Stupid Poker Ramblings - My First Year

[Twitch1977]

Almost A Year Of Poker

I've been playing poker almost a year now I started at the penny games on Paradise with $10 a friend gave me on the site, worked it up to about $300 and moved over to Party to get some of this rakeback everyone seemed to be talking about, with bonuses and play I got my bankroll up to $600 and played some $1/$2. I promptly lost $100 or so and dropped back down to $.50/$1 where I've barely broke even since. I usually play only one table at a time, a good month I'll squeeze in an astounding 3000 hands, time to learn to multitable I guess [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Learning to play the 2+2 style of aggressiveness has been the hardest part thus far. I'm not, by nature, an aggressive, or self confident person and learning to play in the necessary style to reflect that has been really hard. My nature is still reflected in the fact that my aggression factor numbers are backwards from most of the stat posts you see in that my aggression numbers are higher into the later betting rounds where I finally start gaining a bit of confidence in my hand. This is something that I will really need to continue fighting my natural urges on.

My concept of the value of money is slowly starting to change and my poker bankroll almost seems like virtual or play money to me now where it never did before. When I started out the thought of losing $1 on a hand of poker seemed insane to me, that's almost a cup of coffee! But now, with more play and playing more aggressively I've slowly started to get into the mindset that my bankroll is my bankroll and I need to risk it to win.

I have found poker difficult to learn, I find dealing with the abstractness, and inability to determine the proper move each time very hard to deal with. I probably have a touch of OCD, almost certainly, but I really like my things laid out, if A happens, then do B, but if C happens then do D followed by E. I think this is why Ed's Small Stack Strategy in GSIH appeals to me so much. But in poker there is no such manual, not always a clear cut answer, I feel that being forced to adapt to this has been healthy.

Since I went on the losing streak I mentioned at the start I have found it very hard to sit down to play, I expect to lose before I ever get a seat at a table. If I do manage to win 10BB or so I usually pick up and leave from the table preferring to leave on a winning note then risking having it dwindled away.

I do all the required reading that I can find time for, I try to read through hands people have posted on 2+2, I do put an honest amount of effort into trying to learn on 2+2 I tend to feel overwhelmed by people that seem to post such drastically better win rates then I have managed and that really treads on my confidence. In a world where everyone seems to be good at something, from scrapbooking to gardening to carpentry and beyond I feel left out, I haven't found my niche yet but I hope to fill it with poker, even though it's a rollercoaster it's something I enjoy and hopefully something I can some day get good at.

So as my first year closes I am happy to say it's been a winning year, not a lot of winnings mind you, but the number in PT is green and that's all I care about right now. I have slowly been pulling my stats in line with what are considered to be 2+2esque. I certainly wasn't born a great poker player but I hope I can get there through some hard work.

I can say with certainty that the biggest holes in my game have nothing to do with playing too many hands or cold-calling too often. They're the mental ones.

T

[poker-penguin]

1) Congrats on your progress from micro-limits.

2) Everyone has downswings, you just gotta suck it up and keep playing well (or stop playing until you can play well). Moving down isn't always the answer - were you being outplayed, or out-lucked?

3) I had issues with aggression at 1/2, until I reluctantly moved up to 2/4. I then dropped to .5/1 to clear a bonus, and found that since the money didn't really matter, (it's only a small blind or less) I could really start banging out the bets. I found I loved being the guy that everyone fears, and the rest, as they say, is history. It sounds like you're slowly getting it though.

4) Losing 10BB is not a problem. I dropped that many BB in my third hand of 5/10 today (I'm usually a 2/4 or 3/6 player at the moment). I won it back by the time the game broke an hour later. Expecting to lose it is the problem. Unless you believe that you are better than the clowns (and hopefully your tables will mostly be clowns) sitting at the table and are going to take their money ... eventually ... there's little point being at the poker table. As you noticed, it's a confidence issue, and most people go through this problem.

