Beginner frustration

[kisshou]

How did you all deal with losing money when you first started? Logically, I know I just put in $50 to practice with, I know I need time to learn. But I keep finding myself losing, and instead of just not playing for a bit, I start playing stupidly. I find myself getting angry for losing .60 in a sng or two dollars in a ring game (at .02/.04 or .10/.20 at the highest). It's money that would just normally get spent on a soda, but it pisses me off!

How long did it take for you to get used to the money roller coaster ride?

My attempts at building my bankroll aren't going great lately. My $50 at absolute is down to $10, because I tried the blackjack. That was a really bad idea. I have $75 coming in a refer a friend bonus eventually. I have $8 left from a no deposit bonus at pitbull poker, $6 from a no deposit at dream poker, and $50 coming to titan thanks to pokersourceonline.com. I lost the no deposit bonus at Crazy Poker already, and I play freerolls on pokerstars and partypoker. I think practicing at the .02/.04 tables, the lowest sng, and freerolls are probably the best ideas to slowly build my bankroll, right?

Thank you for any advice!

[Basil]

Hi.
I started playing in July 05 and deposited $100 to party.
I started off winning and after a week I was up to $300 playing .25/.5 fullring limit. Then... I lost it all.

I bought SSHE and read the whole thing.

I then deposited $100 to expect.com and played .05/.10 trying to use what I've learned from the book.
I started off ok, then lost almost everything. I was down to $14 and was about to quit poker.

Then I got pissed off, I read the book again, and one more time, and used those $14 to start to build my roll. Once I was up to $150 I moved up to .10/.20.

When I hit $300 I started to whore and now, one year later I'm up to almost $7k form whoring AND being a winning player.

I still doubt my skill a lot, and I have aweful days when I think I suck, and it's all been luck up untill now.
Even though I have a roll of almost 7k I still only play $1/2, sometimes even lower.

My advice would be, don't give up. Read more, think, play some more, get pissed off, read more, repeat.

Good luck to you [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[correia]

You have to deal with losing money no matter how good you are. Nobody wins everytime. But the best way to become a winning player is to a)play often b)read the strategy forums c)discuss hands with other players d) read different books. Eventually things you've read/discussed will start to click and you'll be a winning player in no time.

[JupiterChaz]

Hi,
As John Patrick(So you wanna be a gambler author) would say. "You're a Chump".
This is real money!!!
Play AA KK QQ JJ TT AK AQ Ax suited and drop them if you don't hit the flop. Write down each hand as you play on a sheet of ruled note paper. I also wrote a column for A K Q J ,Blinds, straights, Pairs and flushes. It showed me what percent of those hands was a winner.Call it the "poor man's poker tracker"
If you hit a few juicy hands at a table doya think it will continue all day? NO!!!


John Patrick says to set win goals
and loss limits.
I too lost my first two $25 deposits. Then I wised up. Played premium hands. Wait for the next hand. There is one every minute.
"you either respect the cards or you don't"
"in poker you choose which hands to start with, start with an advantage"....those 2 quotes are great advice.
Good Luck

[JupiterChaz]

Oh and another tip. Annie Duke says her bro Howard told her to leave after losing 30 Big bets. This avoids massive Tilt.
Spend as much time READING about poker as playing is another good thing I learned here at 2+2.

[KurtSF]

[ QUOTE ]
How long did it take for you to get used to the money roller coaster ride?

[/ QUOTE ]

Way longer than it took me to become profitable. I only just now feel like I've got a handle on the full effects of luck/variance, and I consider that a HUGE step forward in my game.

Specifically, it took me a year (six months of donking around and six months of serious/winning play). I was unemployed and played fairly regularly, probably approaching 100k hands now from all games. You just have to study and build yourself a good solid game, then run as much cash through the rollercouster ride of up and down streaks to slowly, over time, climb bet by bet.

To build a bankroll see if you can scrounge $100 from real life somehow to put into poker, then go bonuswhoring. It is a tremendous way to not only build a nice roll but also fight variance along the way.

[JupiterChaz]

I agree on bonus chasing...I have made since July 18, $288 in bonus money...nice for playing prime hands AA KK QQ JJ TT AK AQ, Ax suited and occasionaly KQ AJ AT. Drop them if you don't hit the flop.

[Poker Plan]

With all respect I think you need to concentrate on tilt issues first- we all have to do this. Chasing lost money following losses has to STOP. No if's or but's- You need to learn to STOP doing that. It wil be one of the hardest lessons you can learn- but whether you can will be the difference between swimming or sinking.

Good luck

Ian

[MrBeers]

I read this thread. I have seen so much bad advice I feel bad for you. If you played me only playing super premium hands you would never make any money off of me. Position and action determains the value of you starting hand not just the paint on them.
I highly recomend the book "SMALL STAKES HOLD'EM" by Ed Miller, Sklanksy, and Malmuth. Most poker books do not take into account the variance of small stakes poker and why that makes many more hands playable. "SMALL STAKES HOLDEM" will teach you to exploite this and smash the stupid tight boring players. You will have more fun playing more hands more profitably. Lets face it, you are first playing for the fun of it anyway. Its just more fun to WIN.
Also scrap "the poor mans POKER TRACKER". It takes too much energy from you game and you will not be able to make sense of the data. BUY POKER TRAKER! It is $50 well spent.
Bonus Whoring YES.
The only game advice that I'd offer you is don't be too proud to leave a table you are getting crushed at. Some tables are more condusive to certain play styles. Find a table you that works for the way you play and crush it. Its not just the other peoples cards your are playing, you are also playing people, so find people you can beat. Ed Miller talks more about this in his book.
Kisshou you are on your way to a profitable fun poker hobby. I wish you well in your effort.

[DeuceSeven]

If you can't separate your bankroll from real money (aka money to pay bills, pay for food) then don't play poker. I look at my bank roll as being separate from my everyday money. I don't know how you go about doing that.

I get pissed for a few days when I witness bad beat after bad beat but I get over it. I get really pissed when I play poorly. I'd rather have some donkey hit a 2 outer on me then lose a bunch of money because of tilt or playing badly.

I guess that's how I look at it, I get pissed when I lose money because I play poorly, I get pissed only for a day or two when guys suck out on me.