How do you know when you don't have the nerve for the game?

[Gbob]

Seems to me you took the first step by honestly looking at your game. Too many people just drive on hopelesly or quit. I was in the same boat about a year ago. I mostly play a home cash game with some real sharks. I was being fleeced weekly. If I made a few bucks I was happy.

First, tackle the easy one. You have some sort of tell. It could be shaky hands, body language, chip selection, etc. You need to retrain yourself. Pick a position to sit in and make sure you sit the same way every time you're in a hand. Next step is to pick a bet and use that bet over and over again. For example, when I worked on my tells I decided that during the learning process I would bet two five dolar chips every time I was betting (this is a mid size bet in our home game....at least enough to get people to think a second before calling it). Don't try to get fancy at this stage. You're not only retraining yourself, but you're training the table that they can't rely upon your old tells to play against you. Some players will pick up on this, but there's nothing they can do about it. You might have pocket aces or a suited connector. You bet the same way every time and they can't tell. This forces them to play their cards and give you information about their hands. Watch their betting pattern!

The next aspect to tackle that first week is your play. You want to rebuild your game from the ground up. Obviously you start with the basics. The first week just keep it simple. Play good cards, lay down bad cards. Don't chase unless the pot odds make it impossible not to. If the cards don't hit, don't try to buy the pot. Make the table respect your bets. Show the table that you can't be pushed off a pot, and that if you're in that means you have the cards. In the short run this will lower your EV but in the long run it'll pay off.

At this point you should be playing break even poker. That's a start. After that it's a learning process. Each week go to the table with a different goal. One week practice position play. The next week practice your bluffs. Pick up a new trick each week and eventually you'll have enough moves to get the game where you want it.