Did you ever have to take a long break from playing poker, for any reason? How did it feel to come back? Did you play your a-game right away? Did you pick up things from where you left them?
Personally, after a two-year period away from the game I find it difficult to adjust. For me, it definitely isn’t like riding a bike.
I mean that some functions are already integrated and appear somehow like reflexes, p.e. my range is still the nitty one I had before, my betting size is standard as always.
On the other hand, my mental game is practically non-existent. I either play timidly or over-confidently. I know my hand’s strength, but I cannot range the opponent’s hand. I deal with bad beats like an absolute beginner. I have diminished patience, so I tend to get fancy or reckless.
I overplay decent hands a lot and I tend to think that opponents betting strongly are holding crap and only try to intimidate me and make me fold my good hand. As a result I make way too many hero calls.
All this does kind of work somehow for me in small stakes cash games, especially zoom type, where there are no reads and tells between opponents, so in theswe I am marginally profitable whenever I play them, but they are a disaster in tournaments.
Do you know the saying: “If after a while you haven’t spotted the sucker on the table, it’s probably you”?
Well, it’s true. I usually am.
p.e. I recently played a PLO tourney for my League and in the first half hour I became the chipleader. 1st/18/18 the table reminded me. After a couple of bad decisions (which I knew were bad the moment I made them, always thinking “as if…”), I avallanched to 12/12/18 and with my “tough-nut-chip’n’achair” attitude I managed to survive until 8/8/18. In earlier times I would at least have made it to top 3, if not taken the blasted thing down…
To sum things up, my game is not the same. Of course it didn’t improve, but it didn’t deteriorate that much either.
In hard facts, after a month and a half. my bankrolls are like that:
In one site I am break even.
In the other I lost some $50 playing tourneys and made $10 from free-rolls and $10 from fast poker, so I am $30 down.
In the third, where my balance was zeroed, I managed to put some cents via free-rolls.
In our beloved Replay I am up some 200K, thanks to free-rolls and daily gifts.
It seems that after all this time I can still play semi-decent poker, but I cannot play good poker. I mean as good as I used to. I was never a shark, but I wasn’t a losing player either. In fact I was winning a little.
Something needed to be done to square my head back.The solution I found to that is taking part in the poker community forums, to help me get re-acquainted with the poker way of thinking. Strategy is a cornerstone of playing, but the mental game is the steel supporting the building.
Have you ever had to take long breaks from the tables, for any reason? Work, health, family, studies or any other issues? How did that affect you? How did you feel when you returned to playing poker? Did you experience similar or other problems? How did you cope?
My suggestion at this point is to review and remember what the probabilities of a winning hand are from Royal Flush down to a High Card for the different Streets.
I know it’s pretty basic but people forget what they are. You always have to be able to calculate your OUTS.
Starting poker recently has been a ride.
Nailing down the basics with range and betting size, but the mental game is wild!
Bad beats hit differently, and finding the balance between caution and confidence is so difficult.
Forum discussions are becoming my go-to for sharpening the game.
Any newcomers relate to these early challenges?
Playing poker is definitely not like riding a bike. You do get rusty during long (months to years) breaks (or at least I do) and one has to start from almost zero again.
So why there was a break to begin with? I guess poker just didn’t feel that important to me, and it still doesn’t. I have failed to create the passion and belief that poker might change my life.
Hi, PsychoVas.
I have played online since 2003 but after 2013 I no longer play for “serious” money. Just for fun and some extra pocket money.
Even if it’s only a hobby for me I have lost my passion many times and quit poker several times in the last 10 years.
But as the saying goes: you don’t quit poker - poker quits you.
So I have been away for up to two years but always come back for more.
Luckily for me, I now play mostly very low stakes compared to what I used to. So even if poker today especially online is much tougher than during the poker boom I can still win at low-level cash games (under 10NL) - and for MTTs, I try to stay with freerolls or Play Money. Can’t lose money if you don’t spend money.
Joining a forum like here on Replay Poker or for example, CardsChat is a great way to learn from the collective wisdom and diverse perspectives offered by fellow players. This can be invaluable in sharpening your skills and bolstering your mental fortitude.
But the most important thing is that you must have a passion for poker and think that it’s fun and entertaining.
Very hard to learn things or get better if you don’t enjoy what you are doing.
I have taken breaks from poker of various lengths of time. Sometimes for several months. Whenever I come back to it, I feel that my skills decline a bit, but come back fairly quickly. When I say “skills,” I mean just as a fairly decent recreational player. When I have been playing for the past few years, I feel like I am kind of playing on “auto-pilot” and often lose my patience. I also tend to gamble more since I have not been playing for much real money. However, in order to keep improving, I think you have to make a concerted effort to study the game and to play when you have the correct mindset to be focused. As playbetter said above, you need to have a passion for the game and truly enjoy learning and playing if you really want to get better. My passion for the game comes and goes. When I don’t feel it, I don’t play for real money.
Lately I play less , far less than I used to . But I haven’t stopped playing completely poker . But I can understand what you say . It’s up to you to try and find some good games to play or some ways to improve your gameplay . When game changes , things usually become harder . You have to find it by yourself , easy to say but hard to do it . I wish you good luck for your comeback
Try yo follow bankroll management , strictly at the poker rooms where you cannot win easily or where you have losses . Now we have less freerolls at CC , but still there are many freerolls at many sites ,vans some free sats to build a small bankroll . Hard to accomplish , but it can be done .
