Anyone care to give general advice to a newbie???

[DarrenJG]

Hello folks,

I am brand new here -- first time on the board. I posted in the Beginner forum, but it looks like more people hang out here. I basically want to get the lowdown on becoming a winning player and get a flavor for the folks on this forum.

I am seeking feedback regarding realistic financial returns and time necessary to reach such levels. Any serious feedback would be greatly appreciated. Maybe down the road I can return the favor. I will certainly try to do so.

I am just starting to make a study of poker. I have been a BJ cardcounter for about 7 years and made pretty good money at it. It was basically a part-time job through my latest stint in school. I have good math ability and I am very, very disciplined. I have never had a problem playing properly under stress and avoiding "tilt". As a result of the cardcounting, I also understand, all too well, the swings inherent in this stuff and the idea of expected value, random walk w/ an upward drift, etc. I am a pretty seasoned veteran regarding some gambling concepts, but brand new to poker. At the casinos the only game I EVER played was BJ. It was a job to me, I was not there to play games or "gamble" for fun.

My real job takes a lot of time now and so my card counting has dropped off. The games around here are getting tougher and my partners have more or less disbanded. I don't have time to build or keep a small team together. I like the idea of poker, especially in light of online play.

So, over the past month, I've bought 10-12 poker books -- pretty much all the standards (I tend to really dive into things). I've found my way to this forum. I've read enough to begin to understand the mathematical side and I like it. I have not played yet outside of a very little with some friends. Being so new I am only willing to put maybe $2,000-3,000 in play. Probably start quite small and build up to that. If I saw progress in my play I would be willing to stake myself $5,000 or a little more.

I would really appreciate ANY realistic feedback about the learning curve in poker -- what a pretty fast learner can expect to attain and in what time frame. I enjoy games and competition, but I would be doing this to make some money also -- not just for kicks. What can I expect? What advice would you give me?

I have decent faith in my ability to do well, if there is a realistic chance of doing well. I heard lots of people on forums and in person say that I couldn't make money counting cards -- but I seemed to disprove them. It sounds like there are lots of experienced players here. What does it take to consistently win? What kind of return can be had? How much must one stake? Should I just stick with blackjack and forget about this?

Thanks very much to anybody who had the patience to read this and respond.
Darren