Beginner aspires to be like you guys

[beak]

Hi guys, and thanks for taking time to read my post.

First I'll give you my story so far (briefly).

Started playing LHE online (PP) in Nov 06 at .05/.10. Lost all my money but fell in love with the game for good.
Decided that in this dead-end town of mine even making an average living playing poker would be heaven so bought SSHE by Ed Miller et al as a starting point.

Playing "by the book" as it were, I built 19 dollars up to 470 in about ten hours of play over 4 days, single table cash game 10 handed LHE on PP.com. Going from .25/.50 at first to $2/$4 after i reached 100 dollars or so (i know, nowhere near enough bankroll). Obv was delighted but then lost 170 dollars and have cashed out my 300 before i lose it all to 1. variance and 2. playing at too high a limit for my skill , and put this down to good luck and not good play.

I now wish to drop down and start out properly at, say .50/1 LHE with ten buyins ($250) and try to build my bank roll from there.
I suppose my questions to you guys are how do you think i should go about bettering myself as a player? And what limits should i eventually aspire to in order to maybe average $600p/week (good salary where i live) given that i can play about 20 hours per week. I am only new here but see a lot of you posting stat sheets from a poker program. Is that the Pokertracker i have heard so much about? and how do i get it? i think it would really help me to improve.

Also you must get this all the time but what books do you recommend for me bearing in mind i have Small Stakes Hold 'em and have really learned a lot from it.

Any responses would be much much much appreciated (except maybe insults) and if you are wondering why i have posted this in the mid stakes section and not beginners, its because you guys obviously know what works and have been through the same gruelling learning process as i am about to embark on.

Thanks for your time and i am sorry for all the questions, i am not looking for quick fixes i am more than willing to put the work in but need all the help i can get.

Thanks again

Beak

[cold_cash]

Hi beak... I just wanted to say hey and welcome to the forums.

I know a lot of the other guys will have some good, specific advice for you, but I wanted to be the first to tell you the best way to learn is to jump right in and start replying to hand threads.

It sounds like you have the right attitude to hopefully get the most out of this place.

Stay cool.

[DrModern]

Hey Beak,

The first thing to bear in mind is that success in poker comes over the very, very long term. The point where you're averaging $600 a week is a long way off, and you'll have to do a ton of learning to get there. Your initial run was sick-hot and you should not expect that sort of results. In fact, you should always keep in mind that in the short term (which is long) it's possible to play excellently and still get worked for lots of money.

You'll improve your game through continuing to study SSHE and posting here. I'd really encourage you to respond to other posters' hands more than you post your own as you get started again in LHE. This will force you to think about hands and interesting scenarios, and allow you to get advice and instruction from the more experienced players on this board.

GL,
Doc

[bennyhana]

For software, buy these. They will pay for themselves in about 30 hours of play.
poker tracker
pokerace hud

Since you have SSHE, I would also recommend The Theory of Poker (TOP)by Sklansky. It makes you think about the game more long term. The Psychology of Poker is a good way to learn how to play against different types of players. Hold Em Poker for Advanced Players (HEPFAP)is also a good read, but will be geared for higher games than you plan to play. The short handed section is excellent.

Be careful when you run hot like you did. As you experienced, it can go away just as quickly. I think you have a good plan by starting at .50/1. You should stick to the 300 big bet rule for your bankroll. In your case it would be $300. Don't consider moving up till you are at 300bb for the next higher limit.

The most important advice I can give you is to be patient. EXTREMELY patient. Along your journey, you will excperience highs like no other, where you think you are Gods gift to poker, but you will also have times where you are completely lost and wonder what the hell went wrong. Just be patient and the numbers will all work themselves out.

Some links to get you started:
Probably way too much reading material, but most of it is pure gold.
A Classic.
From a much missed poster.

[00Snitch]

The best advice as far as making money goes is to only play bonuses (and rakeback if possible). If you are crap at poker (like me and so many others) bonues/rakeback will make you money when all else fails. As soon as you have any half-way decent amount of cash in your roll, play bonuses. There are pleanty out there, even ones that clear at 0.25/0.50. Have a look in the "Internet Bonuses" forum and www.bonuswhores.com for inspiration.

As far as playing goes... well, this bit I don't know much about yet. Participating here as much as possible will help. Taking on advice from here will help. PokerTracker is a must as soon as your bankroll can comfortably take a $55 hit. PokerAceHUD ($25) is very nice too, but you can certainly get away GameTime+ until you want to start looking at more stats on your screen as it has better layout options.

Then I'm sure there are many other things (that I don't do) that will vastly improve your play. Session reviews (the Session Review Pimp will be along shortly to tell you all about them [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]), self review, leak checks in poker tracker.

As far as making $600/week at 20hrs/week. Well, good players will make 2bb/100 hands. You will generaly get around 80 hands/hr on a single table. So, playing one table, 20hrs/week, you could expet to play around 1500 hands/week (discounted for toilet breaks). This will equate to 30bb/week at 2bb/100. So to make $600/week yu would need to be playing 10/20.

Of course, those calculations are rediculous because of so many reasons:

- Most people can't beat 10/20 for 2bb/100
- Most people will be getting bonuses and rakeback
- Most people never make it to 10/20
- Most people will multitable

... but you get the idea, just work it out for yourself.

Have fun.

[TJO]

Welcome!

You can get Poker Tracker as a free gift if you look around:
http://www.pokersourceonline.com/
http://www.internettexasholdem.com/p...-hold-em-book/
http://www.boogster.com/
http://www.pokersavvy.com/free-poker-gifts.html
http://www.vegaspokerpro.com/
http://www.regalospoker.com/

Of course you can also buy it from their homepage:
http://www.pokertracker.com/

Session reviews are a great way to improve your game. Also check out MicroLimitLibrary if you haven't yet.

[DrModern]

Just wanted to add that I'm a long-term winning player and don't use PokerTracker or a HUD. It is possible to succeed in poker without these tools, and I think you can learn some valuable things from not having them. Not trying to claim you shouldn't get them or that they aren't helpful, just noting another approach.

I think you might better understand the following two things faster:

Stats are only a baseline for a read. Reads involve observing your opponents, how they play their hands, what their general tendencies are pre- and postflop, and any out-of-line things they do.

What matters is not ever getting such-and-such a stat to such-and-such a value but the correctness of your plays and their responsiveness to the situation at hand.

[beak]

Wow thanks to everyone for so many replies so quickly. I really appreciate all your help and will take your advice on board. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.

[Bona]

All those guys who responded gave you great advice. I only want to add: USE PATIENCE AS A TOOL

Patiently study and read a lot in proportion to playing time.
Patiently play play well within your bankroll and your temperament.
Patiently choose the table you want to play at. Even study the play at that table before you jump in.
Patiently play tightly and wait for your spots.
Patiently take the time to review your own sessions and look for leaks.

[bozlax]

[ QUOTE ]
Just wanted to add that I'm a sissy-mary, fratboy, crewbie and don't use PokerTracker or a HUD.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just joshin', Doc.

A big bonus of PokerTracker if you plan to become a pro (i.e. derive a large portion or all of your income from playing online poker) is that it will make record-keeping, for purposes of tax reporting and such, much easier. That makes me think, tho, what jurisdiction are you in? United States? Are you aware that there's legislation that is currenntly making it very difficult for players in the US to transfer money into and out of poker sites, and will continue to for some time?