Right after I found Tommy Angelo’s Eightfold Path to Poker Enlightenment, I went on a downswing. I’m still there. But it’s all right, I’m enlightened! (OK, sure…)
I wish it were that easy… I’m crushed. I’ve lost my confidence, I’m playing scared, I tilt and call all sorts of crap… Even with the nuts, I hesitate to value bet. It’s almost like life was stuffing me in the Zendo.
Buddha did not try to save us from pain; he knew that pain was a part of life. His goal was to reduce suffering. Think of it this way. Pain is when we hurt. Suffering is our emotional response to pain.
The more I suffer, the more I tilt. It’s cyclical; I lose, I suffer, I tilt, I play worse (get off my “A” game), I lose, I suffer…
I can tell you that I am handling it better. I breath, focus, and try to get back to basics. I fold my speculative hands, even on the button. I don’t play KJo. Of course, I get bored, angry, etc and play 2 3 off UTG sometimes. (Well, probably not that bad, but you get the picture)
Like everyone, I have no idea how long this will last. After losing 2 and a half buy ins tonight on top of the 8 buy ins I already lost so far I have set myself a strict loss limit of 1 buy in until I get a couple wins under my belt. I know this seems extreme, but I need to do this for my bankroll, or what’s left of it.
