A frustrating end to my poker career

[BZ_Zorro]

No one else has said it so forgive me for butting in here, but iceman is spot on.

[ QUOTE ]
You need to get about $500 together and start playing the $25NL game. You need to play it for about 50K hands.

>This is something I don't agree with. If it's plainly obvious that you can outplay almost everyone at your level, why stick around for so long?

[/ QUOTE ]
The reason he needs to do this is to learn discipline and self control. He has neither, which is why he loses money. People with winning attitudes do not talk like this, even after many bad beats:

'When i went broke at party i tried to promise myself i wouldn't make a deposit. It's just so hard when you know you can make money.'
'Just when you think you've invested enough money and time into the game and things start to look up, it all comes crashing down. '
'anyway, now i owe igm too. '
'whenever i had a reasonable amount of bad beats, i made plenty of money.'
'i can't promise i'll go down to $25, but i will painfully go back to the mindless $50.'

Biggenx, if you're ever going to be any good at poker, you must force yourself to go back to $25 and stay there for 50K hands. If you don't have the discipline to do this when it's clearly necessary (given your bankroll and level of experience), then you will never, ever be a winning poker player. You need to force yourself to understand and accept this and bite the bullet on this one. You suck at poker, which is why you lose. Until you've got 50K hands under your belt at $25NL, you will still suck at poker, because you will never have learnt the discipline that comes from doing things in good time.

People bust and lose their savings every day, some are good players, some are great players. What makes a long term winner is forcing yourself to do the things you don't like to do or that seem pointless. Such things as:

1. Admitting that most of your 'bad beats' were actually your own fault.
2. Admitting that you're not a consistent winner at the higher levels
3. Accepting that $3/hour playing $25NL is the best profit you can consistently maintain.
4. Admitting that you have no clue how to play most hands, that your concepts of pot odds, hand strength and 'correct play' are a joke.
5. Accepting that your opinion of your own poker ability is fundamentally flawed, seek, and LISTEN TO the opinions of others more experienced.
6. Admit that if you can't consistently beat $25NL, you cannot and will not beat a higher level in the longer term.

That, or quit poker. If you can't make yourself play 50K hands at $25NL, and stop being greedy and lazy, you will keep losing your money.

[Alex/Mugaaz]

I'm sorry to be rude/blunt/etc but you have a deadly combination of over-confidence, lack of wisdom, and addiction to gambling.

If you are really not capable of playing $25NL, then ask yourself why? There are only 2 reasons.

1- Your addicted to the action, classic gambaholic sign.
2- Egotistical - Classic sign of a bad player, virtually none of the best/really have ego problems. In fact one of the signs of better players is admitting they're shortcomings and weaknesses.

None of your problems or shortcomings or problems are overwhelming as anyone here is making them out to be. The problem is they are absolutely deadly when combined. You need to wake up. No smart or sane person plays any gambling game when they can't afford to lose, or heck to even play. Even when they have very much the best of it.

If you are not capable of playing small limits, playing large amount of hands at each level, and slowly moving up. Then my advice is to quit. If you can't admit you need to make major changes I would bet on your failure.

Every washout on this site always posts the classic line "I can beat better players easier than good ones." Look at the top players here, I can't even name one who has ever said that.

My advice is to quit. If you won't, then my advice is to make some huge changes and take the advice iceman and others have posted.

Some of the top players here lost, and lost big when they just started. None of them followed it up with anything other than realizing there game was much weaker than they thought. None of them made absurd claims afterwards about their skill. None.

[Suntzu00000]

A $5 bankroll is all you need for $25NL. The game is that soft. I have lots of friends who are aware of all the things that they are supposed to do at the table, but pride screws with them and they lose money. Most people who are competitive have a problem losing money to other people who's skill they feel is inferior. This "need to dominate" causes them to try to push the "suckers" around, and in doing so become check bombs. 99% of the time this is why knowledgeable people lose at small stakes poker. The entire tone of your post suggests that you take these losses personally because you "know you can make money." Your post flop play is almost guaranteed to be way to aggressive. Tighten up and get a stress ball for when jackasses draw out on you.

