Still struggling to know WHAT to play after 2 months of playing

Hi guys, I'm sorry for the amount of threads I post, I'm just eager. After two months of playing I'm still unsure of what I'm best at. Clearly not great at any as I slowly build something then lose it and back to square one but I like most formats of play and just can't single out which I think will either make or break me. I don't want to keep switching between different ones or I'm never going to do anything.

Cash Games:

Pros: Fast and can play as long as I like and quit whenever i want.

Cons:I think for the time being it's clear that I'm losing far more consistently at cash games than any other format. I also get more emotionally at cash games and more angry at playing styles which I'm struggling to cope with at the minute. Even though it's micro limits, the swings effect me. Even after long sessions profit wise I can only pull in maybe $5 maximum. However tend to lose that and more in the next session. Feel like I tilt most at cash games too.

These pros and cons are both for turbo and non turbo games.

MTT

Pros: Love the long haul and cheap game to last hours

Cons: I'v not really posted any signifiant results, usually only just make the money after hours of hard work and to be sucked out leaves me feeling exhausted for nothing.

SnG 45,90,180 man:

Pros: Can usually do "ok" Had a few first place finishes. Posted most games with these, still negative ROI

Cons: just drain me a bit and variance is a big issue. I tend to slack more unless I'm completely fresh minded which isn't very often.

SnG Single table

Cons: Very fast, don't feel as if I'm tied into anything for to long, had better results here over long term. Last night out of 5 games finished 1st in 2 and 3rd in one. Made $6 in that 45minute sessions. However i haven't posted many of these so i don't know if it's more luck than anything else or if single tables are actually the ones for me. I think overall I'm probarly up slightly from all 1 table SnG's I'v played.

Cons: I multi-table and have a bankroll of around $90.00 now and in a typical one session could have 5-10% of my roll in play due to multi-tabling. If I didn't cash in at least one I'd be left feeling i coulden't do it, so would i carry on trying and hope i take a few 1st places in a few sessions to bring back a +ROI?

SnG Single Table (DON)

Pros: By far the best results I'v had and I'm almost positive I have a +ROI on these. After a typical session of 10 tables I guess I'd profit on average around $1/2 per 45minutes.

Cons: Definitely the most boring and poker seems different here.


My question is, WHAT do I do? I'm sick to the back teeth of going back and forth trying to find "my" game. I just really don't know. I'm a lossing player overall but that's due to the fact of mixing it up i think. I just want opinions on what you think I'd be best at? I think clearly it may be the Single table SNG's, however if i should mix up DON and standard or stick to one? If sticking to one, WHICH one do you think over time will yield the best results?

Thanks for reading and i appreciate replies.

PS: Please don't say "whatever you feel comfortable with" because all (except Cash)

I will also add in the odd maybe one or two MTT $0.25 big tournaments and the UK&Ireland MTT each night as this one has a leader board which you can win addition prizes each month and love the competition in a ranking system.

Anyway, again any thoughts would be great.

Nice evaluation; have you considered learning potential as well? In particular I think the DONs have the least learning potential of your group. Like playing short stacked at cash games, it's simpler and easier but you learn less for the long run, I suspect.

It depends. For instance: How big is your bankroll ? Is time commitment important for you ? I would prefer small stakes sngs or 45man´s, these are filled with weak opponents and good bankroll builders. And you don´t sit there for hours like in big mtt´s (with big variance also). Or try some satellites, they end earlier too...

Since you have only been playing for 2 months, I suggest you treat yourself as a student of the game. This may help you keep from becoming overly frustrated when the cash games don't go as well. As far as tournaments are concerned, suck-outs happen all the time. Try to build your stack early in the tournament, then play only Tier 1, 2, or 3 hands. (99+) The way to know when to loosen up is a) in a turbo tourney, when your stack is less than 1.5x the average stack; and b) in a regular tourney, when your stack is less than 30x the big blind. When you have a big stack, please do not call the all-in with A T offsuit or 66; it will NOT go well....

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah I am learning I guess ninelions, however all game modes in my opinion are so different I'm not really learning much keep switching I don't think? Hence the reason I'm really stuck in what to do.

