"When it's not your day, it's not your day." Hardest lesson I've had to learn!

Wanted to thank you for keeping it real. Started playing poker again more seriously last year and just went through my first downswing - took a little break to study and get my mind right. All of your video are extremely helpful, the content is solid, and you are hilarious! You're by far my favorite poker vlogging ;) Thanks Brad!

Brad, so proud of you for laying it out there. By far my favorite vlog of yours yet. We can all relate to this and generally know what we should be doing but putting it all out there in one vlog is super helpful to a lot of people. I was trying to remember these things on my last trip to Vegas, which was kind of a bust...oh well. I know it'll come back around. I also appreciate that you stayed away from vlogging a bit when you were going through your rough February. Everyone has to have time for themselves. We want you to want to vlog, not be in the mindset of "I have to vlog" and I can imagine Feb. was that way for you. Bigger and brighter things ahead for you this year, Brad. So many good things happening and have fun in all your upcoming travels.

Go to a card room that you rarely or have never played at. It gives you a fresh start mentally.

Thanks for sharing. One of your best vlogs. All these things seem so simple and basic. But it's so easy to forget them, when you're in the middle of it. I'm also just coming out of a rough Feb downswing. After a great beginning of the year. Great to see you back on the up! Sorry to hear about your personal stuff. Hope cosmo's good.

On a 6k down SWING myself I decided to take a couple months off starting to feel better about my life thanks for the tips brad

@lorklorkman7937

5 жыл бұрын

Do you play for a living? Or do you have a job?

Hang in there Brad - you are a great player and I've been following since the beginning and I appreciate your candor and insight to playing poker! You and Andrew have really helped my game - thanks!!!

This is truly one of the best videos about poker downswings that I have seen on KZread. The in session mental checks is something I have been doing for awhile now and it has been super helpful. Some other things that have helped me that weren't mentioned are exercise regularly, eat healthy, meditate, and write down 3 things you are grateful for everyday. These tips are not only helpful in poker but also life in general. Thanks for the great video Brad!

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Larry! Good additions.

dude Brad ! I've just found your channel about 2 weeks ago and i just wanna say you are the man, man ! lol thank you so much for putting so much effort into providing such quality content. it has seriously helped me and apparently so many other people immensely 👊🏽👍🏽

The struggle is real for us all Brad...keep grinding

Glad to hear you turned it around Brad. It’s also important for others to hear that variance is real and we all have to deal with it. Great vlog.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Lee, hope to see you at the next MUG

Thanks for the vlog and the sincerity of telling us about your run bad in poker and life. I love the vlog, love hearing from you. Keep up the run good. Take care.

Loved this video brad. One of the reasons that I believe you're my favorite vlogger is because of how you think about the game. We may play different styles, but the basics of the game remain the same between us. You also help validate some of my thinking about the game and the ways in which you manage your tilt. Keep it up, hope to play with you the next time I'm in Vegas

This video helped a ton. Thank you so much. BRAD. PLEASE NEVER STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING!❤

Mad respect. Big big kudos for the honestly and objectivity. That is something 99.999% of people don’t have the capacity to do. On the content, thank you so much... I’m a “serious hobbyist” that plays poker and has no job lol so take that how you will but the content was very helpful to me. Enjoy all the vids, thanks again

You’ve been running so bad I didn’t even skip the ad this time.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Lol, I appreciate that

@SeanBenson23

3 жыл бұрын

That’s hilarious

@namechange9470

Жыл бұрын

Lmao. 4 yrs later amd it's still a funny comment 😄

Brad, love your content and your approach to the game. Keep grinding bro, you and Neeme are the top vloggers, keep crushing!

The good ole days from Bradley, saw this day one. Hell of a ride my friend

All I can say is THANK YOU for this video. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you like it. Thanks man.

Hey man, I appreciate this video. Puts a different perspective as well as the reality of being a poker pro. Keep up the solid content my man 👍👍👍

Great job laying out the various aspects of downswing. Downswing in combination with life volatility, must be the worse, but you are getting stronger mentally and will end up in a better place. Keep focused!

Great stuff here Brad. Your humility will serve you well in the future. Bookmarked this blog for immediate review during my next inevitable downswing

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Brian. Hope you don't need to review this video for a long time.

