[Rookcifer]

I have become a worse player and I am not sure why. Despite reading various books, reading these forums, and studying hand histories, my win rate has declined dramatically. I was at about 7 ptbb/100 for my first 40k hands, and now this number has declined to a horrendous 2 ptbb/100 in the last two weeks. The last few weeks have totally negated everything I have won over the past couple of months. Not sure how I have become worse, but I am getting killed and my bankroll is too small to play even at the smallest stakes, so I am going to have to retire to play money.

I am getting destroyed by the loose maniacs. I still think the loose style wins the most $$$, regardless of what all the TAG people say. Almost invariably every super-stack at any table I see has a VPIP over 60%. I have even experimented and I end up winning more when I stop playing tight and loosen up to around 25-30% VPIP. However, I am not able to maintain a good win rate because playing looser means one must also compliment that by being a better "reader" of the opponent. The looser you are, the better you need to be at understanding exactly where you are at at any given point in the hand.

I also have a major problem letting a big hand go when beat. I just don't know how to read people at the micros (but didn't have this problem before). For example, I have a hard time letting an A high flush go when the board is paired. Too many villains will move in on a board like that with just two pair. So when I fold, I feel like I made a mistake and when I call, more times than not, they turn over the full house.

Just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to stop getting worse and to start getting better. I have been reading NLHE:TAP, and though the book is great on theoretical grounds, it is not really helpful in practice. The theory is just too cumbersome to be able to realistically apply when making every decision. I am not sure anyone solves equations in their head while at the table, no matter what some math nerd players might say. I suppose I need a basic strategy that teaches me "do this here and do that there." NLHE:TAP makes sure that you understand that the book is not going to tell you what to do. I think this is not really helpful (unless one just wants to study the theory for academic reasons). I want someone to say "in this situation raise and here you need to fold." Perhaps books like this may not be able to teach you to "maximize" your win rate, like NLTAP might be able to do if you apply all concepts perfectly, but I am willing to take a few ptBB/100 hits if I can still at least win marginally.