Furthermore, play 2 to 4 tables at a time as it is easier to maintain discipline when you are actually involved in hands more often. And, forget this bankroll management crap. Take a hundred bucks next time you have it, get a bonus somewhere, and get back on the horse. Almost every great player has gone bust multiple times. Who knows, you may be a future poker god.

[sully4321]

PARTY POKER IS A SCAM BROTHA!!! I used to play it and the SAME thing happened to me... because of it, three of my friends and I quit and moved to pokerroom. I deposited $40 into a pokerroom account, and as of right now I am awaiting seperate $40 and $100 checks... the $40 check puts me even and the $100 is my first profit check. And, I still have over $105 in my account and I am going strong. I am only 18, so as this may not seem like alot of money to anybody out there, relate it to my deposit (which was $40 in case you have forgotten). The bad beats happen in pokerroom no more and no less than they do in live B+M games or home games, from my experience. They do happen, but not nearly as much as Stars, which I am fully convinced is programmed for action flops. Good luck brotha, hope to see you at the pokerroom tables!

[Alex/Mugaaz]

[ QUOTE ]
PARTY POKER IS A SCAM BROTHA!!! I used to play it and the SAME thing happened to me... because of it, three of my friends and I quit and moved to pokerroom. I deposited $40 into a pokerroom account, and as of right now I am awaiting seperate $40 and $100 checks... the $40 check puts me even and the $100 is my first profit check. And, I still have over $105 in my account and I am going strong. I am only 18, so as this may not seem like alot of money to anybody out there, relate it to my deposit (which was $40 in case you have forgotten). The bad beats happen in pokerroom no more and no less than they do in live B+M games or home games, from my experience. They do happen, but not nearly as much as Stars, which I am fully convinced is programmed for action flops. Good luck brotha, hope to see you at the pokerroom tables!

[/ QUOTE ]

You and OP are competing for WPOTD.

[sully4321]

dude your problem from my recent read of all your posts:

you keep saying oh "i beat the $50 NL" and i beat this and i beat that... if you beat them all, why the hell are you in the hole to firepay, netteller, etc.??? "beating" and certain staked game means you have made at LEAST 10 times your buy-in on any given session... (aka $250 for the 25 NL games) but probably 20 just to be sure... so i say again, how are you "beating" these games if you are in the hole so much money?

your problem is you think to much... it's clear in your post where you say that people shouldn't multi-table... i understand where you're coming from, but it's just wrong. if you study and take notes like you say you are, you are thinking too much. you are undoubtedly going to overthink and make the wrong plays... just play your hand like it should be played don't try to outsmart everybody

[Biggenx]

who in the hell do you think you are... first off, i got in the hole to neteller and firepay before i started winning at poker.

and secondly who in the hell makes 10x their buy-in in a given session, how long are your sessions? Are you trying to say that you make 50+BB/100 or some rediculous amount.

What... did you go on some rush this week and all of a sudden you're a pro?

Don't think..... Don't think?!?! this is the funniest crap i've ever read on poker.

I don't know what else to say...

[Biggenx]

not only isn't it alot of money, but it's very very few hands. You went on a rush, great good for you. But sadly you cashed out a much needed bankroll cushion. At party poker i started with $50 and had almost $300 after two days. Learn from others, rushes don't last, i promise. Be very prepared for multiple days in a row where you'll lose nearly every hand you were supposed to win. You'll lose with sets, with full boats, with top two pair, everything.

[edge]

Yeah, uh, I don't think I've ever made 10 buy-ins in a session, and I often play 1000+ hands in one sitting. Making one buy-in in a session is plenty for most people.

[Biggenx]

I too hate to be blunt, but you have a problem with assuming you know everything. I'm getting pretty sick of everyone telling me how much i suck and how i should quit.

I do have an addictive personality, i never give up. How the hell does anyone know how good of player i am from what i've written. I've damn near quoted from POV. Hell Sklansky his damn self said he makes more money playing tighter players. Doyle Brunson said he does better against better players. But i've said time and time again, i don't compare myself to them, i've made several comments relaying my humility. wtf is wrong with you. Do you really think pissing me off with your bullsht is gonna help. I'm glad your little charade gave you a big rubbery one, your ego probably needed a boost.