As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

Hi everyone,
Just a nube here. Really perhaps a returning fish. Played live stud years ago. Now trying online HE.

Of you folks that have successfully managed to either earn a living at it, or just plain be profitable at it, how long were you in the red before you turned it around? What made the difference?

Or have some of you managed to be on the black side of the balance sheet from day 1? (And how?)

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it aro
 

I've been in the black since day 1.... but hey I started out with a 2$ trial at paradise poker and the .02/.04 tables are ofcourse extremely soft...... if your a big fish I would always recommend to start at the micro limit tables.. and just keep trying to improve your game from there...

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

I was in the red for probably about a bit over a month starting out playing .5/1. The difference....serious study including books, 2+2 etc.

I think how you start out really just depends on the luck you have. You may get lucky and start out winning right away. Even if someone could be defined as a winning player compared to their competition when they're starting, they could just as easily start out in the red depending on how the deck hits them.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

i'm no carp/pooh or anything but listen to Qtip. In the beginning you have such a small sample size you can be making the right plays, whether you realize it or not, and still be in the red due to the way the cards come. the big key is to know why you are doing what you are doing, and to have a strategy for what to do next based on the future possible scenarios that present themselves. above all else, READ 2+2 books to learn the theory, and LISTEN to the experienced posters, some are dicks but they know what they are talking about.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

I was a losing player for a full month at .5/1. Alcohol was good for my lose rate, as well as the fact that I wasn't always sure whether a flush beat a straight. So I got a hand rankings web page loaded and that helped a bit. Then I had a starting hands chart from some book which helped a bit too. I dropped a full 1K at that limit and during that time bought some books and I've been a 1.5BB/hr winner ever since.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it aro
 

[ QUOTE ]
I was in the red for probably about a bit over a month starting out playing .5/1. The difference....serious study including books, 2+2 etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lost my first $200 deposit on .5/1 and SnG's. Learned how to play and the second deposit has been good to me.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

I was in the red for about 2 months playing a weak/tight Lee Jones style with some leaks of course. Can't tell you how many times I wanted to quit, knowing I was playing quality cards and still being -3BB/100 for some time. Having such a losing streak at the beginning was humbling though.

Just kept playing quality cards, re-read SSHE about 30 times, read a lot of posts here. Unwillingness to give up a loser is what motivated me. This game can be beaten if you have the stomach to ride the swings.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

My advice is to find an intelligent friend or two or eight (who you actually see on a day-to-day basis) with whom you can discuss poker. I was a serviceable and infrequent player until about a year ago, at which point I started playing much more regularly and, more importantly, talking A LOT about poker with a couple of skilled (but not much more experienced) friends of mine. The forums are an amazing resource but I think being able to shoot ideas back and forth even more thoroughly is even better...

If you play only online and don't know many other *good* (or at least committed-to-learning) players, get everything out of this board you can. Get to know some posters... pm them, use AIM, etc...

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

Also a newbie and this is my first post on 2+2. been playing 3-6 B&M for 3 months on weekends. Broke even first time out, been in the black ever since. Studied SSHE, TOP and other 2+2 books for months before I started playing. Currently + $900, ave $24/hr live. Have heard that this rate is not sustainable and variance is working to my favor but time will tell... games are VERY soft at the Indian casino where I am playing

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Also a newbie and this is my first post on 2+2. been playing 3-6 B&M for 3 months on weekends. Broke even first time out, been in the black ever since. Studied SSHE, TOP and other 2+2 books for months before I started playing. Currently + $900, ave $24/hr live. Have heard that this rate is not sustainable and variance is working to my favor but time will tell... games are VERY soft at the Indian casino where I am playing

[/ QUOTE ]

You are on a good run.

40 hands an hour or so (and that is generous), $24/$6 = 6BB/hr. This means your winning at a rate of 15BB/hr.

