Finding out you're a break even player

[hellite]

My opinion is forget the tournaments and no limit for a while. Really focus on being a winning limit player. This will help you no limit and tournament play in the long run. If you don't know what you are doing wrong read the following books and figure it out.

(1) Read and reread small stakes hold 'em
(2) Read and reread hold em for advanced players
(3) Read and reread Theory of Poker
(4) Get poker tracker
(5) Get a rakeback at a Party skin

If you do all this and still can't do better than break even then you need to begin a program of bonus whoring. Between cashing in on bonus opportunities and getting a rakeback you should be able to build a significant bankroll. When you get to 10,000 buy in to the main event of the world series. When you go bust, spend the rest of your life dreaming about what couldve been if those deuces had not lost that race [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[winky51]

Didnt read the other replies but here's my 2 cents.

I was break even then I started realizing my problem... I was a pu...... I mean wimp.

Aggression aggression aggression. Raise when you feel your ahead, steal with more hands, dont be afraid to lose money.

My PFR when from 6.5% to 9.7%
My aggression factor went from 1.75 to 2.3

I play tighter in the front looser in the rear raising in the rear when I think I am ahead or have good pot equity.

I used to play hands like KTs, QTs, T9s in EP. I used to play suited connectors in MP with 1 caller.

Now its all changed. Specific requirments to enter a post from EP and MP. Raising with more hands from MP and LP with and without limpers.

Overall? More money won, less money loss. I maximize my wins and minimalize my loses.

[bobhalford]

From my very limited experience playing NL 1/2 cash game live, I've found it to help my limit game a lot. For some reason I'm getting a better sense of when I'm beat after playing NL cash games. I don't want to play them online, as I prefer to see the players act in person. Not sure how comfortable I would feel calling a push with the click of a mouse.

If you are this obsessed with poker, should should improve to a winning player soon enough. Just keep reading, studying, and playing. Once you start winning, you will have to keep working on your game, because it's really not much of an achievement to be a winning Party 2/4 player in my opinion. You are winning because you play well, but also because your opponents are so dumb.

[bobbyi]

[ QUOTE ]
It's also why, generally, the small stakes NL forum in 2+2 is a snoozer.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think the main reason the ssnl forum is weak is that there is no "micro" nl forum, so small stakes is the de facto place for newbies playing micro NL (which includes me [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]).

[bobbyi]

It's great to reach the point of being able to break even. You should be happy. As you play, you will get better and better, so you will eventually reach the point where you make real money, and since you are already good even to break even, you won't lose anything (in expectation) on your way there. So your poker career from here on in is a freeroll; from here until the rest of your life, you will be a winner overall (some breakeven play followed by some winning play). Few poker players are in that situation.

[DavidC]

Took me about a year before I started making any money.

Of course, that's my fault.

Follow the suggestions of the people here and things should work out better than break-even for you. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

And yes, NLHE (especially cash game deep stack NLHE) is a lot of fun. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[shant]

Next, on a very special edition of Small Stakes...

[Roland19]

[ QUOTE ]

I used to play hands like KTs, QTs, T9s in EP. I used to play suited connectors in MP with 1 caller.

[/ QUOTE ]

I used to do this too. And I still do, but I used to, too.

Seriously, though, there is nothing wrong with this, unless by suited connectors in MP you mean 23-56ish suited. Heck, I'll even play Q9s in EP in a loose, passive game. I believe those starting hands are recommended in SSHE.

[slavic]

Actually to break even means your a decent winner in the game because you are beating the rake. At many lower limit games this is as much as a BB an hour. Think about that for second, that means your likely better than 90% of the people playing today, now you just need to work a little more on those things that can increase your advantage.

[einbert]

[ QUOTE ]
MTTs are the swingiest way to play holdem,

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't know, LHE on average might be more swingy than MTTs. It's probably close. It would pretty much end up depending on whether you tend to play ~30 person MTTs, ~600 person MTTs, or somewhere in the middle.

LHE is very very very swingy.