5) Leaving winning tables is bad. Unless you got lucky, every hand you spend at a soft table is more money in your pocket.

6) The great ones in any endeavour have confidence. This isn't a cheap shot, because confidence in your poker abilty can, and should, be learned.

7) Congratulations on the winning year, again. Here's to many more. I hope my post helped, rather than sounding like I'm an [censored].

[SpearsBritney]

You seem to want success all at once, instead of in small increments, one step at a time. This is something I struggled with for a long time aswell. You have to understand that success does not come overnight. You cannot skip the trial and error process that everyone else must endure.
Instead of focusing on how much better someone is, and becoming frustrated, try to understand that their expertise came GRADUALLY over time. I too sometimes find myself intimidated by the success and ability of other 2+2ers, or anyone else who has "succeded" in this world, but quickly remind myself that their progress, no doubt, came with the same frustrations and setbacks that you and I must deal with. The difference is their ATTITUDE. I know this sounds cliche, but it is 100% true. You must learn to accept the bumps in the road without becoming discouraged.
You sound like an intellegent person to me. You need to begin to trust that, given enough time and effort, you will eventually succeed in any endeavor you undertake.
For quite some time, I had a hard time understanding how exactly your attitude could effect your results in life. Poker is a perfect example and analogy. If you sit down at the poker table with the preconceived notion that you will lose(even if you've studied and understand correct strategy), you will end up "playing scared" and not take full advantage of +EV situations for fear of losing money in the short run. The analogy is, that if you have a negative attitude, you will always predict the worst possible outcome, and literally frighten yourself out of taking the neccessary risks required to attain anything worthwhile in life. Poker (and life) demand confidence and aggression. Almost a "blind faith" it would seem sometimes, but that's just the way it goes.
When you are confident, your mind will hand to you (almost miraculously) ideas and suggestions, that it otherwise would not have, had you been intimidated, and doubtful in your abilities.
Take a break from online poker, and spend some time with TTH (Wilson's Turbo Texas Hold'em). I found this to be the best way to switch from a weak-tight mentality. You will find it easier to take advantage of marginal situations, without having to worry about risking your bankroll. Also, you can litterally play 200 hands in 10 minutes. I would not recommend on-line play money games, as they are a little unrealistic, with just about every flop being capped 10 ways.
Good Luck [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[RYL]

I play NL cash games, which have a more psychological element in it. I'm a winning player at NL cash games. Use Pokertracker and Statking.

[RYL]

bump for I had made another mistake.

[RYL]

[ QUOTE ]
1) Congrats on your progress from micro-limits.

2) Everyone has downswings, you just gotta suck it up and keep playing well (or stop playing until you can play well). Moving down isn't always the answer - were you being outplayed, or out-lucked?

3) I had issues with aggression at 1/2, until I reluctantly moved up to 2/4. I then dropped to .5/1 to clear a bonus, and found that since the money didn't really matter, (it's only a small blind or less) I could really start banging out the bets. I found I loved being the guy that everyone fears, and the rest, as they say, is history. It sounds like you're slowly getting it though.

4) Losing 10BB is not a problem. I dropped that many BB in my third hand of 5/10 today (I'm usually a 2/4 or 3/6 player at the moment). I won it back by the time the game broke an hour later. Expecting to lose it is the problem. Unless you believe that you are better than the clowns (and hopefully your tables will mostly be clowns) sitting at the table and are going to take their money ... eventually ... there's little point being at the poker table. As you noticed, it's a confidence issue, and most people go through this problem.

5) Leaving winning tables is bad. Unless you got lucky, every hand you spend at a soft table is more money in your pocket.

6) The great ones in any endeavour have confidence. This isn't a cheap shot, because confidence in your poker abilty can, and should, be learned.

7) Congratulations on the winning year, again. Here's to many more. I hope my post helped, rather than sounding like I'm an [censored].

[/ QUOTE ]

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[dan123]

is that you in the pic?