Tell me its just a phase...

[steveinhants]

I have just ended the worst run of bad beats imaginable...or maybe it hasn"t ended....
I"d like to run a hand by you guys then let you rip me - sorry, the hand- apart....
£50 buy in with 1 rebuy or add on. I have played tight (5 pots in 85 mins) due to trash hands....proper trash and layed down AK on a rag board to a raise...
I have re-bought and sit with 4500 chips.  UTG, who I know to be....how to put it nicely....loose, poor, damn lucky and incredibly rude - even to old ladies out for a social game, raises 8xbb (1600) and it comes to me with my JJ. I put him on AQ or a low pair....AQ to him is an absolute monster and pairs...well they should win, shouldn"t they?  Anyway, I sit and think....I"m willing to get it in with my hand - I DO NOT THINK I AM BEHIND.
I re-raise all in to 4500 (half his stack)....he thinks and thinks and thinks and I am now confident I have the best hand...eventually...he puts half his stack in with the announcement of "f**k it"....first card out is a little snowman and I swear he was winking at me....If I"d played loose I could have perhaps understood his call...perhaps.
I"ll play on t"internet now I tell myself.  Oh what a mistake......AA busted in style by the massive 4 2 and Q9....runner, runner, runner, runner for a flush no less...., A6 beaten by 46, AT by QT....and to top it all now, my beaten in pokerstars sunday million by.....J8...after I raise. Oh the joy of poker.
Anyway, on a different note - good look Max in your WSOP bid.  Watch out for J8.....4 2......and all the other online monsters out there!
Steve.

[hi_am_chris]

Ive only been playing bout a year and really had no idea about variance but i sure learnt about it bout a month ago, in 2 nights i had aces cracked 9 times, i couldnt win a race, if i flopped top pair top kicker my opponent hit a set and when i got in a ahead against an underpair or runner runner draw they always seemed to hit. The worst thing is the more you worry about a card hitting the board the more often it seems to hit?

[kinboshi]

Variance is a sod.

Played in a tournament the other night, and nothing would stand up.  Flopped broadway - lost on the river to a house.

Flopped a flush on the BB with  :: - bet hard to force him out, but he called with   , and of course the 4th spade appeared on the board on the river...

Then I went on to cash games, and my luck continued.  Was about to give up for the evening when my 77 flopped a set and I cleaned out a player with AA.  Then I seemed to hit everything.  I"d turned into a poker god - I was unbeatable.  Until my flopped set of nines lost to a rivered straight and I was brought back down to earth.  Somehow up on the day, but understanding again that luck is a fickle friend.

As for bad runs, well March was a nightmare for me.  Had a run of a few weeks where I could do no right.  You lose all your confidence in your game, start doubting your ability, etc.  I laid off the poker for a week as I was going on "macro tilt" and certainly not playing my a-game.  April unfortunately wasn"t much better, but I"m gradually crawling it back.

Sometimes it"s as simple as my game"s off.  Sometimes, it"s other factors affecting my play.  Sometimes it"s just plain old bad luck.

Poker"s a bloody daft game at times.

[HaworthBantam]

When things go awry for me I always remind myself that "luck evens itself out over time".

Bad beats, bad luck, whatever, when it happens you just have to accept it and move on. The worst thing you can do is dwell on these things because that"s when the doubt sets in, or even worse, emotion begins to dictate the way you play.

Stay confident in your game and things WILL turn around.

Anyway, that"ll be £50 for the councelling session please......  

[Zukertort]

My reply to your dilemma may appear a strange one, but please be patient!? Steve i wish-no that"s wrong? Steve i hope you suffer more bad beats, suckouts, bad runs and cold decks even to the point of breaking your bankroll and you considering quitting this game. This game more than any other brings out the self pity and "woe is me" attitude which is a natural human trait when under pressure.
We can all seemingly master the technical side of the game, because we can watch-listen-read and learn, but the psychological aspect is different because to succeed we must change our thinking and automatic defense responses which have developed over our lifetimes and make us who we are.
What is the most effective remedy? More bad beats, suckouts, bad runs and cold decks! If you want to be a winner in the game of life or poker, you need to adapt and develop a winning attitude. Success in anything comes at a price, which needs to be paid and we are all paying that price to be winners in this game we love.
But the best part comes for you Steve when you stand up on that winners rostrum to receive your rewards. Yes, the trophy will look nice on the mantlepiece and i bet the money will sit nice in the bank. But you will never forget the genuine applause and respect shown by your fellow poker players, because we know what price you are paying to be a winner.

See you on the final table!        

[steveinhants]

Fella"s, thanks for your replies.  Zukertort....I like the different view you have and I know how it feels to be on the end of decent wins as well.  Forums are excellent places to sound off and by the time I"d finished typing I felt a lot better.....the Mrs isn"t a poker player and hence doesn"t quite get it....though she is learning!
I know that luck will even itself out over time.  Here"s to next years World Series.
Steve.