Thanks for this video Brad. I've been going through my downswing the past month or so with MTT and you gave me a few good tips on things because I've noticed arguments with the Wife over SMALL STUFF. LIFE'S TO SHORT TO BE MAD. THANKS AN GL

Thanks for this one Brad. This is just as needed as any hand history! Cheers!

Hope you're ok dealing with everything!! Great video as always, much love all the way from Brazil

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Gustavo!

Great vlog, thank you. I really appreciate the advice, I tend to play marathon sessions so I think that tip about the alarm will be of great use. Thanks a lot man!

Brad your flippin awesome man! Glad I found your Channel - Happy New Years

Mr. Brad Owen!!! I wanted to say thank you. I went on a long break of not playing poker due to not playing at an experienced level. I went into training videos and watched your videos endlessly until I felt confident enough to go back. I learned an enormous amount. The last 4 trips I've gone to play in this past month I've won over $1,900.00 including my very first, first place tournament win with a field of 52 players taking $1,000. If it wasn't for your videos I would have never went back to the tables to excel at a better level of playing. I will continue to watch your videos and wish you the bestest of luck!!!

@rawrizord

Жыл бұрын

I know it's late but congratulations! I've just started playing tournaments myself so I know how tough they can be compared to cash games, totally different beasts. Run good, man.

Awesome video Brad - maybe one of the best 'Poker Vlogs' yet in terms of real talk.

Excellent video Brad. I have to admit i have always liked your vlogs, but to a certain exctent. Can get the impression of it getting too polished and to the running good/winning every session kind of thing. I appreciate a down to earth video like this, where i as a viewer can get more nuances, and also that the vlogger shows some vulnerable sides of themself. Wich i believe we need more of in todays society, and for sure in the "glamourus" pokerworld as well. So yeah, big thumbs up man. Also want to mention one of my fav quotes by a famous pokerplayer (cant remember the name on the go here): "Before you can learn how to win, you have to learn how to lose". I think that is so true on so many levels.

One of the best videos you've ever produced, keep your head up buddy and take hold of your own advice. Super impressed with your discipline and understandings of downswings. Stay strong!

Even if you “play your best”, you’re still going to experience downswings. Ran into a few in my days. Just remember, “tilt is a poker players worst enemy”.

Really appreciate the honesty Brad! I’m mostly a cash game player, (met you at a MUG recently) but anyway if I’m going through a downswing I try to remain positive which I know can be difficult, and do something different like buy in to a tournament with good value, since my tourney strategy is a little different than cash game play, it can help re-shift or re-focus my thought process. And usually it’s a smaller $ risk for a decent reward (if I cash or win, then it sure helps the confidence level as well). Not sure taking a break all together is the best thing for me - - the cards don’t know you’re running bad. Definitely agree with booking small wins to “recoup”!! Keep grinding! 😎

Brad, This video is poignant and timely for me in my first real experience with a down swing. I'm 24-years old, and began cash games only in the last year. I started out well enough to consider myself the young pro, and local seniors of poker were appraising my plays. Then October hit. It has been eerie with fright, and I began to contemplate quitting. Thank you for the assurance that this shall pass! I would add, for anyone who sees this, that my experience shows that buying in for inconsistent amounts is not helpful. Starting in a tilt, or stacking enough to start as chip leader yield the same results when bad luck persists. From North Dakota, good luck on the felt! I'm eager to sit at a table with the vloggers whenever this pandemic subsides.

Thanks for the encouraging video. It’s nice to see I’m not the only one. I’m a small stakes player($2-$2 PLO and $2-$5 NLH) I lost $10k in a 3 week span. It was the most nasty downswing of my poker life. I am just a rec player but still crushed my soul. Just recently am starting to get out of it. Thanks again for the video!

@jasonnelson5251

6 жыл бұрын

Zach Chinn plo hella swingy so can happen

@FusionTechCinema

7 ай бұрын

@@jasonnelson5251Yea plo is more gamble. I would stay away from it

Having a downswing myself. Thanks for the video!

@ryananderson4315

6 жыл бұрын

Same. Misery loves company.

@hotrodsather

6 жыл бұрын

Both of you stop it right now!! before you also lose brads cat!!!

Thank you for sharing well said Brad 👍🏾👍🏾one of your best vlogs

Hey Brad Thanks so much for uploading this video I know for me personally and for my poker friends you’ve been a source of inspiration. Keep doing what you’re doing cause you help people learn and appreciate poker! That being said I study psychology and I couldn’t help but notice that you said during your time of success you were filming a lot but when you stopped filming the winnings dropped off and as a result poker wasn’t as fun to play. Understandably so. Id suggest filming again!... As you say - it’s distracting (that’s the reason you stopped in the first place) but nobody can deny that for whichever reason it seemed to help you win games of poker. Who knows, the success could be be due to the fact that you made better decisions while being distracted filming, bought about by less time/attention spent underthinking/overthinking hands and more time trusting your instincts. Give it a try, see how you go with it. Best of luck to you Bill

So I know going back over all of these bad runs and bad beats are tough to discuss but it does help. Thank you!

The types of players at your table is the most important factor to consider whether you should choose to play with and how to play against them.

Congratulations. Excellent job explaining all about poker downswing. Keep up the good work.

This is a super well thought out and mature look at a downswing. i'm not a professional, but i do take poker as an extremely serious hobby. i too have been getting murdered a bit lately, and have struggled to classify it as a downswing, but that's what it is. i know that Variance is the enemy here sometimes, but i struggle to find ways to not blame myself in moments like these. leading up to this downswing, i'd been on a nearly 2 year uptick. (for a guy that plays 20-30 sessions a year) so. i've been beating myself up pretty badly over this. Thanks for the advice, and for talking it through in a really great way. thanks again for being open, honest, and real w/ us.

@williamr4053

5 жыл бұрын

Downswings stink, because poker is an ego game. No matter how you slice it, within reason, we all think we're better than the people around us at the table. Sure, you'll play with people where it's a hobby for them and they just want to get out of the house. I think for the majority, we want to make money or cash in a big tournament. I had a monster downswing in April that really disrupted how I played. I went from playing 30-40 hours/week to about 4-6 hours/week. My main goal was to make on average $100/week for 52 weeks and I was on pace to exceed it and then I wasn't. Now I'm on pace to make $50/week for 52 weeks. I started to see-saw and the endless poker became a drag when it wasn't my primary income. The best month I've had since the downswing in April was $850 in a night in September, but then gave back $350 at the end of the month, due to getting cooler'd a couple of hands. We all have to figure out how to play through those hands where you get in good and someone else gets it in a little bit better. For me, I keep a mental note of how my hands are looking. What's been winning lately? Is it sets, boats, 2 pair? Or is it straights, flushes, gut shots, or gapped hands where I flop the straight with a flush redraw. What wins weekly or monthly is constantly in rotation. For a while AQ was my unbeatable hand, then it morphed into 10/8, then it morphed into QQ, then KK, then Q9. So I'm always tracking what's my hand of the week or month.

Great video, Brad! Since watching your videos my hourly has gone up exponentially! And I know it is because of your videos and advice. Thank you for all the great content!

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

I'm happy to hear that. Keep it up.

Keep it up man. I"m in middle of my downswing at the moment and get my ass kicked over and over. Just taking a break from cash games and playing tournaments only to minimize my losses.

Brad, Thanks for making this video. Variance is normal - glad you are handling it well.

Great video, thanks for sharing!

currently going through a downswing, thanks so much for this video!!!

Thanks Brad, I'm going trough 1 right now. Thanks for all your help

Solid video. Thanks for the insight. I’m currently in a down swing and it stated when I was playing at your table in red rock when I lost w Kings to your buddy who drilled the nut flush on the flop to me. Hoping I can be out of the down swing soon !

A good vid man. It really shows mindset is very important and personal problems are so bad for your game.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

That's a good message to take away from this. Thanks Jeroen.

Brad, 14 months ago I went on the worst downswing of my life. Minus 23k in 37 days. I took off from poker for almost a whole year and studied the game every single day. Since coming back 4 months ago I've won the most money of my life in Holdem and PLO cash games.. Yes I've had a few losing sessions in the last 4 months but I'm still plus 36k. I think the break and me studying every day greatly improved my game and elevated it to a whole other level. Nice video. Keep your head up.

Good vlog. Tough stuff you are talking about here. Necessary.

Good advice Brad. Thanks for the vlog.

Currently in the biggest downswing of my career. Feels bad man. But this helps a lot. Thanks for keeping it real.

@jeffcruver5688

5 жыл бұрын

That's what I'm currently going thru, lost another thousand yesterday. Cooler after cooler! It sucks big time.

Thanks! This vlog topic hit me just at the right time. I’ve been on a 6 session cooler which I’m sure most would say that’s nothing but I’ve not had more that 2 back to back losing sessions in recent memory. I’m in Arizona and only play low stakes 1-2 spread limit games (max bet is $100). The money I have lost has been poker winnings but I still hate to lose and I have really been wondering what’s wrong with me and my game. Just like you said I get stuck maybe a bit tilted, want to get unstuck so I open my range, play more hands and don’t get out soon enough even when I see the hand is going bad....then that forces a bluff to try and survive.....which in turn doesn’t usually work well. I’m going to take a break, read the suggested books and try and get my mind right and slowly get the $$ back. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks man, I'm going through a downswing now and that helps!

Brad, excellent video and advice. My avatar is in fact my graph of a downswing I suffered a few years ago. And it happened during a relationship breakup. Thankfully, both my poker results and personal life have greatly improved since then.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Downswings are especially brutal when dealing with personal issues simultaneously. I'm glad things have turned around for you.

Thanks for your honesty!!

im not a poker player but am a professional blackjack player who currently is on a down swing and really appreciated this video and got a couple tidbits to help my game! thank you!

Watched this twice. Going through one of these now. See you Monday at Playground where i need to bag a win!!! Thanks for these videos, they are great to watch

Thanks for this post Brad!!!

I really like the alarms idea, as often I'll tell myself to play a short session and find myself forgetting to leave, etc.

@williamr4053

5 жыл бұрын

Most casinos I've played at, if you're up in chips and you play for an hour, no one is going to look at you as a hit and run player.

This was very helpful thanks for posting

Thanks Brad, very helpful ! I'm on a down-swing right no also.

This was a great Vlog to watch after a day of run-bad. This Vlog gave me the right mind set to learn and not beat my self up. Had broadway and the nut flush draw and villain sucks out with full house on the river. My aces were busted by villain calling my opening pre-flop with 64 off. Thank you for your insight brad

@williamr4053

5 жыл бұрын

I play with players like that too. The key to those players is, they typically have a deeper stack of cash in their pocket and like to catch up in hands. They're not poker players who typically like favored hands preflop. They like the 64 off, the 73 off, and all the gapper hands like 35, 75, 108, and so on. They like the hands that can be easily disguised behind someone preflop raising to $50 or $100 and then they smooth call. They already know they're likely behind, but their poker game is to catch up on the flop or hit those limited outs on the river, which typically guarantees a big payoff for them, because they're playing for the river, not always the flop or turn.

First, I'm really sorry for the tough time U went thru. I miss Cosmo too ☹ I'm also going thru a downswing in my 2-5 game. I appreciate the videos from U, Andrew, etc. U guys really put a lot of good stuff. Also remember the acronym H.A.L.T. If U are... Hungry Angry Lonely or Tired U should NOT be playing.

Thanks Brad great info. I’m in my downswing now too and you’re right it happened once early last year. I’m actually played tighter and still lost, got drawn out on or AK AQ not hitting flop or after c-bet. Lost 5 sessions in a row, 12 buy ins. Lose big, win small is my usual. I’m taking a break and studying like you said. I know it turns around but it sucks now.

Thanks for sharing Brad 👍

Good advice, thanks Brad!

Great vid. Thanks Brad. (Sharing this)

Hey Brad, super useful video, I'm glad that you are out of the downswing now. Going to miss you guys in Montreal (I'm going this weekend instead of next weekend T_T, run bad), good luck at the MUG in Montreal

Great Video, Brad! :)

‘The Mental Game of Poker’ book is even better as an AUDIOBOOK. When you listen to Jared reading the words it feels like you are actually having a session with him mental coaching you. It is an awesome way to experience that book. I have both volume one and two on Audiobook.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

I'll have to check those out at some point.

Good advice. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing this when you're in the middle of your downswing. Very hard to do. Looking into your future, I see big cash pots, six-figure tournament scores, winning sessions with Phil Ivey and Doyle Brunson. Chin up and keep moving!

I just started following your vlog brad and absolutely love it! You have a lot of great content and I can't seem to get enough. One question I have is what app do you use to track your sessions?

Getting punished the past few days so this was actually nice to watch. Sometimes when I'm downswinging really bad I just go on full on life tilt and nothing makes me happy. It is nice to know others go through it.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

I hope all your flops are... good.

@RodJeez

2 жыл бұрын

What's the 3 year update?

@user-ld3si9iy6s

2 жыл бұрын

@@RodJeez Have played full time online cash since & got to the highest stakes available in the USA :) !

Way to go good and educational video

Hey Brad, great videos learning a lot. I was wondering if you have a video going over how to write down your hands in the moment. Maybe how you go about tracking them while at the table. Thanks man.

Cool video. Never thought about the alarm thing 👍🏻

Brad, fan from when u had 1k, subs. Dude one of ur best vids yet! Props to u and thru everything u went thru. WIsh only the best and to possibly winning a bracelet this summer? who knows.! Cheers my brother

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Haha, thanks Alex. Good luck to you man.

Hey Brad. i really enjoy watching your video, i think i am experiencing a really bad downswing starting from the beginning of the month. Whenever i had KK, the opponent had AA, beat by set over set, and flush over flush. But the real problem is my play is getting more passive and i couldnt maximize my profit.

Thanks for the advice brad! I took a break from poker came back played much better.

Good video. I've always applied #7 -- looking at my own graphs. I play almost strictly 1/2NL, and I have on a number of occasions dealt with $1K+ downswings. They really suck, but then I try to look at the big picture and realize that I'm still up over $15K lifetime.

Finally. A video I can relate to.

When I start running below Expected Value due to some bad beats, I go back and calculate what my stack would have been if I had gotten average luck, so AA vs KK I get ~80% of the pot even though they sucked out and I got 0%. When I run above EV, I just celebrate my good fortune!

Thanks for the content Brad. I personally couldn’t do what you do. I enjoy the game of poker but I wouldn’t want the stress of doing it full time and trying to make a living off of it. Plus, I would definitely be broke if I tried to do that. Good luck with everything.

Thanks for this. I was close to giving up on everything. I bought in at a 1/2 table for $100 and in 3 hours made $864 ($764 profit) and it was great. Went back next day, lost 300. No big deal. Next day, broke even. Now after a few days I'm at -$1000 and it just feels unreal. Like, I'm losing to garbage players, garbage hands. Its just sick. I don't know when it will end but I hope it's soon. Thanks brad. 🤘🏻

Great video and advice

I love the content 👍👍

Real stuff i was actually thinking about moving up during my current downswing but not anymore and yeah i tried to get it all back in 1 session smh good luck

I'm a full on rec player and I'm only up about $2500 for the year mostly playing $1-2 cash. Have played a little bit of $2-5, but I was a novice when I played it and gave away too much cash. During 1Q this year, I was up $3200 and then April came and I took a $1600 hit in a month. I like that you hit on some good points. During my downswing, I stepped up to $2-5 to try and recoup some losses. I've mostly just been going up and down. I created a spreadsheet, similar to yours, to where I can track which day, date, or month makes me the most money. I found that Sundays and Mondays were lean for me, so I don't play on those days. Been watching your vlogs, and you love AK. In my home town AK gets absolutely wrecked, so it's interesting to see how much value you put preflop into 2 over cards, suited or not.

As someone that went through a couple year period with a TERRIBLE mental state at the poker table, about 6 months ago I made conscious effort to maintain mental balance at the table and to not punt stacks out or boredom/irritation etc. Assuming that your skill alone allows you to be a winning player at the stakes you play, I think the mental aspect of the game is the single most important part of your win-rate when you play regularly. It's hard to teach this because it's an intangible, but I know people who are vastly more skilled that their counterpart yet they consistently make less money at the table because their mental game suffers. Staying in a clear mental state consistently can overshadow almost any leak you have in your game and allow you to consistently profit even if you aren't a "crusher" at the table.

The Bradley wave gets me every time 😂😂😂😂😂

some solid tips, important content! Dealing with similar downswing as i start my poker travels / vloggy thing. I think i may employ the in-session alarm, i like that idea a lot. I do a similar thing with a visual cue on my chipstack for certain mental game things i want to work on mid-session; the alarm idea may be a better, more tech-savvy version of that! Glad you're out of it, capn.

Great stuff Brad. Not the easiest to share your bad stuff, I'm sure.

Any suggestions for apps to keep track of sessions?? Great video by the way always enjoy to watch!

Great video.

Great tips Brad. Keep crushing the felt so you have time to make videos for losing rec players like myself. :)

For me playing badly is more annoying than running bad. Nice vlog Brad lots of truth and good advice.

@BradOwenPoker

6 жыл бұрын

Same for me. Thanks Steve.