Its important to lose

one thing ive learned is that its important to lose sometimes - to make sure complaceny doesnt set in. Its just the way the human brain works i guess!

a perfect example is my success (or lack of it) recently with the cowboys. Previously i had won some good pots with them though in the last week i lost about every time i had them - maybe about 5 or 6 times. Dont get me wrong - i was unlucky and fell to some bad beats and people chasing backdoor draws and catching an ace on the turn. I was still a little dissapointed with my play though.

Its a catch 22 situation - i used to play no limit ring games but got sick to death of people raising $5 pre flop on a $0.10/$0.25 table. So i started playing limit. Ive been playing the $0.50/$1 tables and for the best part of it i prefer it - it takes longer to build your bankroll but you wont bust out as quick either. However, people do not seem to respect raises at these tables - especially the players with a lot of cash in comparison.

Which brings it back to the kings - i raised and re raised pre flop and after the flop showed undercards. When the 3rd spade dropped or an ace i figured that it was a good bet to call a raise since there was so much in the pot. I know that once the cash is in the pot you should forget about it - but some of the guys at party were going to the river with absolutely nothing so its difficult to fold when you have a high pair.

As you said winston - you hate playing at party because of this.

I know what you mean in some ways. I wouldn't say it's good or important to lose. I'd happily never have a losing session although I know it has to happen.

One thing I've managed to do is seperate myself from it. If I lost when I first started playing (quite regularly) I would go to sleep in a mood. I'd be gutted that I lost money. Of course when I lose now I'm not happy about it but I've come to realise even the best players can't win all the time.

Maybe you have a bad run of cards, your cowboys and rockets keep getting drawn out on. There's very little you can do about it. The main thing you can do is have a big enough bankroll to sustain these inevitable loses at the limit you're playing, and keep playing the "correct" way. I know, the way I play means I will be a winning player in the long run. From my last 9000 hands played I seem to have roughly an 80% session win rate, which is great. Of course that means there's that 20% of the time when I've lost.

Is losing a good thing? No.

Is losing an inevitable thing? No doubt.

i dont mind losing a hand sometimes if im content with the fact i played the hand correctly and just caught a bad beat. As over time youll win more than youll lose if your playiung hands correctly - pokers a war not a battle

What i meant when i said its important to lose is that when you are still learning poker as it helps you become a better player. If someone read every poker book available hes still get beat by a good player who had more games under their belt and knows how to react in certain situations. Its one thing knowing what to do - its another thing doing it

Im actually getting better at folding - ive folded some very strong hands recently due to heavy betting. Some of them were pots i would have won and it was clear that i got bullied out of it - others were ones i was glad i got out of. Live to fight another day though!

Fonz you come up with some of the craziest things, however i find myself replying to many of your threads for some reason. I don't necessarily agree that it is important to lose but losing can work to your advantage. Not exactly the way you are implying to the psycological effect, but in another way, setting up your opponent. If you can make a hand distinguishable, do something so out of the ordinary that it stays in their brain, and repeat it when you have a real holding you can make good money off of bad players.

When I am losing I notice that alot of times Im playing like I was when I was on a rush.Chasing cards because I know they will be there.Getting arrogant in a way I guess,,,,,,boy its annoying.

Not so sure losing is a good thing either. Losing a hand once in a while when you're hot is a good thing, otherwise you dont get as many callers. But being on a losing streak sucks. I just try to analyze my play..did I play more aggressive than normal...more tight..or are the cards just not falling.

Losing is never a good thing but if there isnt any losers there wont be any winners. However if your too familar with winning with AA or KK it's just setting you up for that huge loss that will keep you in check the next time you think you've got the best hand.

It's impossible to get any one with any kind of a hand out in low limit. This includes just about every possible hand except maybe 6-2, 7-2. That is alot of people drawing to quite a few unpredictable outcomes. In these types of games, including loose games at every level, big pairs and high cards go way down in value. It's almost a crap shoot at that point, so going in with KK or even AA doesn't mean as much to the table than it might in a "real" game.

I think what he's trying to say, get me if I am wrong here, It's important to call semi large bets (if your bankroll at the time can afford it) and loose a hand to show that you arent afraid to call with 2nd or 3rd highest hand. This works especially well with smart players that pay attention to whats going on at the table. I know this is one thing I look for when playing the person instead of the board. By calling I have noticed I can "chase" for cheaper than I would. Same thing is to bet on a draw and get caught on it a couple times. Again if you can afford it. What I have noticed by doing this is that many people will tend to check more or call thinking yur actually only on a draw and really aren't. Also keeps people from bluffing on you alot.