09 Sep 2024 mindset mental game moving up stakes studying Few things feel worse in poker than playing well, analyzing your big pots, making the right moves, and still running poorly. You play well, put your money in with an edge, but simply get unlucky time and time again. Constantly losing these big hands where you're putting your money in with solid edges can be frustrating. It feels terrible at the end of the day, but knowing how to push through and handle these situations is crucial. In this article we'll discuss exactly what to do when you're playing well but still facing losses. Here’s the real-life situation, to which almost every poker player can relate: «So essentially, I'm playing well, but just getting objectively unlucky. I’m fully aware of my bad luck, but what I’m struggling with is the negative mindset that comes from losing so consistently despite making the right plays». Hopefully, by now, you’re out of that unlucky stretch, but let’s dive into the question anyway. Mental Game: The Key to Overcoming Downswings To start, know that you're not alone here. Anyone who’s put in a decent volume of hands has faced this exact situation. It’s easy to sit down, review your sessions, look at those big pots, and see them all going against you - putting your money in good, but still losing. You start thinking, If I could just take away that one loss, and that one, and oh, those too, then my win rate would look solid and healthy again. Every seasoned poker player has been through this, and the reality is, if you keep playing, you're going to face it again. Now, I don’t want to just leave you with the advice of, “Sorry, bad things happen sometimes” - instead, here are some definite steps to keep in mind if you’re currently experiencing this kind of downswing or if it happens in the future. First, be cautious about assuming that you’re playing perfectly or even exceptionally well. Maybe you are putting your money in with solid edges in those bigger pots that you’re unfortunately losing. Sure, that happens. But remember, there are plenty of smaller pots in between those big ones, and all of those add up over time - whether you're playing online or live poker. So don’t make the assumption that just because you're losing big pots, you’re automatically playing well in all the other spots. Also, don't forget that some of your biggest wins might not have been the result of great decisions either. Sometimes, we put our money in thinking we’re ahead when we’re actually behind, and we get lucky. It’s easy to overlook those moments, especially when you're feeling down after losing a few big pots to bad beats. More specifically, when you're hyper-focused on those big losing pots, it's common to zoom in on the moment when the money went in. That becomes the focal point of your frustration. And you're sitting there thinking, "Hey, I got my money in with a huge edge, and I got sucked out. This sucks." However, I strongly recommend going back through that hand very carefully. A lot of players overlook the earlier stages of the hand, focusing only on the point where all the money went in. Maybe your pre-flop decision wasn’t optimal, or your continuation bet wasn’t well-timed. You might have gotten too hung up on the commitment point where you put your money in but missed the fact that your earlier decisions weren’t great. It’s even possible that you shouldn't have been in the hand in the first place. Now, I’m not saying this is always the case, but many players forget to analyze the lead-up to a cooler or a suck-out and fail to consider that they might have avoided the situation entirely with better decision-making earlier on. Avoiding The "Cursed Mindset" and Staying Focused The second thing to watch out for is developing the mindset that you’re somehow "cursed." This can create a dangerous downward spiral very quickly. If you start believing that you’re doomed to lose, you might stop thinking critically about your hands. Instead of staying sharp and evaluating each decision, you begin to think, "What's the point?", and that leads to even more mistakes and poor results. You start telling yourself, "I'm just going to lose anyway," and that mindset can be incredibly destructive. As soon as you stop thinking deeply about your strategy and the hands you're playing, the mistakes will pile up. This creates a negative feedback loop - a downward spiral where you’re already convinced you’re going to lose, and you do. It’s like you’re setting yourself up for failure. This mentality can even spiral further into a kind of morbid fascination where you’re constantly thinking, "How am I going to lose this pot this time?" It’s extremely negative and prevents you from thinking creatively or strategically about how you can actually win. Yes, losing happens, and sometimes it happens in bunches, which sucks, but if your focus is always on the losses, you’re setting yourself up for more of them. When that negative mindset takes over, you start making mental mistakes, which lead to strategic mistakes. Then, those strategic mistakes reinforce your negative mindset, creating a cycle of poor play and frustration. Before you know it, everything is unraveling faster than you thought possible. Understanding Tilt and Its Impact on Your Game Finally, number three is understanding that players tilt for predictable reasons, and tilt leads to predictable problems. That's why it's helpful to watch videos or study content like Dr. Tricia Cardner's work on handling poker tilt. Understanding how these common pitfalls and mistakes manifest is key to improving both your mental and strategic game. A great way to begin is by journaling - focusing on two major areas: Mental triggers: Identify and document what puts you on tilt, whether it’s a bad beat, a tough session, or external stress. As you work through this, you'll realize that many of these triggers are completely illogical, and just by recognizing them, you can start to reduce their impact; Strategic impact: The second area is recognizing how tilt affects your game. Many players know when they’re tilting but fail to see how it’s impacting their decisions. Journaling will help you identify where tilt is creeping into your strategy, affecting your choices at the table, and hurting your results. By keeping track of both, you’ll start to develop an awareness of your triggers and how they affect you. This will allow you to focus on preventing or managing these issues, both in real-time and between sessions. Over time, you’ll strengthen your mental game, and as you improve your ability to handle tilt, your strategic game will benefit as well. While it would be ideal to never tilt, we’re human, and emotions are a part of life. The goal isn’t to eliminate them entirely but to improve your response so they have less impact on your decision-making process. Strengthening your mental game helps ensure that your strategic decisions remain unaffected, which is crucial for long-term success. Physical Solutions to Mental Game Problems Finally, it’s worth noting that some mental game issues might have physical solutions. Factors like sleep, diet, and exercise can have a big impact on how well you handle stress and pressure at the poker table. If areas like sleep, diet, or exercise are lacking, don't be surprised if your mental game suffers too. Improving these aspects might be simple but highly impactful. By keeping a solid physical and mental foundation, you'll prevent your negative mindset from bleeding into your strategic decisions, which can harm your win rate. There’s no magic solution to snap out of a downswing when you're playing well but running poorly. It happens to all players, and it will happen again. The key is to focus on improving your mental resilience to avoid letting it affect your gameplay. Over time, edges get smaller, and maintaining a strong mental game ensures you aren't leaking strategic value and turning yourself into a fish in spots where it’s avoidable. I hope this advice helps you navigate through tough times. If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to drop a comment below. A like on the article would be appreciated if you found it helpful. I'll be back soon with another one - good luck, and happy grinding!