doing something wrong but can't figure it out

[Chino46]

I play limit hold'em at the .50/1.00 level and just cannot do better than 1/2 a BB per hour. I follow the advice of Small Stakes Hold'em by Ed Miller carefully. I'm on my fifth reading in as many months trying to figure out the problem but I just keep doing 1/2 a BB per hour, same as six months ago and I only play one table at a time so I'm not splitting my attention.

Any ideas? Is anyone doing better at .50/1.00 limit? Thanks in advance.

[shadow.]

1) post hands; respond to hands
2)
3) profit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OziBattler]

Welcome to the forums...you really havent given us that much information on how you play (but its good youve read SSH which is our bible here in the Micros) so that would be why you aint getting any responses. SSH is awesome but it is easy to think u are applying it carefully whereas you might be misapplying some concepts

as shadow says, getting active in the forum is a good start...it would probably be best if you spend most of your time reading AND REPLYING to other hand posts before reading other replies. The replying is especially important so that you dont delude yourself into pretending you would have given the same answer

And not to be a smartass, but you should be happy that you have a positive win rate whilst starting out. Seriously

ozi

ps if you havent got pokertracker then you must...it pays for itself and will be a useful tool in analysing your play offline

[ImprovinNewbie]

as a continuation to this answer i haver a question. i have a PT type program and i have stats but im not sure what they mean. I know what everything stands for of course but once i know then what???? i change my VP$P let's say but how do i know that will make a +EV if that asp[ect what only 17%???

[nomadtla]

[ QUOTE ]
as a continuation to this answer i haver a question. i have a PT type program and i have stats but im not sure what they mean. I know what everything stands for of course but once i know then what???? i change my VP$P let's say but how do i know that will make a +EV if that asp[ect what only 17%???

[/ QUOTE ]

The stats are merely a guide they do not equal good play. I can have a VPIP that is dead on the 17-22 range. But if that means I'm folding AA-JJ and playing a lot of offsuit garbage it will not be +EV. The stats can be manipulated a great deal. Work on knowing why you make a decision and your stats will take care of themselves. Look at how you play, then think about how that affects your stats then think about why that makes your stats good or bad. But don't just look at your stats and say you are making +EV decisions cause they fit some #'s in the FAQ

[OrianasDaad]

Posting hands and replying to posted hands is probably one of the most useful ways to become a better player. Another is thinking about the game when you are away from the table. I'm working on a project right now that will probably take me about a month to complete, but will probably increase my bottom line, especially against tight players.

The .5/1 games are frequently tighter than the "tight games" description in SSHE. Just because the games are tighter, it doesn't mean the players are playing that much better postflop, but it does mean you will have to. Here are a few suggestions:

- Table/Seat selection. This is fairly easy at Party, especially if you have a large buddy list. Make sure you are always sitting at a table with someone who makes the big two mistakes - plays too many hands and goes too far with them. Easy money. You'll typically want these players on your right.

- Avoid maniacs. They are good to play against, but increase the amount of variance you go through, and are typically much tougher to play against than loose passive players.

- Single-table. You've already got this, but more tables might drop your .5/hr down to a negative rate, and that's no good.

- Get PokerStove or PokerCalc 1.1.4.1 (my favorite), and learn how to calculate EV. Spend an hour every day doing this, and you'll have an easier time at the table. You'll also learn that you aren't trying to win "this pot", you are trying to make a play that will be a winner over the long term.

- Take lots of notes. You're only playing one table, so you have plenty of time to take notes. Aim for some kind of note on every hand. For your frequent opponents, you can fairly easily put together remarkably accurate hand ranges with just a few clicks in PokerTracker. Observe betting patterns. Things you should be paying attention to are covered in numerous books on Limit Poker. While fairly universally panned, I'd recommend picking up "Killer Poker Online" by John Vorhaus, if only for the chapter on data management.

- Books. There are a ton of books about poker, and if one of them is good, then you'll hear about it in the Books and Publications forums. In addition to SSHE, you should - at the minimum - become an owner of:
Theory of Poker
Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players
Psychology of Poker

... all 2+2 titles.

- Post hands, and reply to posts. Post "standard" hands. Post hands where you have to make tough decisions. I've gotten away from this myself, and will be back to it soon enough. Don't post bad-beats.

- Stats are nice, but fairly meaningless in the short-term, which is why posting hands is important to your development. My stats all fall within the ranges listed in the FAQ for this forum, but I've managed to breakeven this year at .5/1 - about 30,000 hands at that limit.

Geez, this was long. Hope some of it helps. Make your own decisions as to what you take out of this. I believe that there isn't a "magic formula" to poker mastery. If you can always be honest with yourself and your abilities, and always strive for a state of "constant improvement", then you should do well.

[Aaron W.]

Visit the MircoLimit Public Library and do a bunch of reading.