maybe online poker isnt for me?

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hpb846

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well , I feel im pretty solid in the 2-5 dollar touneys with no re buys and decent size fields

ive cashed in a few , but I am constantly losing in cash games and when I tilt in a touney im out right away after a bad beat..........

big issue is , it almost feels like an addiction , I work 3-10 , I come home play poker till 3am or till im out of money , go to sleep , wake up round noon , and play for 3 hours before work (if I have money) , I only deposit $20 at a time so im not losing astronomical amounts of money , but its enough to cause concern

ive lost a grand total of $200 in the last 3 weeks , and I lost about a $100 1 month ago when I first started playing online.....

but ive won enough in the last 2 weeks to where if I was smarter with ,y bankroll id be just fine

cash games is my down fall , I log in and if there isn't a tourey available at my stake level I sit at a cash game , and lose ,,,

so im sure u are sayin to yourself "just don't play cash games" ........that's where the addiction comes in............

this is a thread that id like to get a lot of feed back on , id like to pick the brains of some of you more experienced players ,
 
BluffMeAllIn

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Just a quick note I guess, you say you only deposit 20$ at a time and play cash so big question what limit are you playing on the cash tables? At 2NL that gives you only 10bi which obv is ok if you have no issues with redepositing when you go bust, however this is obviously becomming an issue.

BRM is our best friend that helps us try not to go bust, obviously if we are a loosing player bust is inevitable without improving. And based on basic BRM for cash games you should have at least 20bi minimum so for 2nl that would be 40$. Perhaps try stt's if there are no tournies available if you want to try and stay away from the cash tables, just a thought as its currently my approach to keep away from cash games for the time being and I have always had more success with SNG's than cash at this point, thus cash is my crutch that I have been trying to improve on as well as my poker skillz overall.

So to start, what are some issues you have when playing cash? Sounds like tilt may be one of them, so why do you tilt (ie bad beats, playing badly, etc). Understanding why we tilt and attempting to resolve the why rather than seeking ways to avoid the tilt are very important (..It's not a quote but this something that Jared tendler talks about in his books (i use books lightly as I have both but only currently reading the first one)).

Outline some more details and we could certainly provide more feedback, if there are specific hands bothering you where decisions are tough post the handhistory and it will surely be reviewed and provide feedback as to wheither its an unlucky beat or played incorrectly or could have been played better to keep from being such a difficult decision etc.

Last note for now, basically cash games are very different from tournament style poker and require learning different skills etc to play them profitably. Hope this is a start where you can provide more details to get further feedback to help with your issues.
 
rifflemao

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ive lost a grand total of $200 in the last 3 weeks , and I lost about a $100 1 month ago when I first started playing online.....

but ive won enough in the last 2 weeks to where if I was smarter with ,y bankroll id be just fine

I was addicted early on too and busted for at least $100 on Stars before Black Friday, and about $300 on Cake\Juicy. I wish I were one of the smart ones who built a huge roll from nothing, but I started with unnecessary brm mistakes, and tried to learn from them. So far so good on Bovada since June.

Cash games are my weakness too, so I 3-table no more than 10nl, and usually just 5nl. I can't play cash for more than an hour at a time or I'll get bored and start tilting. I hope that will change as I learn to think deeper about the game.

My advice is to get pissed about it, blog about your game (even if no one else reads it), set goals, use a hand replayer to take notes and teach yourself, and compare results with a friend. Having an accountability partner can be very motivating.
 
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cotta777

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well , I feel im pretty solid in the 2-5 dollar touneys with no re buys and decent size fields

ive cashed in a few , but I am constantly losing in cash games and when I tilt in a touney im out right away after a bad beat..........

big issue is , it almost feels like an addiction , I work 3-10 , I come home play poker till 3am or till im out of money , go to sleep , wake up round noon , and play for 3 hours before work (if I have money) , I only deposit $20 at a time so im not losing astronomical amounts of money , but its enough to cause concern

ive lost a grand total of $200 in the last 3 weeks , and I lost about a $100 1 month ago when I first started playing online.....

but ive won enough in the last 2 weeks to where if I was smarter with ,y bankroll id be just fine

cash games is my down fall , I log in and if there isn't a tourey available at my stake level I sit at a cash game , and lose ,,,

so im sure u are sayin to yourself "just don't play cash games" ........that's where the addiction comes in............

this is a thread that id like to get a lot of feed back on , id like to pick the brains of some of you more experienced players ,



You have to take the bad beats on the chin its really tough. Emotional control and discipline are key to being a winning player. If your constantly chasing to get back even you'l make more bad decisions. Even the best players in the world need patience - timing is key for them.

