Controlling swings. I need help please

[theLC25]

Hi, I am new to FTR forum and was wondering if all you poker addicts can help me. I usually play $5 SNGs. I started my roll with $50 deposit and have worked it up to as much as $275. I get a down swing back down to $180 and it takes forever to get back up to where i was. So I feel that I am basically going nowhere. My bankroll is not building at all, just staying between $150-$250. And I see Nakamuras post and his graph going straight up and wonder how I can do that. I dunno what i am doing wrong. Heres my stats from sharkscope

Games: 3,531
Avg Profit: $0
Avg Stake: $9
Avg ROI: 0%
Total Profit: -$424

Can anybody help me get into positive ROI? Or advice on preventing huge downswings?

[drmcboy]

I'm not sure how your roll is 150 - 250 with negative profit?

At a guess you're probably moving up too fast.


Past that you're really asking how to be good at poker, it's a long answer. Start in the BC (don't miss the bankroll post)and the stickies here, and read HOH

[theLC25]

well ya, im -400, redeposited with 50 and now up to 200, ive lost money when i first started and now i think i am an average player. I do know bankroll management. I stay at the $5 levels until my bankroll gets to maybe $275-300 but i just cannot reach that level due to bigger losing strings than winning strings. I can win maybe 4, 5, 6 SNGs in a row and then hit a swing where i dont cash 8 in a row.

[drmcboy]

cool. like i said, read the BR sticky first. If you can consistently re load I would still recommend following a 20+ BI strategy and then put your re loads in when you have them to increase the roll. The sooner you learn good roll habits the better. Going broke is not a good habit but it will happen on a short roll.

[Nakamura]

Hi, I am new to FTR forum and was wondering if all you poker addicts can help me. I usually play $5 SNGs. I started my roll with $50 deposit and have worked it up to as much as $275. I get a down swing back down to $180 and it takes forever to get back up to where i was. So I feel that I am basically going nowhere. My bankroll is not building at all, just staying between $150-$250. And I see Nakamuras post and his graph going straight up and wonder how I can do that. I dunno what i am doing wrong. Heres my stats from sharkscope

Games: 3,531
Avg Profit: $0
Avg Stake: $9
Avg ROI: 0%
Total Profit: -$424

Can anybody help me get into positive ROI? Or advice on preventing huge downswings?

Well here's my graph since I last posted. It ain't so pretty now ... in fact I've gone sideways for the last 200 games.



In the past I used simple rules. I never played when I was tired, angry or drunk. When I suffered a series of bad beats I simply stopped playing. I used to have a terrible temper when suffering bad beats, but now I realise it's simply going to happen and I'm happy I got my money in good.

It seems obvious but playing when you are upset/angry is extremely bad. In this regard you need to have a lot of self-discipline. You may want to play poker but you are in no state to make money and will likely drop even more money. Playing when you are angry makes you emotional at the table and emotion has no place at the poker table.

Lastly read lots ... read all the sticky posts in the SnG forum. They are a great free resource. Make sure you can understand and correctly play using ICM (this will be very successful at the $5 tables). Buy poker books, become a student of the game, try understand situations rather than what to do in specific hands. I am sure if you try these ideas we can make you into a successful player!

[theLC25]

Yea I do read A LOT A LOT about strategies and different hands. I am currently reading/trying to understand how to use ICM when it comes bubble time. I have an ICM calculator that was posted here in another thread and I also have Tournament Indicator which has also helped me a lot! I am wondering if using Tournament Indicator is enough though, it gives me my hand EV according to position and stack sizes. Do you guys know how i can incorporate my hand EV from TI with ICM tournament Equity?? Or do I just push with +EV hands when its bubble time? This is the part of my game that I believe really needs work and i dont have money to buy SNGWiz or anything right now. Just using the free ICM calc and Tournament Indicator. Thoughts?

[mieczkowusc]

I would say that if you are hovering around 150-250 dollars then you probably shouldn't be playing the $5 SnGs. I know it seems overkill to go with 100 buyins for a level, but I'll tell you that it makes staying aggressive when you have the best hand really easy. That way it doesn't break your confidence when you drop 5 buy-ins in a row when you got it in good.

Try moving down for a little while and see how it goes. It should help you get back to a healthier BR.

[Nakamura]

I'm not familiar with Tournament Indicator, but I assume the hand EV is calculated using ICM. The program help file should break it down and explain how it arrives at the EV.

I have never owned a copy of SnGWIZ, although I did have the trial for 30 days. I spent about 30mins to an hour each day practising until I got nearly decision right. After a while it become automatic, almost like driving a car. I recommend downloaded the trial version and getting a feel for push-fold situations.

[taipan168]

Hi and welcome to FTR, it's good to have you here.

One piece of advice - if you are really break even over 3,500 games then I would suggest that you have some persistent leaks in your game that need to be plugged. Post some hands/tourneys in this forum and we'll take a look.

[kmind]

Welcome as everyone else has said. I don't really have advice but I admire your eagerness to learn. I think you'll find great advice if you post more here. Good luck.

[Kijjo]

Welcome. No need to repeat everyone else so, um... do what those guys said.

[Sprayed]

Post hands, read books, read posts, get friendly with everyone, ask a ton of questions, get WIZ and run the quizzes over and over, stick to at least a 65 buy-in bank roll rule (with $250 you should not be playing anything more than $3.85), play squeaky tight, preserve chips, don't call so much, when <10bbs don't worry so much until the antes kick-in or if no antes shove wide when around or below 7bbs, you're not playing for first until 3 handed, try to money sngs every time you play them which means you are playing for the top 3 then for first, when you get more moniez purchase subscriptions to training sites.