Why we make dumb plays

[CFANG]

I'm curious if anyone was looked into the psychology of making plays we know to be bad. I know my play is usually decent but sometimes playing i'll make moves that as soonas I'v made them I say "why the hell did i just do that". I don't mean a bad read but just something plain dumb I shoulden't have done. I figured this was the best place to post this as i'm shure more developping players have this happen from time to time.

[Miffed22001]

This is most definatly a problem i suffered from when i was more newb than i am. I actually did it yesterday for the first time in a long time with guess what?! rockets!

My solution was to post a post-it note next to the computer with the things i did and to consult the note every new card every hand i was involved in. Also, as AOKrognly suggested i wrote down my mistakes a hundred times and soon i started to think before i made a donk play.
What is it then?
Patience and discipline!
But you need to helpyourself. SO i reccomend you make a note of the supid things you do, then when u do one quit poker for the day and write out ALL the mistakes 100 times, not just the one you did!
I found i stopped doing it instantly

[r8ed]

Even the pros do it. There is only one player who never makes a bad play - Phil Helmuth.

[BeeJall]

Even the pros do it. There is only one player who never makes a bad play - Phil Helmuth.

lmao.

[Pelion]

post hand histories on the forum even if you know you did something wrong and you know what it was AND you know it was really really reeeeaaaallly stupid. The embaressment of it will help you remember to not do it again

[Lidius]

ego, boredom, emotional committment.

[EricE]

Not paying attention. Last night I called a small turn bet and put in a 4xbb bet on the river to put my opp all in.
My hand, 99
The board: AAQ
Turn: Q
If I had 2 brain cells devoted to this table I would have seen that even if I hit my set on the river I was drawing dead.
River: 9……where I managed to go through the motions of putting him all in before my brain kicked in to tell me I was beaten. Blah. Punishment is posting my stupid play.

[biondino]

I have something similar. I have KK - flop is KA3. Nice - player 1 raises 8xBB, player 2 calls, I call. Turn is another 3 - player 1 pushes, but it's less than half pot size, player 2 calls and I call. River is an ace, and the player 2 goes all in, which covers me.

THIS IS THE EASIEST FOLD EVER. But of course I didn't even think about it - I had a boat, kings full of aces!

(I came third, btw - beaten by the inevitable Aces full of 3s, and the slightly less inevitable quad 3s)

[chardrian]

*Imagine the bully from the Simpson's voice when I say* HA HA!

I almost did the insta-call here as well but keeping my damn finger off the mouse saved my ass for once. As my hand was approaching the mouse I had the slow-motion "OOHHHHHHHH SSSHHHIIITTT" realization that my soon to be 75k (PAS was gonna call any bet with his A there) just went up in smoke on that river. I went on to win this tourney. *Looking for the pat myself on the back icon or the everyone suck my schlong cuz I RULE icon*


*********** # 188 **************
PokerStars Game #3254068060: Tournament #16100149, Hold'em No Limit - Level X
(400/800) - 2005/12/05 - 23:30:46 (ET)
Table '16100149 13' Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: chardrian (36332 in chips)
Seat 2: RockinRic75 (4644 in chips)
Seat 4: imdavev (15819 in chips)
Seat 6: bridgman (31439 in chips)
Seat 7: WIZ69 (7985 in chips)
Seat 9: P.A.S. (38826 in chips)
chardrian: posts the ante 50
RockinRic75: posts the ante 50
imdavev: posts the ante 50
bridgman: posts the ante 50
WIZ69: posts the ante 50
P.A.S.: posts the ante 50
RockinRic75: posts small blind 400
imdavev: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to chardrian [9c Qh]
bridgman: folds
WIZ69: folds
P.A.S.: calls 800
chardrian: calls 800
RockinRic75: folds
imdavev: checks
*** FLOP *** [As 9h 9s]
imdavev: checks
P.A.S.: bets 4000
chardrian: calls 4000
imdavev: calls 4000
*** TURN *** [As 9h 9s] [4c]
imdavev: checks
P.A.S.: bets 2400
chardrian: raises 5600 to 8000
imdavev: folds
P.A.S.: calls 5600
*** RIVER *** [As 9h 9s 4c] [Ah]
P.A.S.: bets 25976 and is all-in
chardrian: folds
chardrian said, "lol what a lucky river"
P.A.S. collected 31100 from pot
imdavev said, "had A 10 damn it"
P.A.S.: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 31100 | Rake 0
Board [As 9h 9s 4c Ah]
Seat 1: chardrian (button) folded on the River
Seat 2: RockinRic75 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: imdavev (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 6: bridgman folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: WIZ69 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: P.A.S. collected (31100)