I just got back from amsterdam yesterday, had a good time but spent a crapload of money. I just rang my bank to find out that i have zero money in my bank account! I had previously banned myself from cash games but decided to un-ban myself as i felt my game had come along way since then.

Yesterday my roll went from 7k to over 11k from playing 2/4nl 6 max which is my favourite cash game as it suits my roll and doesn't bore me like fullring does. I was feeling great and was truly playing great too. All my thought processes were really good and i was playing slightly different on each table accordingly and letting go of hands well and stuff. Anyway today i went for a jog to try and clear my head aswell as my lungs after 3 days in the dam! I got back home and thought id be perfectly ready to play some poker.

So i had like 11k and sat down at 3 2/4 cash tables. Within about an hour i was getting into confrontations with a few guys at the table and generally playing bad. I was down to 9.5k and decided to have a break. Went and watched some TV and had a coffee. About an hour later i came back to my room and got 3 more cash games going. I was ticking along quite nicely then lost a few hands and began to play over aggressive and not adjusting my play accordingly. There was one hand that really annoyed me i raised either k3 or k4 suited in CO to $14 and got a flat call on the button. Some guy who was new to the table and had a full buyin of $400 in the BB reraised to $60. At the time i had lost a few buyins from stupid calls and was starting to steam i shoved allin on him for $400 thinking that he was squeezing and he'd fold obviously. He called me with AJo and won the hand.

At this point i was down to about 7k in my account and left all my tables and unregistered from all of my tournies i was planning on playing. I had about another hour break and then logged back in. I found a table with one guy sitting on it and joined to play him heads up while we waited. Second hand i get JJ i raise he calls flop comes with 7-7-10. I c-bet he reraises me i call. Turn card was 5, i raise he shoves allin i call he has QQ. Then very next hand i have 88 i raise he reraises me quite big to about $64. Obviously at this point im already absolutely steaming but i also decide that if he flats with QQ heads up then I think he either has a low-mid PP, Ax or other random foldable hands. I shove allin and he snap calls with KK. So in about 5 or 6 hands I have lost $800.

This is when i logged off and just felt sick for a while and decided to post on here to see if I can get some words of wisdom. I decided to withdraw $1000 from my account as i cant live with no money in my bank whatsoever. So after playing a few really bad sessions and withdrawing some cash i now have exactly $5000 left in my roll. So within 2 days i have effectively lost about $5000 playing cash and a few tournies. Is this the kind of swings i should expect when playing 6 max cash games? I mean for me losing this much money in such a quick time is really really scarey and sickening especially as its half of my bankroll. I made my roll from playing tournaments but since 2008 I am actually losing money at those too! I mean at the end of december my bankroll was over 25k and now its 5k. This is all but too much for me to take and i don't know what to do.

Should I?

A) Withdraw all of my money and realise that im a losing player and/or dont have the composure for it.

B) Go down to playing 1/2nl and buiold my roll back up and accept that these swings are normal when playing cash games.

C) Grind low-mid stakes MTTs which is how i originally made my roll from nothing despite the fact that since about december I have actually been losing money.

D) Learn how to play SnGs and start grinding them instead of MTTs because of the lower variance.

E) Your personal opinions/thoughts/ideas.

never play cash games when ur tilted or not in the right mood, as u can see its pure spew. step down to 100NL and play mtts $50 or less, those are two games u can definitely beat. Remember ur not gonna get ur roll back over 10k in 1 night (unless u ship a big mtt)

one more thing, If u can play live for a few days and take a few days break from online that helps imo

The thing is I've just come back from a 3 day break to Amsterdam. I mean i can't keep taking breaks surely.

yeah...for one it seems like you are playing above your roll.No offense either but if you are down 20k in 2 months playing cash you are either not that good or you have some huge leaks in your game.

On the bright side,Look at it as you still have 5K and just start over and rebuild,take shots at some tournies and leave the cash games alone for awhile.

