This is about as bad of a stretch of stake variance as I've had since playing high limits. Basically all my winrates are reversed from the last few years. It seemed like every time I sat down to play this month, regardless of what stakes I was playing, I was always getting crushed at whatever table was my highest limit. The last few weeks in particular were tough to stomach. It'd been a while, probably a year or so, since I've run that bad. I think I got a little too comfortable after running well for the last half of last year and forgot just how bad you can run at this game.
My win rate isn't too far off of what it normally is so there isn't much cause for concern. That said I don't feel like I've played well at any point this year. I'm really struggling with motivation and as a result have put in about half the volume I normally do. I'm setting myself up for a near impossible grind at the end of this year so it's entirely possible I don't make SNE.
I'm headed back to the US tomorrow. I'm planning on doing some studying while home that I neglected this past fall. After getting home, it's off to Vegas for some much needed fun with friends and then it'll most likely be off to Costa Rica. It's looking like I'll be in Costa Rica from April to October. I'll have an update when I get there.
Good luck at the tables everyone.
You are the master grinder and am sure you will get it back on track. Hope you get to enjoy the weather in Argentina! -JG
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeff! Yeah it was really nice in Bariloche - Buenos Aires very hot and humid though - apparently we arrived during their worst heat wave in 30 years. Hopefully I can get back to playing some pool one of these days - not looking good this year though.
ReplyDeleteMissed you at the tables….the frankness of your blog is strangely inspiring even when your poker world is not as perfect as it normally is. I rail many more hours than I play (sad i know) and its been a weird few weeks watching quite a few of the regs go "off the rails" a bit, bringing more harsh table talk (yes even more than normal). Its even stranger that for the first time in a long time I'm having a great few months (variance not skill lol) don't worry i'll give it all back….have a good break and c u soon. Im in Thailand right now but will be in Vegas myself soon but by then you will have moved on (nstevens59…Nigel)
ReplyDeleteHa thanks NIgel. I try to be as honest as I can in my blog, not just for my readers but for myself. I think one of my strengths over the years has been honest assessment of my play and frankly I haven't played well this year. Part of it stems from a lack of study (which I'm working on during this break) and part of it from a lack of motivation which I'm really struggling with this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to you hear you're doing well, variance or no variance. You're obviously very good for the high limits games, your one of the few players that's willing to sit down and play with a table full of regulars. I hope it keeps up.
I'd definitely like to hear more about the regulars losing their cool at the tables. Which ones and what was said? These are pretty tough times for regulars, the games just continue to get tougher every year and the player pool seems to stay the same or dwindle. It's not a time to sit idle or others will pass you by (I'm guilty of this myself).
Continued success at the tables and see you in a few weeks.