Please

[John in Michigan]

Boy do I hear you on that one...losing is frustrating no matter what your level.

Three things have helped me improve my results:

1) Read and work through all three volumes of Harrington on Hold 'Em...I think the books do a great job of giving you things to think about in various situations you will encounter. Even if you choose to play a different style than he advocates, knowing why you are doing what you are doing is invaluable as is understanding the risks and rewards of different approaches to the game in general and a given hand.

2) Do not play when tired or distracted...what a difference it makes in my thinking and my reads when I am not too tired.

3) Look at your big losses...this is where I need the most improvement...learning not to make a call when I have a good hand but sense I might be beat...learning to fold in those situations has definitely helped me get better results. I have trouble with that, getting caught up in the heat of the moment, so to speak.

I currently use Poker-Spy and I have noticed my winning percentage slowly moving up. It is the stupid calls that keep me from translating the higher winning percentage to higher dollars in my bankroll. But at least I know where my weakness is.