ROFL

ok dude seriously listen up. If you have to ban yourself then you have a problem. I am by no means saying you should get help or anything I dont like when people take situations like these to that extreme. But discipline is fundamental to being a winning player. If cash is too tough for you or you tilt too much just stop playing cash. Find your niche...thats what poker is all about. Game selection is extremely important if you manage your money properly and pick the right games there is no reason you cant be a winner.

my advice to you, crapshot, is to mentally adjust to the fact that your bankroll is now $5k....forget the fact that you've lost money in cash games and that you've lost money in tournaments and that you used to have $25k...ur mentality right now is I'm stuck $20k bc you still haven't realized that your bankroll isn't $25k anymore....whats funny about bankroll management is that when someone wins a tournament and shoots up from like $20k to $40k, they now mentally adjust to their bankroll being $40k at its lowest point....it may take that player another $10k investment of tournaments to win another $20k score, and in that period their roll will go from $40k to $30k and they feel stuck $10k when they're actually still up $10k from before the $20k score they made that they might not have made if they would've taken 1 bad beat in the tourney that they made the $20k score in the first place. It's 100% mental, and you have to adjust to the fact that your roll is $5k now or you're never going to be able to progress positively again. I'd reccomend going over the last year of whatever you've played and figure out what you make the most money at in poker along with what keeps you even keal at the same time. If you think it's mtt's id' play $26's and down or $26 180 mans and down....if it's cash games then 4 table $1/2 6 max for 10,000 hands and then reevaluate.....i promise your problem is more mental than anything...think back to 2 or 3 years ago and how excited you wouldve been if you had a $2500 bankroll and you just doubled it to your current $5k and then go from there

I played a little 2/4 with you, and your game overall was pretty solid but could use a little work at lower limits. You were playing a little overagressive and weren't able to adjust once people are starting to look you up light. Instead of tilting and playing more hands try tightening up and playing solid poker and use your tilted image while you get paid off with your hands.
For now I'd reccomend sticking to what you have been succesfull in MTTs. Even though you have had some trouble in them the past few months, we all know the varriance of MTTs is a bitch and is probably one of the main factors for your losing. Also look back at those hands and try to figure out what mistakes you are making most and work on those areas of your MTT game for now.
GL at the tables and hope you can turn this downswing arround.

Funny hand that probably would of cost me my laptop had i not resucked. (obv tilt)
FullTiltPoker Game #5256352370: Table Isola (6 max) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:18:31 ET - 2008/02/14
Seat 1: Akios ($397.60)
Seat 2: crapshot1 ($1,001.45)
Seat 3: azinoo ($90.80)
Seat 4: ST2V423 ($851)
Seat 5: joosjet ($515.80)
Seat 6: sunrays ($322.10)
Akios posts the small blind of $2
crapshot1 posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to ST2V423 [Kh Ad]
ST2V423 raises to $14
joosjet calls $14
sunrays folds
Akios adds $4.40
Akios folds
crapshot1 raises to $64
ST2V423 raises to $136
joosjet folds
crapshot1 has 15 seconds left to act
crapshot1 raises to $258
ST2V423 raises to $851, and is all in
crapshot1 calls $593
ST2V423 shows [Kh Ad]
crapshot1 shows [Js 5c]
*** FLOP *** [Jh 5d Tc]
*** TURN *** [Jh 5d Tc] [Qc]
*** RIVER *** [Jh 5d Tc Qc] [2c]
ST2V423 shows a straight, Ace high
crapshot1 shows two pair, Jacks and Fives
ST2V423 wins the pot ($1,715) with a straight, Ace high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1,718 | Rake $3
Board: [Jh 5d Tc Qc 2c]
Seat 1: Akios (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: crapshot1 (big blind) showed [Js 5c] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Fives
Seat 3: azinoo is sitting out
Seat 4: ST2V423 showed [Kh Ad] and won ($1,715) with a straight, Ace high
Seat 5: joosjet folded before the Flop
Seat 6: sunrays (button) didn't bet (folded)

OK read all of the responses and alot if not all of this stuff is helpful. Big thanks for your advice aaron and i really do believe it is a mental hurdle atm. lol i remember that hand and that is why i dont feel i can be a successful cash player atm. Jmaster i'm so glad theres someone else in the exact same boat as I am right now and i will try and keep in contact with you and stuff as it may help me but also you, to stay motivated. Gl to me and also you mate.

you prob know you def are not rolled for 2/4 nl if all you had was 7k especially if your playing for a living.