Need Some Actual Advice Here

[Carlson411]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey, don't get defensive.

You already admitted to yourself that you have a problem, and you are looking at some way of fixing it. This is good.

If you realize that you have an addictive personality (I do to), then you can control it.

There is a fine line between passion and addiction (addicts lose).

Take a breather for a week or two, reread up on the fundamentals, and then take another week break.

It sounds like you want to make it big quit (building a bankroll to $700 from $10 in a few months). You'll go busto every time if you try to do that (98% of the time).

Poker is a HARD game. And I'm not talking about strategy and skill. The hardest part of poker is patience, and bankroll management in order to grind it out to the higher levels while keeping yourself from moving up in order for your bankroll to absorb variance.

play the lowest limits you can. get confident at it. Only move up once you have 20 buy-ins for NL or 300X the BB for limit. Don't be afraid to move back down if you hit some bad cards and you lose a bit of your bankroll. It does not make you a failure.

But most importantly. Poker will not be able to support you or your family in the short run. Finish school. Go to college if you can. Get an education and a full-time job. Only take shots at poker with money that you can afford to lose. If you wouldn't walk into the ghetto or bar parking lot holding it in your hand, don't play with it.

[/ QUOTE ] By far this is the best forum to post your feelings and get good advice despite the fact that I shouldn't be here right now b/c I should be on a mini vacation from poker. That didn't last to long. Is it possible to grind up money from $20 bucks? Yes. Have I done it? Yes. However, its not mean't for everybody to do? No. I also tried it like yourself with SNGs and I did it. However, I BOMBED a bankroll and I was pissed. Blamed it on the site I play at. I took a break as I usually do and did some type of exercising and I picked up CASH GAME play instead of SNG. Start at a comfortable level. And Im not talking about starting at a high level to make a lot of cash and be underrolled for the players that can see you buying in for minimum all the time. You'll just bust out again. Start at something comfortable where you can practice new techniques and apply book concepts. You than move up slowly. If you are playing NL and like that make sure you are rolled for 1,000-2,000 times the BB. Can you take shots at bigger limits, yes, but watch what you do. To be honest Im rolled for 1/2NL and 2/4 limit and I have played up to 5/10 Limit, but since I've taken such a long break from poker before grinding up a bankroll for 2/4 limit again I'm starting at very low levels so I can get back into the swing of things. Pick up some psychological books, "Inside the mind of poker" and try to get that new SNG book by 2 + 2 if you haven't gotten it yet. Can never read to many books and after a while getting sucked out you won't care b/c you are rolled properly and on top of that your thinking at a greater level.