Online beginner

[Brewster]

Hi, I'm fairly new to poker (6 months) and I've played about 700 games or so on-line. I've lost about $400. I usually play $5 no-limit 9-person tournaments, and sometimes the $10, at FullTilt. Is this a good place for me to be playing and should I be disheartened that I'm down so much so soon? I feel like I'm a competent player, I just get impatient sometimes, or go on tilt and blow everything I worked all week to earn. Anybody have any advice?

I've read the Harrington books, and I've got the Sklansky's No-Limit Theory and Practice book.

UPDATE: I just found a post with the exact same question, but I'm a little confused. Are Sit-and-Gos always the tourneys or are cash games called SnG as well?

[gregorio]

Cash games are called sometimes called ring games. Cash games are never called SnG. SnG are always tournies.

[JeffBship]

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I feel like I'm a competent player, I just get impatient sometimes,

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Patience was the hardest thing for me to learn, and the single most important thing.

[crystalallen]

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I've lost about $400.

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Don't do that!
I'd recommend really really good bankroll management while you're learning.

I'm new too and I haven't lost anything.

Some articles:
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-blog/...ance_part_i.php
http://www.thepokerbank.com/bankroll-management.html
"Chris Ferguson established the following rules for managing his bankroll. These rules should be committed to memory by all poker players.

1. Never buy into a cash game or SnG with more than 5% of your bankroll.

2. Never buy into a MTT with more than 2% of your bankroll.

3. If at any time in a no-limit or pot-limit game the money on the table represents more than 10% of your bankroll, leave the game when the blinds come to you."

[scpi10]

If you've lost that much, that fast, at those levels, you are probably not as good as you think you are. Don't tilt, if you feel like you're going to tilt, take a break or quit playing. BR management is also a key factor. I wouldn't play higher than $5 SNG until I was a winning player at them.

[allyasia]

well, i would say that you are a break even player
you have to learn how to beat the rake.
700 sng at %5 mean you pay $350 in rake
if you lost $400, that mean you lost $50 bux, because $350 are the rake paid to the house.
that is why alot people are break even player, to be a winning player, you must beat the rake
for SNG rake is 10%
so if you beat the SNG by 6%, you would still come out 4% in the red.

[QuadDamage]

These are some of the deficiencies I had when starting out that I have corrected, maybe you'll see something worth thinking about. I have about as much experience as you, playing mostly the same $5 STT game, but on PS. I'd characterize myself as a breakeven player (after rake), a bit to the positive side at the moment.

- You probably aren't playing as tight as you think you are early in the sng. I used to think hands like KT, KJ, AT, AJ were good and would play them from any position, call preflop raises with them etc. Don't play these too frequently in the first 3 levels or so when the blinds are low and the table is full.

- Be careful about completing from the small blind if you have complete trash. Some players play every small blind in an unraised pot. It may seem like you are getting good odds to play but if your post-flop skills aren't well developed you could end up wasting a lot of chips on something you should have just folded in the first place.

- Do not try to get too fancy/aggressive against a calling station moron. If you see a guy is just flatting it every time you try to steal his blind, strongly reconsider what your move is when you are holding something marginal, and make a note on him. Also make a note on players who will not fold to a bluff/cbet and adjust accordingly.

- If a guy is on an obvious flush draw and he calls with bad odds, don't pay him off when he hits and bets big on the river. I used to do this out of pure frustration/tilt. There's no point in rewarding someone else for playing poorly.

[Brewster]

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These are some of the deficiencies I had when starting out that I have corrected

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All good points, thank you. I usually (i.e. sober) only play the best stuff from early position, AA, KK, AKs, AQs, QQ. The flush thing is a definite problem for me. Another problem I have is having a great hand, say AA, then seeing KK on the flop and being unable to lay the aces down, even if I know my oppenent has a K. It's like I'm paying to see his cards...

[Brewster]

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If you've lost that much, that fast, at those levels, you are probably not as good as you think you are.

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When I'm sitting down, concentrating, in a decent mood, I can usually win or place a 9 person match at $5. But then I start entering those 45 person matches and 80% of the time losing on something careless. Then I enter a $10 match and do the same thing. Then I think, if I do a $20 heads up, I'll get SOME of that back...then I play the heads-up real aggressively and lose.

Really, the tilt is the problem. I'd actually gotten into the black, when i tilted, and blew through it ALL in a week. This is before i knew what tilt was...

thanks for the tips.

[Brewster]

Thanks, crystal. I'll check these out.


UPDATE: best line of the bankroll management URLS is "It should be noted that if you are a losing poker player, bankroll management is not going to help you win money."