beginner\'s help
 

I also posted this on the 'poker theory' forum, but since I play small stakes and you all seen to be knowledgeable and helpful, I thought I'd seek advice here as well. Read on!

I've been playing online since March of this year, and I'm beginning to learn the intricacies of the game, but I can't seem to get up. I'm down a significant bit since I started playing, and I would like to start keeping statistics to try and analyze how I'm playing and hopefully begin to start playing better. The two questions I have are:
1. How do I keep stats?, and
2. What do they mean?

I would also like to be able to post hands on this forum to elicit adivice, but I also don't know how to do that either.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Re: beginner\'s help
 

Try wwww.pokertracker.com

Re: beginner\'s help
 

- www.pokertracker.com
- use Excel to keep track of your sessions

Re: beginner\'s help
 

thanks guys. As I've seen, I should wait until I get until about 10,000 hands to really begin to see how I'm doing?

Re: beginner\'s help
 

after like 300 or 500 hands you can see how you play preflop. it'll take a lot of hands to get a good idea of whether you're a winning player.

Re: beginner\'s help
 

What games are youplaying online?

Re: beginner\'s help
 

I started on party poker, and I think I began at .50/1, but I began moving up quickly, and not because my bankroll was getting bigger. I began reading several books, and I thought I was beggining to understand how to play, but I moved up to 2/4, then 3/6, and while I won at first because I got some good cards, I lost a bundle quickly. I worked my way back up playing in single table tournaments, almost got back to even after a few months, but couldn't quite maintain it. I am now on Ultimate Bet, and I feel pretty comfortable with the games there, but I have a tough time at party poker because no matter what level I play (although I haven't played 3/6/ in a long time there) I feel like I get sucked out way too often. I am now playing .50/1 at UB trying to build my bankroll.

Re: beginner\'s help
 

It sounds like you might be under rolled. You want to have at least 300 BB (big bets) available in your poker bank roll. So if you were playing .5/1 you should have $300 available for poker. As long as you have enough money you shouldn't be worrying about bad beats. Part of becoming a winning player is not caring about the outcome of any individual hand. As long as you play each hand correctly, the swings will work themselves out in the long run.

Re: beginner\'s help
 

Being a beginner myself, I'll offer these recommendations besides sthief's and others.
<ul type="square">[*]Read all you can stand, and then some. Small Stakes Hold 'Em, Internet Texas Hold-em, Winning Low-Limit Hold'em, are three I recommend to start with.
[*]Drop down in the limits in which you are playing. Everyone recommends a 300 big bet bankroll to begin play at the limit. So if you are playing 0.50/$1, you need $300. There is also talk on this forum of when to move down if you lose a certain portion of your bankroll. I don't remember details, but if you get down to 150 big bets bankroll in a short time, drop down to next level.
[*]Read, read, read, and post, post, post in this forum.[/list]
You're reading this forum, and asking for help, so that's also huge. Good luck

Re: beginner\'s help
 

[ QUOTE ]
I have a tough time at party poker because no matter what level I play (although I haven't played 3/6/ in a long time there) I feel like I get sucked out way too often. I am now playing .50/1 at UB trying to build my bankroll.

[/ QUOTE ]

You simply do not understand how to make money in poker. To the original poster, disregard what I quoted immediately, for these are the words of somebody doomed to .5/1 for life.