Even a top level pro might is only going to average 4BB/100 in a soft game.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Also a newbie and this is my first post on 2+2. been playing 3-6 B&M for 3 months on weekends. Broke even first time out, been in the black ever since. Studied SSHE, TOP and other 2+2 books for months before I started playing. Currently + $900, ave $24/hr live. Have heard that this rate is not sustainable and variance is working to my favor but time will tell... games are VERY soft at the Indian casino where I am playing

[/ QUOTE ]

Live, I believe you'll get about 40 hands/hour in right (I think that's generous, but I'm not positive)? So, you're saying that you're getting 4 big bets in about 40 hands. So, you're talking about running at 10 big bet for every hundred hands and probably better than that because I don't think you'll get 40 hands in an hour.

I don't care if you're playing with 6 year old children at your local elementary school, you'll not maintain that rate...though you probably won't believe it yet.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

I was lucky in that I read HEFAP, Winning Low Limit Poker, as well as a few other books before I played a hand for real money. I started out at .5/1 and killed that game, since then I've moved up levels (thanks to a few big tournament wins coupled with my cash game winnings) and have never had a month where i was not in the black. I think the common thread here is that study has to be coupled with experience, and the study must be continuous. You cannot stop, thinking you have learned it all.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

I believe you Q-tip; I'm on a good streak but not sure by how much. At 30 sessions I will calculate standard deviation as MM recommends. I am at 35-40 hands/hr and very doubtful that 4BB/hr is sustainable. But I am playing with people at schoolkid level of expertise... very loose and passive.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it aro
 

I've never, ever been in the red playing poker. My brother and I played 20$ 7card stud spread limit (.25 - 3 I think) freezeouts when I first started playing. I ended up about 140$ from those, and I've never been down since.

I got really close when I deposited my first money online. I dropped 250$ down to 8$, which put me near the even mark, but I grinded that 8$ into my current 5/10 bankroll + profits. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

For god sakes dont do what I did. I started out playing Hold'em home games in AK and instantly crushed the games. Went out and read supersystem and thought I was a winning player. Then I went down to seattle for a few months and lost my ass off at live 4-8.

Im in the Black now though. For me it started turning around towards the end of my stay in Seattle just kinda picking it up on my own and with my friend coaching and discussing poker with me. Then I picked up SSH and started reading the forums a couple of hours a day and occasionly participating. I cant overstate how good of a learning tool the 2+2 books and this forum are.

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it around?
 

not sure how many testimonials you want, but I'll give you mine.

I won a $2 jackpot on UB playing on their play tables. I managed to build that to about $35 by coming in 2nd in some $1 tourny. I played micro limits .01/.02 limit and .02/.04 NL for nearly a year. I never really got any good (though I thought I was back then) until I found a regular home game with guys that understand how to play. I read SSHE at the end of last year. Between SSHE improving my play and going on the bonus whore tour described in this link :

http://tinyurl.com/6pxwa

I'm not sure how accurate all the stuff in there is as its an old post, but most of it should work... and you can check out bonuswhores.com (look for a link from these boards so that 2+2 gets their due).

I've built up a BR where I'm playing 5/10 comfortably.

so, I've never been in the black - mostly because I was lucky!

ThisHo

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it aro
 

Hi ThisHo,
I'll take all the input I can get. This is like my other interest, recording. Meaning I'm always up for a discussion. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Granted I've always found it very hard to read through hand descriptions. Unfortunately I'm a bit on the graphic side and need to see things. I suppose I'll be working on a way to post hands that is easy on the eyes as I progress.

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: As a beginner, how long were you in the red, how\'d you turn it aro
 

Like everyone else said a lot of it at first depends on luck. When I first started I put fifty bucks in party poker on my birthday. Sat down at the .5/1 and 1/2 tables. Went down ten bucks and realized I was just going to blow my money. Tried to cash out, realized I had to have at least $50 to cash out. Said I'd play until I got $50 and then cash out. Well, next time I looked I was at $100. Proceeded to go up a couple hundred bbs in the next 3 or 4 days. That is when I realized I was a horribly player. I had a VPIP of like 35, pfr of 3, aggro of around 1, lol. Read some books, tweaked my game, and now I'm crushing 2/4 and 3/6 (until they added 6max) over 20,000 hands. I was very very lucky they I ran so lucky at the beginning, or else I probably would have quit poker early.