Today all of my losses have been really really bad, bad beats and I expect it at least online :rolleyes:
sequenced variance for sure... but beatable
 
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Titleist1977

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I agree u have to be patience just don"t try to get what u lost all back at once.
 
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hpb846

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what is brm?


and..... when I plaed cash games , the highest limit id play was .10/.25 nl , when it comes to cash games I just suck , I make calls that I know are bad , and chase cards that I wouldn't in a tourney , I just play reckless and hope to come up , kinda.......

I think one of my big problems in cash game compared to tournament is , It is extremely , extremely hard for me to fold in a cash game when someone puts me under pressure , when in a tourney , I fold monsters regularly , I NEVER fold good hands in cash ,,, id assume I play better tournament poker because I am not willing to go bust on a bad play , when I for some reason am willing to bust on bad plays in a cash game all the time

another thing in cash games , is this , when I get a good starting hand , I always want to try and maximize profit and that ends up costing me a lot , quite often , when in a tourney , im perfectly content with taking blinds down , and winning small pots , noyt letting ppl see the turn and river , etc, in cash i just don't play that way , i get angry when i take .50 cents in blinds with AK , in a touney if i take 2-3 blinds down with AK , im perfectly content

so maybe that can help shed some light on my issues
 
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cotta777

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^^
Sounds to me like maybe you have a gambling nature and your very money orientated,
your willing to go bust on cash tables for a chance at the pot.
and in the tournament its the opposite you dont want to go bust because you want to make the big money.

the best thing you could do is to watch and listen to a winning player online and completely rewire the way you think about poker.
theirs no quick answer you'll need to invest time into it but it will pay off to focus on discipline and emotional control

If your serious about doing well this series will fine tune you into a seasoned reg if you apply all the method gripsed teach.

 
newbie in training

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In tournament poker the best strat. Is to take a ton of flips almost wanting to go bust with like a 5% edge

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 2
 
DrazaFFT

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Believe i had a same problem as you some time ago, i was cashing in freerolls, cashing at sng but loosing money at cash table. Now i dont want to repeating something that is already been said ill just add that 25NL is really high for a beginner at cash, and imo it is lot tougher competition there than in $2 and $5 tourneys, with lot more regs that you can possibli face at torneys, you might wanna stick to the 2nl if you wanna play cash and if you are able to deposit why dont you skip one or two $20 deposit and then deposit 50 or 60 and then play strictly 2nl or which ever is the lowest at your poker room that will give you enough space to learn and handle swings and can make you a better player if you learn and study while you are playing. Now the answer everyone probably wanted to avoid is how good you really were at those tournaments were you winning, RIO vise? Tournaments are different than cash firstly because you just need one good run and you are in good money, it also takes one bad beat and you are the bubble to, in cash everything is about the same pace, cash game is a marathon, it is all about playing profitable plays making +ev decisions playing with favorable pot odds and play it and play it and play it and after xy thousand hands you take a look and see that you are winning xyBB/100 hands and that is the cash game, even that all this is important at tourneys to, because of the elimination structure of the tournaments it is lot more important and effective to your winning rate at cash game...
So as some already mentioned gripsed is a guy too watch for, i would also recommend you Little green book, post your hands analyse your game read watch ant the results will come im sure...

GL at the tables... hope this helps...
 
rifflemao

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what is brm?


and..... when I plaed cash games , the highest limit id play was .10/.25 nl , when it comes to cash games I just suck , I make calls that I know are bad , and chase cards that I wouldn't in a tourney , I just play reckless and hope to come up , kinda.......

I think one of my big problems in cash game compared to tournament is , It is extremely , extremely hard for me to fold in a cash game when someone puts me under pressure , when in a tourney , I fold monsters regularly , I NEVER fold good hands in cash ,,, id assume I play better tournament poker because I am not willing to go bust on a bad play , when I for some reason am willing to bust on bad plays in a cash game all the time

another thing in cash games , is this , when I get a good starting hand , I always want to try and maximize profit and that ends up costing me a lot , quite often , when in a tourney , im perfectly content with taking blinds down , and winning small pots , noyt letting ppl see the turn and river , etc, in cash i just don't play that way , i get angry when i take .50 cents in blinds with AK , in a touney if i take 2-3 blinds down with AK , im perfectly content

so maybe that can help shed some light on my issues

brm = bank roll management

The problem with cash games, as you've probably noticed, is you start deepstacked and villains will sometimes call 5-10BB to set-mine or flop a monster draw, so AA might as well be 22 if several people call your raise. IMO it's worse in casinos because they go there to gamble.

