having trouble deciding what to specialise in

I'm at a crossroads these days and was hoping to get some input or just start a discussion about other peoples choices and how they came about them.

I am at a point where I want to focus on one format of online poker play. I'm having a rough time since my BR is not big enough to allow me to be spreading myself super thin. I know no one can give me the answer for myself but if you could even just say why and what you have chosen. How you came to that conclusion or something. I could use that in making my choice.

I do firmly believe that I would love to be a completely well rounded player but I feel the need to focus on one format for awhile to build my Br to a point where I can experiment more.

I agree that it is better to concentrate on one form of poker which I try to do and here is the way I decided.
I started off, as most people do playing NL ring games which to be honest I am not very good at, then I went to Sit and gos which I was a lot better at, I am a just better than break even player on them.
Then I tried Omaha hi/lo and I completely sucked at that so went back to sit and goes, then I tried Omaha pot limit and I loved it and I have been playing it for over 18 months now and make a small profit at it, I only play micro stakes because of a limited bankroll but a profit is a profit.
So having found the game I am best as you'd think I'd stick to it? well er no, but for the right reasons, when I go on a bad downswing I will go back to sit and gos for a few days then go back to PLO and it usually works.
If you want to know what form of poker you should concentrate on use tracking software and over a few months you will find out which form of poker you should stick with, the one you make the most money at, as simple as that.
If you find you dont make money on any read books, read articles on here, ask people on here and try again.
Good luck to you, I hope this somewhat long winded post helps you a little bit, you have made the first step towards improving as a player by asking a question on here, that is a good start.
One more thing, read articles about bankroll management on here and stick to it 100% 100% of the time and you wont go far wrong
good luck mate


Colin

Format as in Limit,NL, Omaha etc?

If this is the case i would suggest playing all formats at micro stakes. I started playing NLHE only as most people, I sucked first starting out. I experimented with Limit and I saw things in limit that I was able to take to NL. I also played Omaha and again, saw things I could use in NL.

I play NLHE mainly but every now and again I can be caught in an Omaha or limit game.

if your bankroll isn't high enough, i would recommend to play limit holdem cash games. The smallest stakes. I did it and if you're patient and don't loose control, u can make your way to the higher stakes.
first it was a hard time to play the lowest stakes, but it's okay after an amount of time. just have a try and invest a part of your small br ;-) good luck 2 u

Play NLHE

There is more written about NLHE than anything else so if you want to study and work on your game, then there is an entire library surrounding the game of NLHE.

If you pick something obscure, the games will be softer but there is less information available to you.

If you get good at NLHE then you can switch games and take all of that poker theory you have learned and apply it to a game where there is less written info available.

I am/was very fickle with game selection myself, to the point of 8-tabling 8 distinct poker variations during some sessions. I go through phases of having intense PLO cravings one week, NL the next, Stud 8 the one after, etc. I don't think there's anything wrong with exploring all your possible options, though I also tend to struggle with settling on just one variation and properly focus on excelling at it.

Recently, though, I stumbled upon a format I've been able to singularly swallow up, namely 6-max super turbos. What I find makes some phases stick longer than others are my interest in that particular game type and my ability to beat it measurably and consistently. As much as I like PLO, nothing has contributed more to my BR's growth than STT SnGs, so I always seem to find myself returning to them in one way or another.

ok first @ colin thank you and not long winded in the least. It was exactly what I was looking for starting this. I am extremely bankroll disciplined and have actually played for years live,gave it a break ,came back to it and now am moving online. I know little late to the party poker but I think it will go through a second boom. I have to say I can manage profit in whichever format I work at thus far. Probably why I'm thinking about it lately. I'm hyped that WSop is adding a ten game tournament (not quite there yet) and generally I think people are getting tired of Hold em. I know I am for tons of reasons.
@ ballack
..yeah I can't do limit at the micros it drives me batty because of people having pot odds to make draws beating my solid starting hands and such. I started with limit ( stud 7 and 5) when i was younger and though I don't mind it in mixed situations I can't sit at a table and grind at it for any length of time. Hmmm maybe I should whittle it down by figuring out what I definitely don't want to play.
@ stu agreed the amount of resources available to hold em players is well..reflective of its popularity. I am finding alot of stuff on the older popular games though like stud. And yes I am very serious I put in about one third of my poker time into study.
@SY ...i completely agree. I prefer 6 max these days and have found myself really gravitating towards HU.

