how long till you became profitable? any tips?

[iNsChris]

I always disagree with beginners (whom want to learn limit) playing .50/1 However i'm a NEWBIE STUDENT.

Meaning i'm new to poker, and i dont have an income so can't risk big money.

I started with a $20 Bankroll, I read Internet Texas Hold'em and got up to $40, I withdrew my original deposit and dropped to $4.

Varience for you...

SO i plugged away, I'm currently sitting on a BR of $100, I recently purchased SSH and will continue to play .05/.10 games untill $150 where i MIGHT try .25/.50 (Or may wait untill $170 so i have a "Cushion" for the first days/Hands i lose whilst getting comfortable at this limit.

Personally if your losing at.50/1 i recommend you plan nanos.

.05/.10 untill your comfortable with your game, But if $100 means little to you then maybe its ok to play .50/1

Just my 2cents

[dcssullivan]

My opinion may not be of much value, as I'm still a newbie myself.

I've just started in poker about a month ago. I signed up with instant bankroll so I wouldn't be putting my own cash out there and got myself started at Party, and although I ate up the bonuses, I still had $100.

But I was bleeding it away at the .50/1.00 tables just trying to make the right decisions.

So, I started playing the NL tables, and I immediately made it all back, QUICKLY. So, I say, mix it up between NL, PL, and limit.

I look at it this way. The $25 NL tables BBs are 1/2 the cost to post the blinds. So, you're losing less to the blinds. You also know that if you have a good hand, and understand how to bet for pot odds, you're going to make more. I have a much easier time at NL, just buying in for small stakes and doubling them up when I have a premium hand. I usually go to the $25 tables with $10, and it works out well.

[pzhon]

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thanks everyone for the insight so far. im going to sign up for two more online poker rooms, im currently playing on party poker, which others would you guys recommend? should i look for something with micro-blinds or is its play atypical?

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I think the biggest jump is from play money to real money. Microlimit games are very fishy, but so are low limit games, just not quite as much.

PokerStars has microlimits, excellent software, and they are currently running a deposit bonus (until June 2nd). You won't clear the bonus rapidly before you hit $1-$2 or tournaments, but there is no expiration date.

Ultimate bet also has microlimits, excellent software, and a deposit bonus with no expiration date. You can clear their bonus at $0.25-$0.50.

Both of these sites have better than average players, which is actually good for you. You get cheap practice. Once you are beating the $0.25-$0.50 limit games on either site, you should be a clear winner at Party $0.50-$1.

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finally, how much of your winning capability is based on things you have learned and how much is inborn 'poker sense'? when you're making tough calls are you going strictly by the book or with your intuition?

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There are a lot of skills that aren't in books, including the ability to learn from your mistakes, to learn from noisy feedback, etc. However, there is a lot of great information in books, particularly ones such as Ed Miller's recent books (Small Stakes Hold'em and Getting Started in Hold'em), as well as Winning Low Limit Hold'em and Internet Texas Hold'em. I don't think everyone can become a great poker player, but I think every thinking adult can learn to be a winning poker player.

[afk]

[ QUOTE ]
SO i plugged away, I'm currently sitting on a BR of $100, I recently purchased SSH and will continue to play .05/.10 games untill $150 where i MIGHT try .25/.50 (Or may wait untill $170 so i have a "Cushion" for the first days/Hands i lose whilst getting comfortable at this limit.


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Hey man, I started off similar to you. $50 on PokerStars .05/.10. You're ok to take the shot at .25/.50 with $100 I did it and never looked back - and now I'm playing anywhere from 1/2 to 5/10. It's a large jump (which kinda sucks) but the games are really just as easy.

[iNsChris]

Yeh trouble is, I'll play scared so need to build the BR and confidance to move up.

even .10/.20 gets me sitting on the edge of my seat [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I'm comfortable at .05/.10 - Very comfortable.

[chipstacks]

do hand values change at microlimits?? id imagine hands like KT, K9 all the way down to J9 (wrt position of course) are all playable preflop. J9 is maybe pushing it, but it can still make 3 different straights.

[suprblah]

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[ QUOTE ]
finally, how much of your winning capability is based on things you have learned and how much is inborn 'poker sense'? when you're making tough calls are you going strictly by the book or with your intuition?