Daniel72: My bankroll is $90.00 as it stands at the minute. My time commitment at the moment is fine. It depends on how I'm feeling in terms of tiredness to what hours i put in. I guess on average 4-6hours per evening.

palmerd2: Thanks for the reply and yes I do very much class myself as a student player. I have read several books and topics etc so have take in a lot of information and learnt a lot over the past few months I guess. I think I'm playing my ranges when stack leader or stack loser to their full potential.

Mjdavincl: Yes I agree I'm learning all different types but as i keep switching i don't think I'm really benefiting any more from that. I believe the time has come for me to pick a game and stick to it to finally (fingers crossed) to build my roll. I honestly think because of me mixing it up all up is having the big impact on my bankroll. I'v been playing since the beginning of August and had the odd game or two in Ohama/Stud etc but 99% of my games have come from HoldemNL.

Thanks!

If you have only been playing for 2 months I think you are being to hard on yourself. But you need to give more information. What games are you playing? Meaning is it strictly HL or maybe Omaha, or something else. Have you read any books on the game. Do you take advantage of the free poker videos that the sites offer. Do you take notes on people you have played against you. Playing at low stakes you will always find what you may think is stupid plays from people were you will lose out. It is part of the game and it happens no matter what level you play at.

Stop for a second, look back at your post. whatever your Strenght`s are stay with those. whatever your weaknesses are work on those too. If It ain`t broke don`t fix it.As are as "FINDING YOUR GAME" you must understand that we all have our own playing styles and if it works for you stay with that style. If you were referring to differant games to play in then you have got to experiment,to find your niche;your favorite. I wish you good luck and continued growth as a player/student of the game. After 30 plus years I am still learning/relearning aspects of poker.

I'm playing Holdem NL. That's the game im focused on improving for the minute.I'v read several books, watched videos, read articles on the internet. Anything and everything I can basically.I take mental notes on players yes. The suckouts don't really bother me because I know it's just part of the game.

You really do have to cut yourself some slack and continue to find what works best for you. Myself, I suck at ring games. But seem to do ok at single table SNG's. On Bodog they have beginner $2.20 single table SNG's.
They pay 5 places instead of 3. You win less, but you can hone your skills and have a chance of getting some return on your buy-in. Just my thoughts. If you play DON, maybe try Merge Network their rake is 8% instead of 10% or 15% on Poker Stars.
Take care

You've only been playing for 2 months yet you've tried all of those game types enough to know how your results are at each?

I personally think people just starting out should specialize and stick exclusively to a particular game type. All of the different types of nl games you mentioned above have different skills that need to be mastered and those skills often don't transfer from one type of game to the next.

I'd say figure out which game type you like the best and go from there. Note that you don't have to be winning at a particular game for it to be the one you like the best.

I am struggling and I have been playing since 2004. My best advice after all those years is make sure you have some sort of bankroll management system, if you are on TILT then don't play and no matter how good you think you are or how good I think I am, poker will always be a game of skill and LUCK.

You're expecting way too much after only two months. You mentioned you are playing the micros, So I'm not sure exactly what you are playing. You're not rolled for much cash game wise so I assume you are playing 2nl.

$6 up in a 2nl session is huge. It doesn't seen like a lot, but 5 big bets per 100 hands is an acceptable win rate for 2nl. A bet bet is two big blinds. So for 2nl you are looking at 20 cents per 100 hands.

Figure about 70 hands an hour and just to keep the math simple and assuming your win rate wouldn't suffer by adding more tables (which doesn't happen, usually the more tables you add, your win rate will drop,but your hourly rate will increase.) you would be looking at 700 hands an hour which would be .20 x 7 = $1.40.

So what that means if it were a perfect world you would be making $1.40 an hour playing 10 tables at the same time of 2nl. I'm just trying to put that in perspective for you. You are looking at things in terms of money and what the money means in the real world. With that mind set $6 isn't shit. And you're right, it's not. But you need to realize what limits you are playing. You can't play 2nl and think you'll win $20 an hour, even $6 and hour. It's just not going to happen. Even the $1.40 an hour I came up with is going to be a stretch at 2nl.