i dunno thanks everyone for the input it is much appreciated I may just be to schizo to settle on one for now. I don't really grind much. I tend to have one table NLHE 6 table going. One HU either Omaha Hi or NL , one small (9 or 18) sng and an MTT going. Inbetween I sit at a ten game table. I think I need to just spend some time on one of these (or two) and go with it exclusively for awhile.

Looks like people have helped you narrow your search for the proper game to play.
If I have a small bankroll, and wanted to play a tournament, I would select a deepstack tourney if you can find one. It means you can see more cards(since you have more chips) unless you are a fold or allin type of player.
Ring games, I would go into a room with the max money allowed so as not to be bullied. I would be sure it is not more than a 100BB room.
I would be sure to take 1 day, preferably 2 days off a week to make the game not become a burden and to stay refreshed.

I have found the same issues as OP but the game has always been the same, NLHE.

I decided to look at what fits my lifestyle best though. I have about 2 to 3 hours in the evening in which I can play without distraction so looked at the games I could play.

MTTs will take far longer than the time I have and start later than ideal.

STTs are a good option as 6maxTurbo will often take less than an hour and can be multitabled.

Cash is the final option, but I just never got on with it, even though at one point I felt it was going to be my BEST GAME.

I ended up with HU SNGs as my main game and am trying to learn those while building a decent roll. I have found that I need to play the odd longer game to relax though as HU is pretty intense.

I have to say that one of the best advice I met in this forum was to specialize. I have two issues: bankroll (which started small) and time (not really the availability but more how long I can stick for a session).

I think that you should try to put into perspective why you play. Your choices will depend a lot of that in my humble opinion. I'm a SNG guy, but I started focusing only on rings because although I miss the competition, I have the same pleasure in playing NL. I had to adapt my BRM to it not even a week ago, but I was able to make a decision because I knew which variant I wanted to play and then just put things into my perspective: low BR + availability.

Don't know if it helps and I'm probably the least experienced guy here, but I really think it's just a matter of finding your perspective and put things in it.

I recommend 2nlhe cash.

i think it depends on the amount of time you have, the bankroll you have, how many tables you can play, do u like using the tools and do you have the personality of a grinder

if you are all of the above, then from everything i've read on this board ... NLH cash is probably the way to go

as far as playing less popular games ... i think you could probably take advantage of the fact that there will be less knowledge and skill, but i think that enjoying playing is still such a big part ... and if your playing Razz, for example, are you really enjoying it?

and finally, will there always be a game for you? ... with Razz probably not, HORSE, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo probably yes, but it could get frustrating finding the exact game you want and esp. now with this US mess

limit holdem doesnt work for me as 'sven...' was saying i think everyone gets too good pot odds and also you cant get good value bets in. i think it suits some peoples styles for sure.
but as for what format to play if you mean PL, NL, SnG, cash whatever, with a small bankroll, i'd play each in spells, give each a proper go, and thn see wich one your doing best at and play more of it. i used to always lose in cash games, the last 2 days i just at least cincupled ,or 5x, my bankroll in cash games only, generally NL all the way for me but i still try others every now and then, PL cash on PP is usually a winner for a change of scenery

thanks rob. I should update I guess. My forte really is mixed games. I miss the 10-game on FT but the 8 on PS is not so shabby. I find that when I do play HE I run over the players so I think I have found my niche. Any other mixed game players find the same thing? I am finding that I can exploit individual players weak games in a mixed format and pretty much have them tilting when it gets to both hold em and plo which are my stronger games of the lot.

Micro mixed games attract a lot of players who suck at at least 1 of the games involved - mostly they suck in more than one lol.

I'm by no means really good but have had some success in these just because I don't suck as much as the average opponent.

On the long run I'd go with micro NLHE MTTs - probably because I have the most experience in those.