Last week, I shared the experience of streaming one of the worst sessions of my career, where everything seemed to go wrong. I wrote that article right after the session, and most of what I discussed was focused on the immediate pain of losing so emphatically. It’s a feeling that most players can relate to—I’m certainly not the first to experience a heavy loss. But something that might seem a little more foreign is the idea of seeing a downswing as an opportunity and channeling that brutality into something positive.
Anyone who follows me might chuckle at the thought of me saying that, as I’m hardly known for my perseverance. In fact, I often spend most of my time complaining about the most recent “unfair” thing that’s happened at the tables. But away from the lights and the felt, I’m actually a lot more pragmatic about the nature of this game.
Downswings are an inevitable part of every poker player’s career. It’s nearly impossible to avoid a stretch of bad variance at some point, whether you’re a recreational player or play full-time. While the misery I’m currently enduring is certainly the worst I’ve played through so far, I’m fully aware that others have endured even worse, and I’ll inevitably hit lower points myself in the future.
Turning Brutality into Positivity
Though it can feel like every move you make is wrong during a downswing, there are elements of it that can actually help you grow. For starters, very few disciplines in life are like poker, where losing for an extended period is not just normal, but expected. Even the best cash game players can go through hundreds of thousands of hands without making a profit, and tournament pros may go years without a significant score. It takes enormous mental strength to power through these periods, especially when your livelihood depends on it.
This trait—learning to play through tough stretches—is not only valuable in poker but also in life. I now feel more equipped to handle disappointment and setbacks in everyday life, as many problems seem small in comparison to the lows of a downswing.
Play Through the Downswings and Come Out Smiling
I went through the wringer in my $1,000 10NL Challenge, and there were moments when I was close to losing my mind. In the grand scheme of things, the other challenges life throws at us seem relatively manageable. It has also helped me process this recent spell of bad luck; somehow, it’s easier to accept losing $100 in my biggest games than it was to lose $10 in that brutal challenge.
But perhaps the most valuable lesson of all that comes from downswings is the opportunity to overcome adversity. In life, when things go wrong, sometimes there’s nothing you can do to fix it. But in poker, you get the chance to show your best self. You can rise back up, get back in the saddle, and turn things around. And, if you can handle the rough patches better than your opponents, you’ll find edges that aren’t visible to a solver.
As poker players, we all know that things might get worse before they get better. But with the right mindset and approach, you can dig yourself out of the hole. As my friend Ben always says, there’s nothing better than posting that graph when you finally climb back to even and beyond.
And that’s another great thing about poker—it has a community. Poker is full of people who support each other through difficult stretches, and when you’re able to show them that you made it out on the other side, it feels different.
So, when I come out the other side of my personal battle, you’ll hear about it. Until then, I guess it’s time for a bit more character building.