[/ QUOTE ]
There are a lot of skills that aren't in books, including the ability to learn from your mistakes, to learn from noisy feedback, etc. However, there is a lot of great information in books, particularly ones such as Ed Miller's recent books (Small Stakes Hold'em and Getting Started in Hold'em), as well as Winning Low Limit Hold'em and Internet Texas Hold'em. I don't think everyone can become a great poker player, but I think every thinking adult can learn to be a winning poker player.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the thing. Can a person become break-even to slightly-profitable through just careful study and practice? I mean, I'm a pretty intelligent and educated guy, but I'm not a 13 yr old prodigy, I don't have photographic memory and I don't have unnatural Spidey Senses.

Since I was a poor university student I could never afford to gamble. But now that I've graduated my buddy got me into poker and I'm being my usual cautious self by studying as much as possible before even risking a single cent online.

Basically, will I be profitable in small stakes just by being more dedicated than 80% of the fish out there? My plan is to read TOP > SSH > WLLH > HPFAP. I'd be happy just winning $50/month at $0.5/1 limit while learning. At a conservative 1.0 BB/100, that's 5000 hands per month.

Is this achievable?

[celiboy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
finally, how much of your winning capability is based on things you have learned and how much is inborn 'poker sense'? when you're making tough calls are you going strictly by the book or with your intuition?

[/ QUOTE ]
There are a lot of skills that aren't in books, including the ability to learn from your mistakes, to learn from noisy feedback, etc. However, there is a lot of great information in books, particularly ones such as Ed Miller's recent books (Small Stakes Hold'em and Getting Started in Hold'em), as well as Winning Low Limit Hold'em and Internet Texas Hold'em. I don't think everyone can become a great poker player, but I think every thinking adult can learn to be a winning poker player.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the thing. Can a person become break-even to slightly-profitable through just careful study and practice? I mean, I'm a pretty intelligent and educated guy, but I'm not a 13 yr old prodigy, I don't have photographic memory and I don't have unnatural Spidey Senses.

Since I was a poor university student I could never afford to gamble. But now that I've graduated my buddy got me into poker and I'm being my usual cautious self by studying as much as possible before even risking a single cent online.

Basically, will I be profitable in small stakes just by being more dedicated than 80% of the fish out there? My plan is to read TOP > SSH > WLLH > HPFAP. I'd be happy just winning $50/month at $0.5/1 limit while learning. At a conservative 1.0 BB/100, that's 5000 hands per month.

Is this achievable?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes I think you could be. Also keep in mind that at this limit bonuses play a key role. Generally most sites offer deposit or reload bonuses based on hands that achieve a rake of over 25 cents. At .5/1 one in every three hands achieve this level....at 100 hands you get $10 (this is how Absolute works). Therefore even if you are playing -3bb/100 poker you will still be breaking even. I have never read a single poker book, all my study has been from 2+2 and I jumped from 5/10 cent to 0.50/1.00.

[webgator]

Hand values remain the same at all levels. The only problem I ever found at the micros were all the beginners playing any 2 cards, especially anything attached to a face card (whether suited or not) and sucking out to win the pot.

Even when raised preflop with AA or KK there would be people calling with hands like 83os. Some say this is good and they are the type you want to play against but it does get frustrating.

I started out at Party then dropped to the micros at Stars and Pacific till I got a hang of the game. I'm back on Party and playing break even right now, not including the bonus money.

[jjacky]

i learned the game in vegas last september. played the lowest limits available 2/4 and 3/6 and lost surprisingly less (about 100$). after that i read a book and started playing 0.05/0.1 cash games at pacific poker with a bankroll of 10$. since the first day online i am a winning player (or very lucky [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] ). my bankroll is up to more than 2k now.

here my tips (for limit game only) :
play a VERY simple and straigtforward game before you become pretty good. play very tight preflop. don't bluff and don't slowplay! never! continue on the flop only if you have top pair or better or an inside straight draw or flush draw.
playing like this is not optimal of course, but you should be able to grind out a little money on the lowest limits (i played exactly that way the first days in the internet).

if you are really playing pot limit you should switch to limit and it would help to play even lower than you do now (unless you get bored too much if you play lower).