I recount difficulties in returning to poker after a two-year hiatus, noting a decline in my mental game. Challenges include hesitancy, overconfidence, and misreading opponents.
Despite maintaining some skills, like hand ranges and betting, results vary, with losses and neutral outcomes.
Engaging in poker forums to improve, my narrative offers insights into the struggles of resuming the game after a long break. Its hard but its a moving progress
Yes, I’ve taken long breaks away from poker mainly when I face a long streak of losing money at the tables.
And anytime I take the break I almost start from the beginnings, the fundamentals. I re-examine me preflop ranges, my blinds play, I try to watch valuable videos on Youtube, I try to find high quality articles on the internet, etc. Also participating in poker forums is quite helpful. Sometimes getting back after the long absence comes with good play, but some other times I continue to have problems. I think that 2,5 years was my biggest time away from poker.
One thing that always helps me is to follow good bankroll management and to play at the lowest stakes I can afford.
I took a long break of almost 7 years when I entered college. I found poker when I was a teenager, but when I found myself with almost no time to study, I had to not play. At that moment, poker was not that important. There were other priorities. Life is like that. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been if I had continued playing. I played when games were much different from now. They were much tighter. There were no solvers back then. Not even AIs.
When I came back last year, I had to come back into studying if I wanted to have any chances. Being part of a community can help, but I believe it just depends on your determination to study and improve. If you have any serious expectations about the game, this is a must. No one can improve and get better only by playing. Even if you don’t have expectations and play for pure fun, poker is more funny when we win, and in order to win you need to study a minimum amount to don’t be a big whale.
You know what helps me? Playing what I enjoy. I really like mixed games in general, other variants that are not Hold’em. And they help me to stay motivated and having fun, while trying to improve. I wish you can find your way and that you find in poker a good source of pleasure and fun!!
Breaks often serve to recharge your energy, what you learn in poker, how to play in position, what range you should play, the basis of poker itself you never forget, the difference is that in poker you need to be focused , and after a long break it may take a while for you to get into that rhythm again.
I believe that taking a short break from poker can even be positive for you to come back more motivated.
It is like riding a bike, hard to forget:).
Hi PsychoVas,
a really nice topic!
In my opinion it is necessary that you take a long(er) break from poker, because sometimes you get a bit frustrated if you dont reach a higher level or you got a downswing and your bankroll is smelting.
how long is a longer break, i would say this is a personal thing because if you play 5-6 times poker a week, then a long break from poker would be a round about 2-3 weeks(maybe holidays).
If you are a poker player who plays only on weekends for 4-6 hours then i would say a longer break is round about 2-3 months.
In the past i had some longer breaks from 2 weeks to 6 months and i have to say you must have the feeling that you want to play poker more than dooing other things/hobbies.
Greets and good luck 
I am back from just over a two year break, for the second time.
Playing too many hands is the (my) biggest issue when I returned (both times). The first return, my game improved as soon as I wrote myself an opening chart and stuck with it. After a few days of problems this time around, I returned to my tight opening chart. It resulted in a first place, first game I used it.
I still have a few post flop issues, but the chart helps eliminate pre flop problems. I wish Replay Poker was compatible with HUDs, so reviewing hands was easier.
I took up online poker while recovering from a back injury in the early 2000s and was inspired by watching late night poker on channel 4 in the UK. I had a lot of time flat on my back and had also got my first lap top. I played for a couple of years. I became quite obsessed and read and watched everything I could to get better, but my problem was regardless of my slow and steady bankroll building I would screw it all up in one drunken hour. I am happy I learned the less popular games though. I then realised as my back got better, that I was spending to much time sitting on my fat ass and gave it up after about two and a half years. And that was it until I joined replay, so about a 20 year gap.
I am happy sat at home of a night now that I’m a bit older and less inclined to going out every night.
If I returned to real money play I would only play it like a sports bet, maybe a $50 buy in once a week in a HORSE tournament or similar. Even without good skills you can have a good night and the run of the cards, as long as you know the basics of course.
I have taken breaks any time when I’ve lose a lot of money in cash games,everytime this breaks for me it’s a good reset,because you can lose all ant be very tilted,but everytime I came back stronger without any difficulties.
In my opinion a break in poker it’s “a must have” for every player for time to time,poker does’t change that easy
Well, I’m a newbie and I learned to play about 3 months ago, I never took a break lol… but so, did you manage to recover your performance?
I’ve been playing poker for about 15 years, and I’ve had a lot of walks away from poker in that time, sometimes it’s been because of bad streaks, other times because I just didn’t enjoy it anymore. It doesn’t change anything for me if I don’t play poker for a year, I don’t think my level will go down because of that. On the contrary, when I come back with a real desire to play, I play my best game
Normally when i start losing in Poker i take longer breaks. It’s very important for the mindset in my opinion. And when i come back from a longer break, i normally feel very fresh and my play is better and more patient.
One down side is that i am bit rusty in certain rare spots after not playing for some time.