The swings in this game are so rough

[Weez]

I’m not the best player, I just started a few months ago, but it feels like the way your luck swings in this game can be maddening, especially if you’re trying to rank up. By this I don’t just mean bad starting hands…by bad streaks I mean for example not dealing in to any hands in the match but still ending up fourth because the one monster hand someone tsumos happens to be on your dealer turn, tying for 3rd but actually getting 4th because of the stupid tiebreak system, having to discard a winning tile you normally never would but are presently because of how monster of a hand you almost have, having winning discard tiles constantly show up in your hand as if the system is trying to make you lose, being able to almost complete hands early but then drawing complete ♥♥♥♥ from then on, losing your 12 tile wait to a middle wait/gutshot riichi, accidentally touching the I don’t want to call anything button and then having someone discard your ron, oh yeah…dealing into 13 orphans…twice (♥♥♥♥ that cool win animation unless it’s for me), etc, etc. All happening in in the same time frame. Like I played poker for a living previously, I understand how luck streaks can work, but this tilts me so much more for some reason. I’m not even playing for money, just internet points, but this game has made me so angry…it really makes me ashamed. I’ve had good streaks of luck as well in this game, but they were definitely not as long as the bad ones. I just wish I could have uh I guess something more in the middle, like average luck I suppose. Not too good, not too bad would be perfect.

And is it just me or does it feel like the luck usually congregates around one person each match? Not all the time but I would say it happens pretty often where one person just makes a bunch of hands and is calling riichi every game. Is that normal? Idk I’m just venting. I’ve been stuck in Dan 3 for weeks. I don’t think I’m ever making it further.

[lynx_b7r]

half the game is keeping your head cool. when you focus on one person or focus on your past matches too much, youre thinking about your streak not how to win your hand. sometimes you are forced down a losing streak but you have to really take a break and walk away. playing with your head in knots is a self fulfilling prophecy and you will only lose more and more playing against opponents that are in a better state.

thats just my ramblings of course, ive went down a similar path and i play this game maybe like once a month just enjoying the feel of the game i could care less if i rank up or down

[Kalnan]

Yeah, there's the illusion of skill. And when you did everything formally correct and you're ending up last, which is a possibility, it's infuriating.
There are some basic principles but if it were mainly about any semblance of skill, you wouldn't start in the middle of a new Dan when you rank you - why the safety distance? - and the flat number pools of the Dan grades wouldn't get larger. Why does a Dan 4 need fewer games to demote than a Dan 6?
It's solely a question of understanding some principles and then waiting for your time to get pushed into the next pool. The higher you get pushed the less likely it is to demote. A high Dan is more a sign of invested time than anything else.

I found Sun a little bit more stable, made it to Dan 5, before I left for the competition. Yes, I'd say in one of 5 matches one person is heavily favoured by the table.