That inevitable downswing...
It’s bound to happen. No matter how great a player you are, there will be a time when you’re not on your A game, the cards aren’t connecting, variance isn’t your friend, and you are being outplayed. Usually, all of these things happen at once and for good reason. Usually something happens that triggers a series of unfortunate events. Good players can get lost in that space for a long time. Even great players can struggle to pull themselves out of it. And bad players, well, they just live there all the time in one way or another. As luck would have it, I’ve been marred in one of those downswings lately. I will say that there was a time in my life that I would beat myself up to the point that I would lose confidence and my game would get sick-tracked. That no longer is the case. I’m much quicker to identify gaps in my play vs. poor variance. I can be very objective when it comes to my play and I am my worst critic. If I am playing bad, I have no problem admitting it. However, lately that has not been the case. I am being punished by the variance gods. My hands aren’t holding, i’m not getting there and my opponent’s hands are just better than mine. I know it will turn around, it always does, but boy do I hate it. I’m lucky enough that these things are few and far between, but to think it cannot impact your game is not realistic. There was a time that I would avoid the game until my mind was clear, but now I now that I have to get back in the game. The game is such a game of feel that when you remove yourself from it for long periods of time, while you might reenter with a clear mind, your game will be off and it can take a long time to find that groove again. So, I’m gonna keep my head up and keep firing. As always, thanks for the love and support! - Troy Sheets
www.chipup-poker.com