Originally Posted by
Drawingdead
I’m coming off a losing session, I played terribly. Bad decisions, bad bluffs and calls I was way off my game. my terrible play really got me thinking.
How do you guys deal with playing poorly? Do you just stop playing or push through? I always feel I should stay because I play once or twice a week and I want to get hours in.
Good question. I've been there myself. Here are some things I've done:
1) Change of scenery. Play somewhere different -- a different online site, live instead of online, online instead of live, etc. Sometimes a fresh environment can make it easier to restart yourself and get you out of a bad mindset.
2) Take a break. Completely quit poker for at least a week. Only come back when you're not feeling shaken from the previous session.
3) Drop down limits. Sometimes moving to the next limit down, which tends to feature weaker opponents overall, is just what you need to get your confidence back.
4) Change games. If you play multiple games, switch to another one you're good at. For example, if you've been sucking at PLO, maybe go to NL Holdem for awhile.
Good luck.