[mikever]

Here's the deal as I see it. Different people have different experiences with poker. Some people, I think, truly are gifted enough to start playing and in a very short time, almost immediately, start winning consistently. But, that is FAR from the norm, even for geniuses.

This is my experience, and I suspect that it is similar to many others:

- Invited to a home game, don't know what I am doing but somehow end up winning money at the end of the night.

- Think I am God's gift to poker.

- Start playing online.

- Lose my entire BR in two days.

- Tell myself I suck at poker and will never play again.

- Play again the next weekend because I think I am God's gift to poker.

- Lose a lot of money, dig myself into a hole, say I will never play again.

- Don't play for two months.

- Start playing with a group of friends in a weekly home game.

- Think I am God's gift to poker.

- Read a book.

- REALLY think I am God's gift to poker now because I read a book.

- Start to play online again.

- Go broke, again.

- Tell myself I will never play again.

- Buy another book the next week.

- Rebuy online.

Well, at this point you sort of get the idea. Let's fast forward nine months.

- Read my 10th book.

- Think I am God's gift to poker.

- Actually start winning some money.

- Things start to "click"

- Finally realize that I have become a winning player.

- Get over-confident and go busto.

OK, let's fast forward another three months to today.

- Lose the ego.

- Start to enjoy the game and not fret about it.

- Things start to click even more.

- Move beyond books. Don't need them anymore; now most of my learning comes straight from playing and thinking away from the table.

- Now am building a legitimate BR and am winning in the long term.

My point is, your experience is pretty normal. Poker will have you thinking you are brilliant one day, and dumb as a rock the next. But, with some determination, and a willingness to keep learning, you could become a winning player. But expect it to take a while and expect a lot of up and downs.

P.S. only time and a lot of hands will tell if I am truly a long-term winning player or will go busto again. But, I play now more for the enjoyment, and will continue to play even if my BR never gets very large.

P.P.S. About not needing books anymore, I actually do read books every day. I read new ones, and re-read old ones — every day. But what I mean is, there are certain concepts (mostly post-flop) that can't really be taught in books. Either you will get them, or you won't.