You need to think in terms of buyins and big blinds. And use that to gauge your performance. Rather than to think damn I played six hours and only made a measly six bucks. Well, averaging a dollar an hour at 2nl is really, really good and probably not a sustainable win rate over a large sample, but that's another topic. I'm just trying to put things in prospective. I believe you are expecting way too much in the way of monetary gain for the limits you are playing.

Thats what I've been saying BIlly. It would be fine if i could say "ok this game" but i can't because i don't know. That's the reason why I'm fritting between games because I really don't know which is for me thats why im asking for advice on how to determine it.. cheers.

TPC: Thanks for the reply. I'm not expecting to win mega bucks at all. Even say a few dollars over the course of 6hours if it was consistent, obviously i now understand the swings a bit more etc so know i could lose 10 dollars but then the next session make it up. It's just trying to determine which of the games I'm suited for and i really can't figure it out. The only one I'm sure is my worse game is cash purely because i tilt more and get more emotional in the game. I just can't for the love of god pick a game and stick to it because this is what i want to do and then i can work from there. Aside that, i enjoy them all, that's the problem. The only one i don't really like (yet have best results from) is the DON.

The DON's are garbage anyway due to the rake. I decided on cash games just because if something comes up, I can always quit. You can't do that with SNG's or MTT's. I also have rakeback and participate in Full Tilt's Iron Man promotion. They only way you can maximize rakeback and earn enough points a day for Iron Man is to play cash games. I'll play tournaments now and then for the chance of a huge payday, but that's only if I have my points for that day and the time to play a tournament. That's how I decided what I'm playing.

You do need to stick to one form and learn all the ins and outs. You do that by reading books, poker forums, training sites and by playing. I would say pick a form and learn all you can about it and give it at least six months. You're not allowing yourself to focus on one form of poker. If you are just going to play for fun, then you can play whatever you want. But if you are looking into making a second income, then you need to play one form 95% of the time and the other 5% for fun, like CC events or something.

Poker is a grind, sometimes it feels like a job, there are days I really don't want to play, but due to Iron Man, I have to. Which is why I like it, because it forces me to play, even when I don't feel like it. But that's what you got to do if you want to be successful.

This He hit the nail on the head >>>>>

I really appreciate the reply TPC but I'm sure cash aren't my strongest point and I couldn't quite possibly have my bankroll diminished.

You say the DON are garbage due to the rake. However, they are even worse at standard single tables, $1.20 (20% rake!) and these really can't be profitable long term? $1.75 Turbos, ($0.15 rake)
THAT said however, due to other commitments I played only a total of 25 games in an hour period or so all which are turbo's and now I'm down $10.00. Granted I'm not really down, as I profited $10.00 the evening before so again I'm stuck at $80.00.

I played to start with $1.10(Rake:$0.10) DON turbo and for the first time, I lost a session (down $2.00) I then played 6/7 SNG single tables turbos ($1.75) (Rake:$0.15) and I lost on the bubble on 5 (5x 4th place finishes grrr, most was a river the opponent caught on the river) And then others I just didn't really come anywhere.

So, as you can imagine again I'm in the stage of thinking "these aren't for me either" Now I total understand the fact of down/up-swings, but what do I do now? I would've not say I'm "scared" of losing more money however don't want to keep playing a game if it's just a case of losing and not being a bad run. The other thing (i like turbos) is that they are $1.75 which is a lot of money for my bankroll i think, what do you think? The other turbo's just go up in price and the standard games for $1.20 are 20% stake so this doesn't seem relisctic long term! What am I going to do? Arrrg.

Should I:

A: Reevaluate?
B: Carry on and try out ride this bad spell hope to get a few 1st places to get money back up
C:The only way I can see myself not going bust at this rate, is by playing SnG MTT 0.10 turbos and 0.25. This would be a very slow process of going bust if not impossible. However I think the varience in the 360man $0.10 turbos are so sick.
D:??

