How to Deal with "Running Bad!"

 Peter, a local Vegas poker player came up to me in the card room yesterday and said; “Kenna, I’ve been looking for you for 3 months. I’ve been wanting to ask you something important! How long can someone run bad?” “Hmmm,” I paused considering the source. “Well, I know it’s a lot longer than 3 months,” I told him. I wanted to give him more hope, but looking at him I feared he couldn’t have it, so I assured him it could go on for quite some time. My statement took, as he looked relieved in recognition, nodding in approval.

Anybody who sits in the swamp of “running bad” wonders “How long can this go on!? When you’re in it, it actually feels more like quicksand then a swamp. Which gave me the idea to pick up a stick, I mean a pen, and write about the subject of “How does one deal with “Running Bad?” instead.

To the first part of the question in regards to length of time. A poker professional who had played for decades once said to me that he had been running bad for more than 3 years! At the time he told me this I was winning a tournament every other month. So I just shook my head in bewilderment, not able to relate to the absurdity of that statement. I was much younger back then and now that I’m on the other side of 50 I see a parallel to the statement to the age of the person muttering the consideration. “Luck is wasted on the youth,” I think to myself. I say “wasted,” because all too often the spoils that go with it will be duly squandered on worthless momentary objects of desire. Later, when the appreciation for the finer things in life appear, the “luck” like an old water well, may run a bit dry and all too often the bucket will come up empty. So, what to do?

First, recognize that when you catch yourself saying “I’m running bad,” that you’re always talking about the past. Never the present moment. And yet, we sell it as if it were our fate. Something that we should prepare ourselves for as if we were destined to walk this path for quite some time. And I do mean “Sell it,” to anyone who will listen the bemoaning of our fate. Unlucky for us that we find a sympathetic ear because I believe the more our cries land on these sympathetic victims, the more we propel our fateful journey. Stop, listen to yourself and as if you were going to change direction on a walking path, turn around and let your victims go. Do it in mid-sentence and consciously choose to go a different direction. Don’t allow yourself to continue perpetuating the story.

YOU are the biggest reason you are running bad, not the cards, I hate to tell you.

With that wake up call, comes the practical dealing with the emotional roller coaster we all ride when we choose to play this thrilling game.

The second thing you want to recognize is the specifics of the emotion you are feeling. Don’t be general with your upset. Define the emotion you are feeling and work your way up and out of the quagmire!  What exactly are you feeling and displaying?  Is it Anger at your results, or Frustration of players continually sucking out on you? Are you Worried that your “bad run,” is going to outlast your bankroll, or are you secretly Afraid that your game isn’t good enough to survive? While you may be feeling a combination of all of these emotions, each one is different and where you reside most of the time will usually be one specific one. So, what emotion are you really suffering from?

Here’s a list of emotions to help you pinpoint how you’re feeling about Running Bad;

Anger  – Frustration – Resentment – Worry – Fear – Apathy

Any of these ring a bell? If not, perhaps you can ask your friends. They probably have a better perspective then you do. 

Let me give you some hope. The farther you are to the right, on the above scale, the farther one tends to have drifted off the “winner’s path.” But, since you are reading this article, you’re most likely are not yet down on the bottom rung of Apathy. How do I know this? Well, in the emotional state of apathy, reading this articles about your demise would just become too burdensome and pointless. So, the hope is in the fact that you’re reading this (and not having it read to you) and you’re not in apathy. With a little bit of conscious effort on your part you may just be able to climb out of this pit of despair and get yourself back onto the winning path.

After you’ve identified where you are at on the emotional scale, you can use it as a guide to start climbing the ladder to the left end of the scale towards anger. Yes, that’s right, ANGER! You’re going to have to allow yourself to get angry about running bad if you want to climb out of the swamp. Your opponent’s certainly aren’t going to help you. You’re going to have to help yourself. If you’re afraid of getting angry, well then you are in a pickle aren’t you? Well, you don’t have to start there, start moving out of Fear by worrying! For example, If you’re really afraid that your running bad is going to outlast your bankroll, just start worrying about what you’re going to do when it does!

If you’re lucky enough to already be worried or anxious, then start voicing your complaints and you’ll soon find yourself filled with Resentment. Those who are Frustrated with players whining and complaining, consider yourself lucky! You’re already a few rungs up the ladder and you just need to take out your frustration by getting angry. Hit a punching bag, rip up the cards, get a penalty! When you do, at least something you’ll be doing will be starting to work! Players get stuck in frustration because nothing they do seems to be working. Pros who are clever will actually use Anger to drive them even farther Up tone and back onto the winning path which begins with the emotional tone of becoming interested once again and connecting to the present moment. There is nothing as certain as the angry person and often they get what they focus their mind on, which is usually the chips of their opponents who are hopelessly sitting in Frustration or Fear and who are left scratching their heads wondering how long this is going to last.

I say to my poker friend Peter. “Don’t get frustrated, get even!” In the meantime, while you’re waiting, stop resisting this beautiful night. Have patience and learn to appreciate the stars and before you know it, the darkness of the night will fade away and you will clearly see and be on the winner’s path once again.”

I sat down in a poker game and without concern or another thought, booked a win without even trying.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna