The procrastination of a downswing

I know a poker player named Bob. Bob hates moving down limits. He knows that sometimes he has to, and when that happens he does it, reluctantly. Bob has good bankroll management, and it helps to keep Bob in the game.

What doesn't help to keep Bob in the game is what happens after he moves down. He gripes, he complains, and he doesn't play. He looks for every excuse not to play at the lower level. He's taking a vacation. He's working on a novel. He's learning to play a new game. Anything but play the game he knows he can do well at if only he puts his butt in the chair and does it.

And when he does play, his attitude is mostly about how his life is woe, how terrible poker has become, and how he's never going to be successful. I can't prove that he wins a lot less because of that, but it sure seems like he should.

If Bob was a little more resilient, and a little more determined, he could clean up at the lower level and be back to the top in no time. But he doesn't do that, so he ends up staying there, miserable, for much longer than he has to.

Don't be Bob.