Trust me, you want me at your table

I'm really having trouble.

Thousands of hands with fake money, hours and hours of poker on TV watching and learning, some books some DVD's.

Going to real money on FTP, I consistently lose. Been playing real money for about two months.

I suck. I can't get my head around a consistent strategy, and I'm constantly getting beat.

I'm very unhappy.

What's my next move?

Your next move is to observe the play at Full Tilt's cash tables. Observe how the game's played at your current level(bottom right?). Then figure out a way to win.

I'd say the best thing about Full Tilt is how easy it is to find the pros. I mean, you can just spot them in red and watch them play for hours. You watch them win, watch them lose, and figure out how they do either. I'm just saying, you can learn a whole lot just from watching.

Poker on TV is hyper-edited. You're not seeing whole games or tournaments, just highlights. It's not like watching basketball or baseball where you see the whole game plus slow motion replays with everything explained. You get to see some hands and if you're lucky the commentator's smart and you learn from him or her(usually him).

But all in all I'd say just observe. Observe for awhile before you dive in, then observe once you do. Play the table you're at(or find one that suits your style, but good luck). Since it's all pretty situational there's no silver-bullet to make you win. Of course you can change the dynamic at your table, but that's tricky and can bite you on the bottom.

But another possibility is that you're trying too hard to play by the books. I read an article from Phil Ivey that pretty much said you should read as many books as you can then forget them at the table. I believe he means you should learn as much as you can from books but be yourself when you play. It makes sense in my head. I just can't articulate it clearly.

BTW I'm not really sure what good a consistent strategy would do. If I play the same no matter what I lose big time. I only win when I play to suit the table I'm at. Not the same way the table plays, but to take advantage of the way the table plays. Even then, it can be tough to get a read and just one new player can shift things around in a negative way.

what poker programs have you been watching on tv...? Poker Superstars International on FSN is a horrible example of how to play (cash or SnG...) due to the point system... PAD is fairly legit in terms of how play builds, but if you really want to learn anything from television poker i'd say watch the aussie millions cash games. Some that i've seen have included pros such as Ivey, Antonius, Hansen Elezra, and even Durrrr... since they're playing with their own real money, you'll see some of the most well thought poker on television. Not many cash games on tv... this is very interesting..

what games have you been playing and for what level of money. Are playing no limit ring games? Stay away from these. You need to play something soft. With micro limits. Some sit and gos. Some Multi Table Tournaments. Full Tilt has one for $1.25 with 90 seats and they give you a double stack of $3000 plus the money starts at the top 20% (18). Play 20 or 30 of these. Play some free rolls. Get used to seeing a lot of cards. A lot of different type of players. BoDog has a 10 SNG for 2.20 called a beginners event where 5 people come in the money. I have yet to come in under 3rd.
Poker Stars has micro tourneys for 10, 25, 50, cents. THey also have a sit and go for 10 cents for 360.
THis is the way I started. I started coming in the money in some freerolls at the same time reading and asking players better then me what to do.
Never give up. Dont blame donkeys. We all suck out. Its part of the game. Observe like the other posters have said. Experiment. THe worse you can do is lose.
Get Hand Histories of your game and look at where your weaknesses are. Eventually it all comes together. Nothing comes easy.