[Idahoholdem]

I know how you feel. First of all. Set ONE AMOUNT to fund your bankroll, and that's it. Don't keep throwing more money at it. I started 6 months back with $50. I was playing mostly the .05/.10 NL games and getting killed because I WAS playing by the rules. The rules don't apply at the lower levels. As a result, 1) I lost it all, and more importantly, 2) I WASN'T HAVING FUN. So I took a month off and told myself that I need to let the game be fun again and to really focus on how I was playing.

First, I would start with a lower bank roll. Set a limit for yourself and stick to it. Then, play the lower $1.25 (this is on Full Tilt) SNG's. Play EXTREMELY tight and learn to pick your spots. Once you build your bank roll and start to feel comfortable, then move up to the $5 tourny tables. This is where I'm at now. I reloaded for another $50 and now I just went over $100, in a month. I took my time and read a lot of posts online, not the books. The books do help, but at the higher levels, where people are serious about playing and don't just look at it as $1 to throw away.

Also, start taking notes! This is probably the most important. I do this on myself only. I don't have the ability, yet, to keep track of everyone at the table. That will come. But I started keeping track of the tourny's I entered; they buy-in, how many hands i played/won vs. how many were played overall, where I placed, how much I won, and last but not least, HOW I THOUGHT I PLAYED. I keep notes on what stupid move i tried to what awsome slow play I made. Anything to help you track patterns.

You WILL eventually see patterns emerge, and this will help you focus. I can't stress enough how this helped me, tremendously. I'm still not up to playing the $10 tourny's, but that's coming. Just keep reading these online forums, especially the articles posted by the players. This is where I picked up a wealth of knowledge. And I read the sites EVERY day. I'm learning to be more agressive and what hands to get away from and what ones to push when.

You will win, but you have to practice some patience and you will get there. Give yourself a break, read the forums and before you know....BAM!

Idahoholdem