Wierd Post

I have been playing poker for about 3 years. Actually started 3/6 B&M, taught for 1 hour by a friend (he won like 70g last year!), and crushed the game, 14 str8 wins of 300$ + before ay losses. Even after that I ran win rates like 85% of the time. So I started playing online, and have read every book available. Online started out as break even, then profitable. Played NL at first online, then moved to limit. I was successful at .5/1, then moved to 1/2, 3/6, and in the last few months have been profitable at 5/10. I cashed out 9g or so last year, and 2500 last month. Avg $900 a month from jan-june. This month, I have rebought 5 times (50 bucks each and one hundred) and cant break into the W column. I played .5/1, 1/2, and a few sit n gos and simply cannot win. Usually I throw on 50 bucks, start at the small games to build a roll, build up to 3/6 sometimes 5/10, then cash out. I feel like the cards are cold and the beats have been shitty but I just dont see that as being the whole issue. Maybe im overthinking poker? Is that possible? 1 whole month of cold and unprofitable game. Before the months started, I bought PT, and started posting on this online site. I am wondering if I am just overthinking or burning myself out, I havent ever had an unprofitable streak over 1 week before. Anyone have any suggestions or similar issues???????
thanks
chris

[DeathDonkey]

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Anyone have any suggestions

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Commit to keeping accurate records so you don't have to lie to yourself or guess how you are doing. Keep a log of all live sessions. You said you bought Pokertracker, what is it telling you? What are your stats like? Over how many hands?

Learn bankroll management instead of running hot and moving up limits and then cashing out and starting over.

-DeathDonkey

pokertracker is telling me I am 28% preflop, this is all 6max play. My aggression is like 1.6. Will get other stats and post as soon as im back home. AA and KK and AKo are my most unprofitable hands right now! I have had my aa or kk cracked roughly 65% of my play, mostly by 2 pr (on the river) and i bet them aggressively! I think bankroll managment is important but at the same time im a college student who enjoyes the extra poker income and cant put the 1800 or so i really need online.
cdl

[J. Stew]

It is possible you are bringing the mindset of, "since i've been a winning player in the past I should be a winning player in the future" to the table. If you have developed a certain strategy that has worked in the past you may be sticking to that strategy without adjusting it to the present table. You've been playin for a long time so you know what do I think but you may be second guessing yourself because you've been losing lately. All you can do is play the current hand as best as you can taking in all the factors like who your opponents are, what are your cards, what's the texture of the board . . . In this sense it is not possible to overthink a hand. Thinking is what makes you play the hand correctly but if you are carrying a mindset with you that because you won before you should win now, then that may be making you second guess the line of thinking that ultimately sees the correct play. If you remember that all you can do is play the hand correctly then it takes the unnecessary stress of winning away and helps you keep your focus on playing your A game.

[Greg J]

I think the first thing you need to do is ask yrself this question: how much do I know about poker? This includes not only table skills, poker theory and odds calculating, but also bankroll management. Be honest w/ yrself -- which is hard. I think you may find you have been stumbling around in the dark.

I would recomend getting "The Psychology of Poker" by Al Schoonmaker.

have read that book, and about every book, have won the 5 rebuy on stars, countless mtt's, and have an acct on every site. I know a ton about poker, poker theory, odds, preflop odds, and most other things. My bankroll managment sucks but mostly its effected by the fact that im in college student and cant invest what i would like to into poker right now. needless to say, i can always learn a lot more. people dont stumble in the dark through 3 years of profitable playing.
cdl

good thoughts, appreciate it. Makes sense, i need to focus less on entire session, and just play each hand to the max.
cdl

[SCfuji]

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have read that book, and about every book, have won the 5 rebuy on stars, countless mtt's, and have an acct on every site. I know a ton about poker, poker theory, odds, preflop odds, and most other things.

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so what is the point in looking to this forum for help?

[macdaddy991]

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have read that book, and about every book, have won the 5 rebuy on stars, countless mtt's, and have an acct on every site. I know a ton about poker, poker theory, odds, preflop odds, and most other things.

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so what is the point in looking to this forum for help?

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Are you trying to convince us, or convince yourself?

[Greg J]

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have read that book, and about every book, have won the 5 rebuy on stars, countless mtt's, and have an acct on every site. I know a ton about poker, poker theory, odds, preflop odds, and most other things. My bankroll managment sucks but mostly its effected by the fact that im in college student and cant invest what i would like to into poker right now. needless to say, i can always learn a lot more. people dont stumble in the dark through 3 years of profitable playing.
cdl

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Hmmm. Methinks thou dost protest too much. Besides, you came here looking for advise remember?

Anyhow, proper bankroll management is a necessary but not sufficient condition to be a winning player. You need to start a poker dedicated bankroll and let it grow if you want to be a semi-serious poker player. $50 and $100 deposits don't leave you properly rolled for much of anything at Party. For limit, you should have at a minimum 300 bbs. I like more of a comfort zone personally, but 300 should do you if you are a winner. Take $300 and say "this is poker money." Don't touch it -- at least for a while. I don't care if you want to really impress that hot girl from Sociology 101 with a nice dinner to try to get some (or the hot guy if that is yr thing). Take advantage of all the bonuses you can.

This will work if you are a winning player. If you are not then nothing will stop you from losing. I'm not saying you are or aren't one way or the other (though yr defensiveness leads me to suspect that perhaps you NEED to think you are a winner).