Help! I am a giant fish...

[B Mando]

Alright. I started playing poker about 15 months ago and got serious about it over this past summer and was a winning player until about Jan of this year. I have gone through a couple of cold streaks since and gotten through them but in 2005 I have just been playing bad poker. I used to be an over aggressive maniac(it worked for me) and could always make a big laydown at the right time. Now I am a weak tight calling station. I am not getting bad cards or getting hit by two outers or anything like that...I am just getting the money in with far the worst of it and I don’t know why. I tried dropping down in limits but then the money is insignificant to me and I just start playing terrible. I tried to play limit but I forgot I suck even worse at limit. I just don’t know what to do...I am thinking about taking a break or going to play stud8 for awhile or something...my basic question is...

What do you do when you are just not playing anywhere near your best game?

[Rubeskies]

1.) Read the best literature written about your game.

2.) Read the forum that corresponds to your game on here.

3.) Post and reply to hands on there to check your poker logic.

4.) Examine your game and look for leaks. You say you are putting money in with the worst of it. Post hands where that happened and see what people say. Then try to apply it to other situations.

5.) Maybe read "Inside The Poker Mind" and "Gambling Theory and other Topics" to try and get an overview of poker as a game.

6.) Practice, practice, practice. But don't play to just make money. Play to get better and to learn.