Any tips to avoid drifting from your game

[luckystraights]

After a pretty miserable game last night, where I ended up playing against my usual style, I began to wonder what other people do to keep them selves on track.

What do you do to center yourself I suppose, so that next time a round your back in the zone again and don't begin to play in a style that doesn't benefit you.

My style is tight, I ain't one for gambling and mixing things up too much against opponents I don't know, but now and then out out of the blue some doubts set in, and I begin to shift from my usual way of doing things, and I start to question my own logic, this invariably doesn't offer anything positive.

So, if anyone can make sense of that, what do you use to keep yourself on the straight and narrow ?

So far, I've tried, playing different games whilst giving my bankroll and NLHE brain a rest, watched a few episodes of the WSOP, and when the opportunity presents itself played heads-up with my house mate, usually I'm then back on track, and begin to play the way that suits me again, but others I need a few days to regain my focus and to let the doubts disappear.

[pauld22]

When is the last time you took a break?  How long have you been playing?  Sometimes it serves the mind well to take a step back and just not think about poker for a while.  That includes watching poker, talking about poker, playing poker, readig about poker, etc.

Maybe a weekend where you plan some activities to take your mind completely off poker.  No online, live, books, videos, forums ( ), etc.  Just a little mental health break to re-energize and re-focus.

[Martini]

For some reason I found it therapeutic to splash around a ton in a low stakes game. My main game is a .25/.50 but when I play in .10/.20 cash games I donk up a storm. Don't get me wrong, twenty bucks is twenty bucks and I don't advise it from a bankroll standpoint but if you HAVE to donk it is best to donk at lowest possible stakes. It also reinforces just how much bad play can drain your stack. Hard to explain but it is kinda like "getting it out of your system." Again - the caveat is that this can be bad for your bankroll.

Diverting and doing something else like watching a DVD or exercise is good for taking the mind off of poker and is a good option too.

[NotFadeAway]

This happens to me (and, I assume, all of us) at times, and there's no secret to avoiding it.  I would advise waiting to play until you are hyped up for poker.  You have to play poker hard and with conviction, and if you can't it's probably best to wait until you can again.  For me, the best way is to read books, watch poker on t.v., and (seriously) watch Rounders again.  I also often try to set a goal for myself (such as winning a MTT) and focus on the rewards (not monetary rewards, but personal rewards) for doing so.  I know that this goes against the previous advice in this thread, but it works for me. 
Also, I find that having a certain swagger or even a little arrogance (as long as you keep it to yourself and don't act like a know-it-all, or worse) helps me when I play.

[luckystraights]

When is the last time you took a break?  How long have you been playing?  Sometimes it serves the mind well to take a step back and just not think about poker for a while.  That includes watching poker, talking about poker, playing poker, reading about poker, etc.

Maybe a weekend where you plan some activities to take your mind completely off poker.  No online, live, books, videos, forums ( ), etc.  Just a little mental health break to re-energize and re-focus.

I've been playing online for real money since early September this year, and have managed to take a day off once, although even then I was watching, reading and thinking about playing.

Its probably what I can do with, but I've kinda got targets to reach, and I'm hooked, whenever I'm not able to play I'm just walking up the walls driving myself crazy

[jv956]

whenever my game strays i lay off poker and focus on something else...usually videogames.   some games i play for days, or spend time with the outdoors...just hang out with friends...

[Buzzerbeater]

Yeah, take a few days or a week off from the game and do something else.  If you can't do that, then you have bigger problems than losing.

[luckystraights]

For some reason I found it therapeutic to splash around a ton in a low stakes game. My main game is a .25/.50 but when I play in .10/.20 cash games I donk up a storm. Don't get me wrong, twenty bucks is twenty bucks and I don't advise it from a bankroll standpoint but if you HAVE to donk it is best to donk at lowest possible stakes. It also reinforces just how much bad play can drain your stack. Hard to explain but it is kinda like "getting it out of your system." Again - the caveat is that this can be bad for your bankroll.

If I need to blow of steam I try and get off my bankroll and muck about in a play game, usually razz.

I meant more that, I usually play in a tight style that works for me, but some games, I begin to doubt my own style and what works for me and begin to play hands I usually wouldn't, not trash but mediocre stuff.

[luckystraights]

This happens to me (and, I assume, all of us) at times, and there's no secret to avoiding it.  I would advise waiting to play until you are hyped up for poker.  You have to play poker hard and with conviction, and if you can't it's probably best to wait until you can again.  For me, the best way is to read books, watch poker on t.v., and (seriously) watch Rounders again.  I also often try to set a goal for myself (such as winning a MTT) and focus on the rewards (not monetary rewards, but personal rewards) for doing so.  I know that this goes against the previous advice in this thread, but it works for me. 
Also, I find that having a certain swagger or even a little arrogance (as long as you keep it to yourself and don't act like a know-it-all, or worse) helps me when I play.

I've set myself a goal to increase my roll by $20 by the end of the week, as I'm sick of being stuck on a plateu, don't feel like I've had much consistent momentum for a while, and that bad run of variance hasn't helped, so I'm hoping giving myself a goal like this well help me out.

[Martini]

Normally I am a big fan of goals. I'm not sure that it applies to poker however since there are factors out of your control. If you don't have the cards to work with, if the board isn't cooperating, if you aren't getting action on your big hands, if the river mistreats you, etc. There are objective measures that you can track your progress with like % of flops you are seeing, #BB/100 hands, and so forth. I would concentrate on tuning your play to reach good stats and not so much on a $ amount since that could encourage pressing and trying to get chips where there are none to be had.

[plesner]

If I'm not playing my best (which isn't particularly well anyway), I usually stop playing online for a few days or even a week. I always feel more focused when I started playing again.

If I am card dead and end up playing hands I shouldn't, I usually start another game. Here Razz is a favourite as a second game. At the level I play it, I have very simple rules as to which starting hands I'll play and which starting hands I'll use for a stealing attempt. What I'm trying to say is that Razz for me is a great game to play while waiting for the right cards in Hold'em rather than getting impatient and start playing all the wrong hands.

I don't know why, but I never have the same problems when playing B&M games. I can wait for an entire evening for the right cards without being tempted to play the 'wrong' cards. Generally I seem to be doing a lot better live than online, so I guess I need to find whatever it is that makes me make wrong decisions online.

[FSL009]

I absolutely agree....

I limit myself to two buy-in's if you lose that then give it away for at least the rest of that day.  so my bankroll is $76 at the moment so I only buy in for a max of $5 (although I do that into a max $10 game)  if i lose the 5 I change tables, if i lose another 5 I give it away for at least 24 hours.

If double up I move tables (more about removing the extra from the table than anything else) and even in tournaments I will take forced breaks after 2 hours for at least 5 minutes.

In fact, in a big online tourney if i am above 40 BB's I will sit out and take a break for a few minutes checking my hands from time to time so that i don't miss AA or KK or AKs or QQ but the rest I will let through and take a mental break.

Especially in those 3000+ people tourneys, let others do the mental work for you, and just take them out with your very best hands starting hands.   

that works for me.....