Starting slow in LLHE

[Mllndllrmn]

So I am making a move more into low limit hold em because it is the only game around where I live that is going on 24/7. I have lost 4 consecutive buy-ins but I feel like I am improving every time. I dropped 200 last night, but I played fine (yes I know sounds odd). A lot of money was lost on missed draws, and I flopped a ton of them. I started out slow, then played well for a couple hours, then I couldn't catch much and dropped down again and eventually got very commited at about 3:30 AM on a nut flush draw/overcard draw against a LAG player and lost most of my buy in there.

My question is this: my first two times playing b&m I felt just outplayed to hell as it was my first time playing limit, and feel like I am improving, and was wondering if this is normal? I played a ton of NL home games and tore them up but the I either didn't get invited back or the players went off to school, so I moved to limit. Do most people swing way down like this before learning the natual flow of the game?

[Godson]

No-limit and Limit are two different beasts my friend. One peice of advice I can give you if you want to improve your'e live game is to play tight at first until you get a good feel for the game, this will decrease the rate at which you lose money..which will happen at first trust me. Read read read these forums and get Ed Millers book on small stakes hold em, its filled with vital information, clearly a must read. As for you're drawing hands, you're going to have to learn the odds of making you're hand against the odds you are getting from the pot. If you want to have any success in limit games you must study and learn these. Also, starting hand requirements, and what hands to play in what positions.. you basically have to learn the game from a different point of view, and another big thing is youre going to have to learn to deal with bad beats, becuase you will be getting them alot more in limit. But realize when you don't get bad beat on hands you have the best of it, you get alot more VALUE out of youre premium hands as opposed to a NL game. One word you will hear alot is value value value.

[Mllndllrmn]

I know odds and math fine, it is my best subject and I have studied that extensively, it is mainly the psycological switch I need help with

[Cactus Jack]

"Limit hold 'em is science. No limit is art. In limit, you're shooting at a target. In no limit, the target can wake up and shoot back." Crandell Addington, Texas Oilman and 2nd place in two WSOPs.

Limit is finding small edges and taking advantage of them. You eat many small bites to make a meal. No limit is eating an enormous meal, once a day.

[Scarmiglio]

Yes it's normal to lose money at first. If you've been flopping a lot of draws and keep losing money it sounds as though you're playing a few too many drawing-type hands from out of position - calling small suited connectors early, etc... (you could also be experiencing the downside of variance) Stick to the SSHE starting hand requirements and play, play, play. Read SSHE periodically. Pretty soon you will be the one outplaying everyone else. Good Luck.