wooping if ur mid stacked...for table image manipulation.


rather the same as the illusion that the odds change when the money goes in preflop and the turn card spikes ur ace people think that because the cards are laid out in a specific method it makes any difference what so ever how much ur likely to win from then on...
all in preflop u should just peel all 5 cards, lay 3 facedown, burn one, 1 face down, burn, 1 face down and then lay em out and flip em over and work out who has the best hand at the end, the results are not going to change because the next card to come is the turn card and its a "single card".

some idiot said to me today when we got it in AK vs QQ in a tournament as he left the table he said "nice catch". this is a falacy. as i spiked the ace on the turn.
the wording "catch" implied that it was improbable to "catch" that card on the turn because 3 cards had been laid out before that werent an ace or a king. this is untrue. i was 50% (ish) to win when the money went in from then on its just fate.

[SpenSamp]

I agree with everyone else!