Swings are part of the game. I have come to embrace them, but over the last few weeks, I have been all over the place. Luckily, I have followed big losses with big wins to balance things out, but all of this up and down variance has made me step back and take a look at what I am doing to cause it.

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I’ve put up multiple losses in the last couple of weeks of the size I usually only see every few months. While I have been fortunate to balance those losses, I realize it is possible that if I keep having them, at some point I will string them together for what could be a significant downswing.

My style is a pretty aggressive, high variance, gamble-it-up one and it works well for me in the games I frequently play in. I started off years ago playing tight and as I got more comfortable with the games and stakes, I ramped up my activeness, pushing the limits by gaining value out of more hands by playing them.

At some point, you cross the line and reduce your profitability at the same time you increase your variance, but that line is very difficult to pinpoint. I’m pretty sure I have hit it recently and it is time to pull back and be slightly more selective with the hands I am playing.

The last couple of times I have played, I have made it a point to slow down, be more selective with my starting hands, and focus on playing pots in position. Out of three sessions, I have booked two solid wins and a breakeven session. All three of those sessions were pretty laid back and there were no tough or tricky spots. Usually, I am the one who seems to be involved in all of the pots, so it was a little tough to be sitting there watching hands without being in the action, but the results were immediate and rewarding.

Now that I have pulled back, I’ll start opening my game up again to get value out of hands that right now I am folding and exploit situations and players where my starting hand is often irrelevant.

Poker is a constant battle of assessing and reassessing your game and finding the optimal way to get the most out of your time at the table. You are never going to be able to play optimally all the time, so the key is to limit how far away from that optimal point you get in either direction.

Personally, I do okay pulling back and then ramping back up, but I worry that I am a little slow in realizing when it is time to stop ramping up and actually pull back a little bit. After developing a tight image years ago, an active style has served me well. It is hard to pull back on something that, for a long time, I was able to just keep doing. But, as the game evolves and players improve, it is imperative to keep adjusting and tweaking to keep yourself at the top of your game.

Now, it is time to get back to the tables and find that sweet spot. See you there!

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.