I guess you could just argue that I could because I'v lost more than 10% of my bankroll in one session that I might not of even done that bad at cash games and you may well be right, but the emotional I go through at cash games is sick. It seems 9times time out of 10 if i sit down at multiple tables after a session I either lose or just break even. Not very often I'll leave with a profit of any kind, that's why I determined I would long term become a lossing player at this game. However though like everything there are pros and cons and the pro to this is the amount of VPP/FPP I earn in comparison to the other games. I'v taken around $30.00 in total in bonuses since playing cash games. Again however this is the point I have been making. I'm seriously in need of having to pick one game and stick to it now rather than later because slowly but gradually my balance is decreasing. The only thing I can aim for whilst this happening is buying a $25.00 credit with my FPP's and getting another stellar award but that's not for around 400 vpps yet. Besides which, I understand this process might be far to long with the rate I earn VPPs. Obviously during my cash game "times" I have earn t nearly 100 in a day which was brilliant.

Do you feel my predicament? It's not like I want to always win or even be a winning playing at present, just to break even at the minute to keep me going would be great and on top of that I'd always being earning VPP's so in fact even if I was always a break even player I'd always make profit in the long run if I put in enough volume via the VIP programme.

D: Take a break to study more about the game.

I can't really tell much about how good you are at poker because your sample size is really really small. However, it never hurts to get a book or visit forums (like this one and 2+2) so that you can learn more. Every time I have a downswing I will take a break and go back to the drawing board to learn more. Since I know I don't have the skill or talent for the game, I was left with no choice but to study. Heck, I even finished the three Harrington books and Moshman's SNG before I can afford to not rely on freerolls! Because I can never afford to deposit, I must ensure myself that I know the game and play well enough to be able to hold on to my minuscule BR obtained from freerolls. Luckily variance did not hit me too much during that crucial early stage, enabling me to build a decent bankroll.

I believe with some basic knowledge of the game, you should be able to beat the regular $1.2 SNGs with relative ease. I would stay away from the turbo ones though, as blinds increase so fast that the middle/late stages of the tourney can become a crapshoot.

Cash games are a different animal, and require pretty solid postflop skills to really prosper. So if you're not too confident in your games, stick to SNGs where the learning curve is a lot flatter.

GL at the tables.

Too echo what most people have said, find a game and play the hell out of it. Personally I think you should grind some non turbo games if you are going to play sngs and get some actuall game time learning the different stages of the sng like mid level, bubble and cash positions play. For cash I would take others suggestions as I dont really get on with cash but I think its easier to loose more with cash games faster.

This is an amazing post. Well written and easy to comprehend.

I don't really think you've given cash games a fare shot. But if it's not for you, it's not for you. I would say more members of CC grind SNG's and tourneys than cash, so no big deal if that's what you want to do.

I should have been more clear with what I meant. The DON's are garbage due to the rake. But what I meant by that was they really aren't double or nothing. Again to make the math simple. Lets say you were playing $10 DON'S, they are actually $10 + $1. So, if you win a DON, you win $9, not ten dollars. If you lose a DON, you lose $10. So now that you lost a DON, you need to win two DON's to make up for the one you lost, to be able to profit again. So if it were a true DON, if you won 50% you would be even, but due to the rake (and to avoid math) you have to win like 60% to break even. To profit, you would obviously have to win more. Then add in the fact that because it's a DON and how you have to play DON's to profit it's extremely boring. That's what makes DON's garbage due to the rake

25 games in an hour is a lot. Not sure how many tables you are playing, but for only playing two months your are more than likely playing way too many tables at once.

Turbos are the highest form of variance for SNG's. Being new to online poker I would avoid playing turbos at all costs. Heck I still avoid turbos. Due to the structure they are pretty much push fold by the fourth blind level. That's not poker imo. Play non turbo SNG's and MTT's and save yourself some head aches. If you must play turbos search and study ICM (Independent chip model) and M ratios (more for MTT's and multi table SNG's). You should study those concepts for non turbo games as well.

Very small sample. You are being results oriented. Sometimes you just have a bad night. However, you are also new to online poker, so you are probably making some mistakes. I suggest posting some hands in the HA section of CC, to see if we can help you. Also, not sure how many tables you are playing at once. But I suggest playing two max for now. As you learn more and become more confident then you can add more tables.

