Ah, how good it feels to be back to normal, after riding out the recent losing streak I blogged about a while ago. I do not think I am drinking as much these days. Life is good. I just took first place in a SNG tourney and it is time for bed but I felt some other drunk poker player might benefit from reading about my experiences.

We all have these runs of bad luck where we get beat by suckouts and or when our cards never seem to hit on the flop. After seeing suckout after suckout, it is tempting to deviate from your normal solid strategy. But don’t do it! Deviating froma solid poker strategy will simply prolong your losing streak and you will find yourself needlessly squandering your bankroll. Just ride it out and accept that this is a normal part of poker. It happens to all of us. It happens to the best of us. And, it passes.

Another thing related to bankroll is you should always try to get the best deals, such as rakeback deals, in order to improve your winnrate. Even if there is no party poker rakeback for example, these top rooms provide great VIP programs nowadays, which are equivalent to a rakeback system. In essence you get a good chunk of your rate back, and this can make many slightly losing players into profitable players.

Here is another good bit of advice for sit and go players. If you lose three games in a session, stop playing for the day. Maybe the cards just are not going your way. Sometimes losing streaks are very short and taking a break will help minimize your losses while increasing the probability that you will return to your winning ways during your next SNG session.

Leaving a session early is one of those things that require the most fortitude in poker. Don’t get me wrong: it is very hard, for me too. I think most people do not or cannot do that. But this is the difference between casual players and players who play to make money. If you are a casual player, then why would you leave early, after you logged in to have fun, even if you lose a bit. But if you are a serious player, you need to be in the right mental state to play your A game, and it is better to terminate losing sessions earlier than later.