Tilt Monkey to Monkey Spanker

Probably one of the most disturbing things for any winning poker player is to find yourself staring at a black hole that was once your positive bankroll balance For many reasons this can happen for good solid players, variance is the main reason and can hit at any time.

For full time players reliant on a monthly income this is most disturbing especially when the hole is getting bigger and you may be looking at a negative month and receiving no income.

From a personal point of view I was there a few months ago staring at a 12k hole.

Having a limit of $1000 a day it doesn't take too much to get into this situation and based on the games available to play.

A period of running bad, minor cashes when big money was on offer and blasting away due to the pressure of having to win just to get even will make the situation worse and I would suggest a different strategy based on my last 2 months play.

I actually started to think am I good at this game or did I just run good for a few years?????

The pressure of needing to win, not just for the money, but also the image of being a winning player can be great and seems greater when you are losing and be difficult to take.

I had to give myself a bloody good kick up the arse, as I am a good player, I am a winning player and I'm going to do it.

I usually start each session believing I will win an MTT and still do you have to start each session with a clear mind.

In order to play your best you must do this and also block out previous bad luck as well as personal issues than can affect your decision making.

Pressure can make you push to try winning faster which never works and builds a bigger hole.

As a person with a history of massive tilt issues I learned the hard way that what happens in a hand can mess your head to the point you lose in a massive way, anyone wishing to know the shocking details feel free to ask me over a beer.

Bankroll management is one of the key points to a building a profitable month but also limiting bad months.

I firstly highlight what my winning and losing sites were and concentrate playing on the ones where I was most successful.

I looked at what games and levels I could comfortably beat consistently and without risking my full bankroll each day win back the loss.

The first thing I set myself was a self imposed lower daily limit to put in play no more than half my bankroll a day total but to give myself the opportunity of winning a decent amount during that session.

I played the smallest games with good value and there are plenty available to build your confidence and also still win a nice amount.

Several small Omaha wins were followed by winning the 30k for $6600 then last month second in the 50k $100 freeze-out for $7,500 (qualified for this for $20)

2nd in the 5k €125 on micro from my BRS freeroll ticket several more wins at a lower level so over 2 months turned $12,000 hole into $6000 in the positive.

Jon Huckle

Mon, 24th May 2010