What is it that you like about turbos so much? They are going to be higher variance than non turbo games. The skilled player would rather have the blinds raise as slow as possible. Think of a turbo structure as giving lady luck a little bigger share of the game than she normally would have. You're going to be but into push fold a lot sooner with turbos than with non turbos.

Also, if you are worried about the money, poker might not be for you. You should only be playing with money you can afford to lose. Think of the money you are losing to be paying for your poker education. With that said, don't go crazy and move up to higher limits. Poker is a grind, it's not a get rich quick scheme. It's going to take a lot of time to learn and understand the concepts associated with each game type (which is why there are a lot of people in this thread saying you need to pick one game type and stick with it). Then some more time learning how to apply what you learned in actual game situations.

D: I need to understand that I'm not going to be good at poker overnight.

I know to you two months seems like a long time. But it's all relative to what we are talking about. Two months in jail, to me seems like a long time. If the NFL only played for two months out of the year, that would be super quick. What new players don't understand is poker is more than what beats what. Have you ever heard the saying poker takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master?

Again, you are expecting too much too quick. So if cash isn't for you, go the SNG route or MTT route. The first thing you need to do is choose what you are going to play and stick to it. Stay away from the DON's and the turbos for now. Post some hands in the HA section, get a couple of books. For SNG's I recommend Colin Moshman's SNG book. For MTT's I recommend the Harington on Hold'm books (there are three books total). Poker is more than just sitting down and playing to learn and figure out the game. You might have been able to get away with that ten years ago, but that's just not possible with today's poker games.

You're starting to figure it out. If you break even in cash games with VPP's you are actually showing a small profit. Now you got to work on some of your leaks and turn that breaking even into a small profit and you're on your way.

I just made it sound super easy, it's going to be a lot harder and take a lot of study and work to get there. But you can do it if you put your mind to it.

As far as letting your emotions get in the way. I've struggled with that a lot. After blowing huge chunks of my roll time and time again due to tilt, I realized the only things I was hurting was myself and my bankroll. You need to leave you emotions at the door (easier said the done) and after you take a beat and lose a big pot. Ask yourself could I have played this had any differently with the information I had at the time of my decisions. If the answer is yes, then learn from it. If the answer is no, that's just the poker gods ****ing with you. They like to do that, don't let them!!!

Yes, I get where you are coming from. It reminds me of when I started online. On TV and in stories on the net you hear about kid's turning $50 into millions. However, you never hear how long it took them to get there and they never talk about how much above EV that kid ran on his run. Even Dusty Schmidt said he was lucky he ran half way decent when he started. Think of success stories like that as advertisement to get other to play poker. Is it possible to turn $50 into a million dollars? Yes, people have done it. Is it likely? No. What is more likely is you work hard to become the best player you can. After a couple of years you start to show a steady profit. Then you realize ok, I have a good second job here where I make $X amount a year.

I think you should pick up Dusty Schmidt's book "Treat Your Poker Like a Business," I think after you read that it will give you a better idea of what to expect and how much work is really needed to become a profitable player.

I don't suppose it's because I don't enjoy them. I do enjoy them to a degree because of the convenience of them and the rewards (VIP programme) It's just from my experience the swings often take to much effect on me. I'v played around 20,000 hands over the past couple of months so maybe could be a bad run? lol.



It's not because I'm becoming egoistic or anything. I did start out playing one or two tables maximum and did find them "educational" and enjoyed them. However, over time I added an extra table for example and to now play maybe one or two tables at a time kind of bores me. Is that the wrong attitude? I used to also play online shooter games for over 10 years so it's isn't like I get exhausted playing them, in fact it keeps me more concentrated as odd as it sounds. I play on average between 8-10 tables, anything much lower than five I tend to start getting bored and I know this doesn't sound like I'm enthusiastic about poker but I am.

I used to hate turbos until I started playing more tables and there seems to be more games in turbo mode. I'v also seen that "top" players who grind SnG's are often more turbos than not. I'm not saying I'm trying to follow in their sick achievements even if this would be a brilliant fate. It purely showed me the variance can be over-ridden and quite easily beaten long term.


I'm not worried as in I need the money because I don't. I definitely wouldn't gamble what i couldn't afford. The reason I'm worried is more to the fact I'd rather find a game I know I can play and just play it. I just don't know which. I feel I can pull of results etc but over time it slowly does go down and I'm trying to control BR management so would be gutted if I went broke. Granted if I'm a long term losing player, I'm bound to go broke at some point. I just don't want to feel I'm a losing player if purely because I'v lost based on to many mixed up games and switching.


Indeed that's what makes me like playing the cash games..I just really am stuck as I feel I need to pick and stick with one.[/quote]

I have read quite a number of books etc over the past couple of months. I've read the Dan Harrington ones and got "moshmans SnG" as well as Slankys Theory of poker just haven't started reading them. I feel fried with all the reading and online stuff I've read recently.


Anyway I very much appreciate the hard work you put into answering my questions I really do (as always) Clearly you have put a lot of your time into answering my questions.

You're like my angel on my shoulder. You answer everything so clearly for me to understand it gives me that extra motivation to get back to learning more.

If there was a CC vote/reward system I most certainly would vote you.

I think I will get reading a bit more again and taking it more slowly and try slacking on the turbos and maybe giving cash another shot and I will report back in a few weeks and let you know how I'm getting on or if I've gone busto lol.

Thanks again Bud.

As others have said, TPC gave you really good advice. Having said that, I think there's another consideration for you. What do YOU like to play? I think that's a factor. If you're playing 4/6 hours per night, I'd think you'd want to be excited about whatever format you choose. I am one of the "typical CC'ers" that likes SNG's. I do well with them and I enjoy it. I also use my success (using that term mildly) to fund other endevours like MTT's or the occasional ring game just because I want to change it up and become a more well rounded player. I understand that my best games are SNG's and that's where I'll increase my BR but poker is fun to me. I enjoy changing it up; I joined the CC Fall League and that's been great. I challenged myself to win a 18/27/45/90/180 man SNG. I've done all of them except for the 180 man.....my BR doesn't allow me to buy into that right now....so I'll wait until I can use proper BR management and give that a shot. Very long winded way of saying "do what you like, focuse on that, and improve"

I've got a similar bankroll to you on Full Tilt, and I think the $2.25 SNG's are a much better value than the $1.20. It's just a little over proper bankroll management level, but I think the reduced rake is good compensation for that. Sometimes I'll multi-table, but more often I'll just play one so that I can focus and play my best and keep variance as low as possible.

If you have about three hours to spare, you might try the $1.10 90 player deep stack SNG's. The deep stack is pretty forgiving if you run into some better hands early on, and it pays 18 places, so you have a good chance of at least getting your buy-in plus a little extra back. If you go deep, it can give your bankroll a nice boost.

This goes back to perception. Because you are new, 20k hands over two months seems like a lot. I play about 40k hands a month. And compared to some of the other grinders, that isn't that much either.

In 20k hands some of it could be due to running bad, but a lot of it is probably due to mistakes you are making (leaks) or also missing value on hands in certain situations.

I could speculate all day, but we have no idea unless you post some hands, or even shoot a video while you play. And talk about what your thoughts are while you are playing.

Yes. It's the wrong attitude to have. The problem is in today's society we hate waiting for shit. Long lost is the saying good things happen to those who wait. All this is, is a focus problem. However, I'm not a mind coach and can't tell you how you should stay focused. I can only tell you what I do.

When I started playing cash games I started with four tables, in hindsight, I should have started with two. But, four tables fit on the screen perfectly. It wasn't long until I though, hey, whats two more tables? Then... Hey what's two more? Well I noticed I was showing a steady profit when I was playing four tables, but now I'm not showing a profit while playing ten tables. So I went back down to four.

