the next level????

Okay, here is my situation... (this could get lengthy)
I have been playin poker for about 9 months now. Started with friends after last Christmas when i got a "Texas Hold'em Poker Set". I instantly became addicted, I thought "A game with math and money involved, I LOVE IT!!!". Turns out its not as easy as I thought [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] ..duh

So I figured the first logical step would be to read books
I have read:
1.) "Sklanky's Tournament Poker for advanced players"
2.) "Super System 2" - (ALL except Triple Draw/Omaha HI sections)
3.) "Texas Hold'em" and "Poker - A Winner's Guide" by Andy Nelson
they have all made me better in thier own ways (SS2 the most)
I feel I have a good grasp of the basics (PF hand selection, Pot Odds, Position). I have played probably around 100,000 hands over the last 9 months varying from $5-$22 SNG's, .05/.10 - $1/2 NL Holdem, .50/$1 - $3/6 Omaha H/L, and up $20 MTT's. Im about break-even in the end.

I guess my question is "where do i go next?". I really want to become the best poker player that I can be, what should I be doing. Any books that really helped anybody? If anyone has advice, id love to hear it.

Hi

Breaking even for your first 9 months is pretty good. I would say a lot of players lose money in their first year, before they improve.

You have already read some good books, i found "Harrington on Hold 'Em" VOL I & 2 very very good.

Other than that it's just a case of keep playing, the more you play, the more you learn.

Also write down your tourney results along with the "key hand/s" that either knocked you out or crippled your stack. If you find that you had your money in with the best hand and just got outdrawn, then you are on the right road.

Good Luck

[dogmeat]

I'm not trying to be nasty, but after 100,000 hands you should be doing much better than break-even. Most professionals started by playing live games. 30 hands an hour and 40 hours a week would be year and a half of live play.

Most pros have some experience before they play full-time, but after a month of live play, they usually know if they can make it. Where do you think you are going wrong?

Eliminate the area's that you are not making money in, whether they are SNG's, Omaha, or hold'em, and work on the game you are doing best at (or like best). If you dont know for sure, you have been foolish for 9 months to play and keep no records.

Spend $55 and get pokertracker, play a few thousand hands - and then post your results and numbers here - get some feedback.

Dogmeat [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I think it's important to pick one area (the one you like the most or are most comfortable at) and stick with that for a certain period of time. I.E. ring games, SNGs, MTTs, holdem, omaha..Pick one of these, say its NL Holdem' ring games. Start at whatever limit your bankroll is sufficient for (usually 20 buy-ins for NL ring games) and as your bankroll grows move up from there.

[dogmeat]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it's important to pick one area (the one you like the most or are most comfortable at) and stick with that for a certain period of time. I.E. ring games, SNGs, MTTs, holdem, omaha..Pick one of these, say its NL Holdem' ring games. Start at whatever limit your bankroll is sufficient for (usually 20 buy-ins for NL ring games) and as your bankroll grows move up from there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, why didn't I think of that?

Dogmeat [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

[2ndGoat]

Occasionally spend some time doing "research" on your own, with pencil/paper/calculator/spreadsheet analyze some situations that you wonder about.

You're gonna have to read Theory of Poker (Sklansky) sooner or later.

If you'd like to focus on limit hold'em specifically, check out small stakes hold'em (miller), mid-limit hold'em poker (ciaffone &briar) and hold'em poker for advanced players (sklanky & malmuth).
If you'd like to focus on no limit hold'em tournaments specifically, read Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1&2. Vol 1 is probably the best book out there for NL cash games as well, even though it's not written for them. You could also check out PL/NL Poker by Ciaffone and Reuben.
For Omaha H/L, There's Ciaffone's omaha book, and Zee/Sklansky/Malmuth SplitFAP.

To round that out with some good general reading, I suggest Improve Your Poker (Ciaffone) and Gambling Theory and Other Topics (Malmuth).

Make sure you understand what pokertracker numbers mean and find out if any of your stats are particularly ugly. If so, work on correcting the error the stat suggests is hampering you.

If you can, get a player you respect to look over your shoulder for an hour and share their thoughts with you.

Don't be in a hurry to play a bunch of tables at once. It may help you eek a bit more profit, but you need to focus on getting better rather than immediate returns at this point in your devlepment. Just make sure you're always paying attention and replaying hands in your mind to see if you should have played them differently.

Good luck.

2nd

[winky51]

http://www.texasholdempoker-stats.co...ok_review.html

Go here these are all the books I read with accurate reviews and what I recommend. If you like email me and I will be happy to chat with you on the phone or via email about this stuff. I have read 30 books on poker/holdem. Been playing around 2 years and amazingly enough I am profitable. While I am not an expert at the game I can put you in the right direction to be successful.