[All Systems Go]

It's been a while since I've made one of these threads so here we go:

Losing streaks do not exist. It is all psychological. When playing poker the other day and I was having no good hands at all. After the game I said I was on a losing streak and the guy replied to me that losing streaks do not exist. I accepted this as I know this to be true. But tonight I was thinking about losing streaks and it is all a state of mind.

While in a losing streak you may have a lot of good cards and lose and in a winning streak you may have a lot of bad hands and still win. It is all a state of mind. If you are on a wining streak and were fortunate to win on some good cards it may be because of the psychology of the table.

During the game there are lots winners and losers and each of their mind-states will be altered according to how well they are doing. The player who feels he is on a winning streak will generally be willing to risk more as he has more to lose and feels that his luck is in at the moment, so why waste it? Accordingly the players who are now on a losing streak will be less wiling to go in on low-medium cards as they just want to ride out their losing streak.

So by not going in they are reducing their chances of winning and therefore of breaking their losing streak. By the winning streak going in on low-medium cards and the losing streak continuing not to bet on those cards the winning streak continues. This depends on the experience of the player and the level of winning or losing you are at. Those who feel they are holding their own may be a bit more adventurous, while those who feel that they are just hanging on may be less adventurous and this is the same at every level.

So while people say that losing streaks do not exist this is not true. They do exist but only in your mind. You may not believe them but if you are changing your game depending on how well you are doing then you subconsciously believe in winning and losing streaks and that is enough to affect your game.