I get what you are saying, the four tables was boring. But I was winning. So I started watching hands play out on the other tables while I wasn't involved in any hands. And I tried to guess what the players were holding. First I would put them on ranges, then try to narrow it down to the actual hands. I'd get pissed off when the hand didn't go to show down, cause I didn't know if I was right or not. That little game I played with myself taught me how to put players on a range and also taught me valuable hand reading skills. So then I moved to six tables and so on. If you are profiting over a large sample it's ok to add tables. When you are no longer profiting, you need to drop the number of tables down. I play ten tables now and don't think I will ever add any more.

Yes and no. You say you can't handle the swings, which is understandable. But with turbos there are going to be a lot more swings. So to put it simply, you are kinda torturing yourself by playing turbos.

This is what medeiros13 is getting at. What do you enjoy playing? I'm a biased cash game player, just because I think the promotions sites offer benefit the cash game player the most. Which, from your posts, it sounds like you are coming to the same conclusion.

What it boils down to is only you can decide what the best game for you is. But you're never going to figure it out playing three DON's then 7 STT's and finally an MTT every night. I would say pick any game type and play it for a month. If you can't see yourself playing that one type for a moth, it's a fare assumption that's not the game type for you.

In Dusty's book "Treat Your Poker Like a Business" he advocates making a schedule. In that schedule you should schedule your playing time. For example from 7pm to 8pm, I'm going to read X book. From 8pm to 11pm I'm going to play cash games. From 11pm to midnight I'm going to reread the chapters I read at 7pm. Ect, you can go as far as putting your work schedule, dinner, time with friends whatever. But you should plan what you are going to do and stick to it. This will give you structure. Which is something I believe we all need to a degree.

Hey, this is what CC is all about. I hope this helps and wish you the best. Do keep us updated and keep posting. Sharing ideas and asking questions helps everyone involved get better.

I'd play the DONs, I've had success with them too.

Read Mike Caros book "Most Profitable Holdem Advise" and your game will change in leaps and bounds.He is without doubt The Mad Genius of Poker and his theory on cash games will make you a winner.OziFigJam(F*** Im Good Just Ask Me)

I think 1.10 45man turbos are the best starter tourneys and are pretty easy to crush

I THINK THAT DONS ARE A GREAT WAY TO START THEY DONT TEACH YOU ALOT BUT THEY DO TEACH PATIENCE WHICH TO ME IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR; PLUS THEY ARE EASY TO BUILD YOUR BANK ROLE AND YOU DONT NEED TO CONCENTRATE TOO MUCH ON THEM WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO BRANCH OFF INTO DIFFERENT GAMES WHILST STILL EARNING ON THE DONS

I think you should study more. I think you should concentrate on other games than nl hold em. Everyone plays no limit hold em. Newer strategies are being developed all the time to beat the last strategy in the game. If you can become at least proficient in many games, you have more options in terms of game selection based on how tough the game is. For example, and I posted about this under "trash talking fish" a few nights ago I was going around ftp's new draw games and decided to play some 2nl 2-7 triple draw. Well about 15 minutes into play a second fish joined the table and the two fish just started shoving every hand. With proper play I managed to turn 2 dollars into 55. With more knowledge and experience with many different games you have the option to go where the fish are, wherever they are.

Also, and I apologize if this has been stated before, making proper strategy adjustments based on starting stacks, blind structure and payout structure is crucial in the different mtt and sngs. And remember to quote Johnny Chan,"The only way to be a winner is to be a loser so you learn."

Ramdeebam,
I know exactly what your asking and I too went through the same frustration. PM me or post on here if your still reading the topic. Id be happy to share what Ive learned as far as "which game is for you" as far as raising your bankroll.
While the rakes and advice on looking at each game based on buyins and rakes vs possible profits, is definitely the right way to approach it... You are also onto something regarding what type of game to stick to for now. Rather then post a book on what Ive learned, PM me or reply to the post, I think I can help with your answer. Good luck bro.

Does anyone ever even consider FL games anymore. I always won at these games at every level I paid. I think even if you like NL games better, you build a lot more confidence in your own ability by getting your ears wet in FL. You play a lot more pots, push small edges and build pots odds. I go back to FL when I am on a down streak at NL.

Have you considered one of the on line poker school PokerStars and Full Tilt.
I never used them maybe someone has some insight on them?