Getting back into the swing of things....

It's been awhile since my last post, and even longer since I came home a sizeable winner. Granted, I came home up $7 last week, but after losing an average of $30 (3 buy-ins) for the previous 4 weeks, I could use a big night. I'm hoping that sharing my thoughts may help kick-start a good night.

Being on a down-swing causes a player to reflect on previous performances. When I am losing, I can't help but look at myself and try to reason out why the chips aren't coming my way. Many of the questions that circle my head include:

Am I making bad reads?
Have I been playing too loose? Too aggressive? Too tight?
Am I tilting?
Have I just been unlucky?

The difficult part is sorting all these thoughts out because the answer is likely some or all of these observations. I read an interesting article on the 2+2 forums called 'Playing Through A Downswing' the other day that helped put some of this into perspective. Not only did I find this to be an excellent read for a struggling player, there were may key concepts that are good for many beginning/intermediate players. I found the paragraph on Misplaced Aggression very appropriate for my latest situation. I caught myself repeating the phrase "bluff less, value bet more" on the drive over last week.

I'll be back at the table tonight, not feeling like the wounded animal that i have the last few weeks. I've also found that getting my state of mind set before getting to the game also helps me. All too often I end up at the table feeling hungry, stressed about work, or thinking about issues at home. Wednesday night is poker night, and if I'm not there to think about poker, I shouldn't be there at all.