I mostly play shorthanded these days. Playing shorthanded there are two ways your game can fall to peaces. You can get over aggressive (tilt) or you can start to play weak passive. While I almost never tilt these days, I do get weak passive at times after getting slapped over my fingers a couple of times in a row.
How do you manage to maintain a tight aggressive style when the deck is absolutely ice cold for the day? All of a sudden I find it really hard to represent a hand by betting, as they stop fearing me, as I don’t show down any winners (only whiners ). How do you deal with that? It feels like nobody respect the raise from a loser, and that limits my options considerably. So what strategy adjustments should I make when running cold, to counteract my tendency to start playing scared?
Online, I think you should switch tables when you aren't faring too well on one table. There's got to be a better table to play on. Like you said, once you get beaten a few times in a row you become a target to the other players. I find absolutely no sense in playing with opponents inspired to outplay me when I am a few seconds away from a new table with opponents who don't see me as an easy target. When it gets to that point, you can only win by catching cards. Adding the natural passive-reactive mode you can fall into after a few beats, your EV drops into the negative. Mine does when I get into this spot. I've learned to get up and walk around and take a few minutes to clear my head and get ready to fight again somewhere else on my terms.
When the cards are running cold, there is not too much you can do but wait it out. As for full table play, patience is the key. I believe you must adapt your style to the way cards are falling. If they are running cold, I find I spend most of my day folding pre-flop. It doesn't make any sense to try and get agressive when the probability of the flop or turn heading south on you is so high. Now, by cold decked, I mean not many playable hands pre-flop and you can forget hitting any draws you go after. I spent the first 3 months of this year cold decked and it sucks. Playing out of position just ends up costing you money, being over agressive costs you money, going after draws without proper odds costs you money, etc. It is just really not a good situation to be in.
So, I guess my advice is to try and not beat cold decks. Continueing to be agressive will only hurt you unless you know the players well and pick the right hands to bluff with. And then, you can't do it too much because people will catch on and start to call you down. Once they see some crap at showdown, be prepared for them to call you down everytime.
Remember the difference between yourself and a fish is winning more money with good hands and losing less with bad hands. There are some days when I walk away down $1K and think to myself I did well considering the cards.
I second the change tables strategy, if that is possible. If the cards are cold, you are playing shorthanded, and still trying to play TA with a LA table reputation that is a recipe for disaster.
When I get cold, I go play stud for a while...usually, when this happens you are losing for reasons that you don't know, and you aren't focused on the game at hand...I like to get a fresh perspective and play a different game for an hour or two...
As it happens I have always used switching game types for these situations. shorthanded holde, full ring holdem, tourney holdem, stud hilo and PL omaha. Usually there's at least one of these where I'm running good. Just not right this week.
Switching tables have also worked with me before.
So I know that your recommendations are right on. But somehow my ability to see straight is the first thing that goes when I start to run bad. So thanks setting my mind straight again.
I guess what I need now is to move down a bit. Regain my self confidence and get back up there and whip some ass
Some sessions you just don't get many starting hands and you get no help from the board, and those are the frustrating sessions of poker that we all endure I'm sure.
If you change your play to weak passive that is a kind of tilt stemming from the frustration of getting nothing.
Sometimes these sessions lead me to limp in with hands that maybe I shouldn't have or going too far, because I am a little on tilt.
Here is what i somtimes do and it may not be the most sound strategy:
When I get rediculously bad cards for a while, I tighten my starting hand requirements. I then only play hands that I will raise with based on the game and my position, I stop limping. For a while I only raise. (Folding and raising a lot is not a bad way to play anyway) I know, blinds, but you will get blinded off slower than you will chasing hands. It becomes hard to throw away hands you would limp with, but it forces you to stay tight.
If you go like this a while and win a pot or two, you have a different image than the player you really are, so when you get past the funk and go back to your normal style who knows.
