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View Full Version : breaking even


09-03-2005, 04:14 AM
I have 2 things--I play micros and break even most of the time--playing 2 to 4 tables online at a time. If I'm on caffeine (chocolate--don't drink coffee/tea) I can handle them. I'm trying to incorporate new starting hand (esp.) strategies but I never seem to loose continuously. If I was steadily loosing it would be one thing but I seem to be plateaued for months--winning and loosing cancelling each other out. Maybe I need to study the books more and play less--I feel pretty confident and comfortble at this level and would like to move up but not unless I'm really beating these smaller tables and not just breaking even.
Also, I recently got poker tracker and I had about 73,000 hands downloaded but they won't import because of a "lack of memory" error message. I can't seem to get my ID set for their forum so I'm not able to post for help with this.
Anybody know about this or plateauing?

MicroBob
09-03-2005, 04:27 AM
[ QUOTE ]
I never seem to loose continuously. If I was steadily loosing it would be one thing but I seem to be plateaued for months--winning and loosing cancelling each other out.

[/ QUOTE ]


This more or less describes almost every player in existence.
Everyone goes through their ups and downs and it is non-stop.

It has been said that most professional, winning players only win about 60% of their sessions that they play.

The long-term winners will win 6 out of every 10 sessions on average.
And the long-term losers will win just 4 out of every 10 sessions.

The fluctuations are great enough that almost every player out there can think they are 'mostly a winning player. I just need to remember to play like I did that one time I ran over the table.'
That's what great about poker.
even the losers think they are good players (and/or winners) because even they will still win enough to convince themselves that they are onto the correct strategy.

Just be sure YOU don't fall into this trap.

Get your pokertracker fixed (you can e-mail Pat directly if you are having problems).



Also - poker is more than just starting-hand guidelineds.
Post-flop play is WAY more important.

Read the following:
Getting Started in Holdem by Ed Miller
Winning low Limit Holdem 3rd edition by Lee Jones
Small Stakes Holdem by Ed Miller

also read over various hand-histories and discussions in the micro-limit strategy forum here on 2+2.

09-03-2005, 05:55 AM
Thanks. I emailed Pat (didn't know I could). Those are the three books that I read except I don't have the new 3rd edition by Lee Jones(I hear it's got some good additions including a section about online poker).
So you're saying even though I may feel good about my play much of the time, if I was into correct strategy I would be winning that 60% of the time instead of the 50 I seem to hover around. I agree. Even though I've read virtually every word of those three books, practice is what makes the concepts effective winners in a game. Knowing and doing are two different things.
I guess postflop play really takes about 80% of the time and preflop 20% to learn if you were to categorize it like that--postflop is much more complicated.

Also, I will look into the micro limit forum.

Thanks.