Also, if someone has already doubled or tripled up, they can call with a wider hand-range and risk a smaller % of their stack to see the flop, so you're often walking on eggshells.

Try to take your time and ask yourself "Am I way ahead or way behind?" or "How many ways am I crushed?". When you don't have a reliable read on a player, sometimes the answers to those questions can help you fold when you are reasonably sure you're beat based on the villain's actions.

It takes a while to trust your gut.

One of my probs is switching gears between cash games and tournaments. I tend to play more cautious in tourneys after I've been playing cash games. :creep:
 
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bernotas22

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If you think it's not for you quit because it can become addicting and costly and negative for your life, Very few players actually make money long term and considering how difficult the games are today you probably shouldn't have too high of expectations, therefore just have fun don't think about the money and maybe you can be one of the few who wins long term, don't expect to win though because for every million won there is a lot more that is lost in the process, The sites make so much money compared to the live games it's not even close but yes I think if you are saying or even considering it might not be for you it probably is, so just have fun doesn't mean you can't be a casual player who might have a big score while having that fun and playing correctly
 
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If you prefer tournaments, why not get into the routine of limiting your play to just Sunday. This is the busiest day for tournament play on most sites and you shouldn't have any difficulty finding tournaments at your favourite buyin level.
 
redcross

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Man you just described my exact story in starting online poker. I still struggle with cash games to this day. I usually do really well in tourneys and money regularly then I sit in cash games or heads up and don't do well. I found I needed to just cut them out! No more, if I wanted to play online it was tourney only! This has helped so much.

The only indulgence I have is 6 man sit n go's. They are close enough to a tourney for me. It came down to being insane. I did the same thing over and over again (cash games) and expected a different result! Had to humble my self and realize my strength and weaknesses. I guess we should form a support group!
 
sam1chips

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Poker is a game, the same way chess is a game and basketball is a game. Just keep getting better and improving (as well as playing in your limits) and you'll be good.
 
sam1chips

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Also, some people play better in tourneys than cash games, and vice versa. It is a serious adjustment between SnG and cash games, and you shouldn't play with the ssame strategy for both of them. I originalyl started playing freeroll MTTs / SnGs, and eventually adjusted to cash games.

My favorite thing about cash games is that they're always running. Don't need to wait for a tourney start time or anything like that
 
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hpb846

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yes , i do believe i neeed to cut out cash games , the stakes have to be higher than i should be playing for me to stay patient , i think it may be simple enough as to where i just strictly play $2-$7 tourneys for awhile , and if i cant build a bankroll doing that , then i should give up on trying to play poker for extra money...
 
EvertonGirl

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You played 25NL with only $20, this could be the reason why you are losing.

Why don't you try and cash in a freeroll and when you get your money to $40 then give 2NL a go. When you start to play cash games for the first time you are better starting at 2NL and once you have that level crushed, then go up to 5NL. I am not sure what your BRM should be before you go up a level as I am still playing 2NL as I only have $46. I do play tournaments more but every now and again I play a bit of cash games.
 
Arjonius

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First thing first. If you're going to insist on playing cash, start at the smallest stakes available. And play full ring if possible, not 6 max. The idea is simple. Learn enough about cash to be a decent winner at the entry level where the opposition is weakest before you even think of moving up.

In addition, you should immediately start studying how you should adapt your game from the way you play tournaments. Focus on the changes that are most important for micro-cash. As you move up, other changes will factor in, but as above, learn to crawl before you try to run or even walk.

Get it into your head that the main source of profit at micro-cash is mediocre and poor decisions by opponents. It's not about you making advanced plays, super reads, etc. The best players do exert pressure that promotes more / bigger misjudgments, However, that's something else for later. You have to become decent and then good before you can become one of the best.


And finally, for now at least, understand that true gambling addiction isn't common. Many people use the term as an excuse to justify not exercising sufficient self-discipline to counter what is actually, at most, a mild compulsion. If you truly believe you're addicted, go get help. If not, then stop telling yourself you are.
 
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hrix

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In online poker there are more types of diffrent players and gamestyles, so a lot of people think that live is better for them then online.
 
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I think the common mistake people make is trying to play the same 'game'/style in cash games as they have done countless times in tournaments. You have to realize that cash games are a totally different beast.

You are playing with real money, yes you can afford to chase a little more often than in a tournament where you only have one 'life', but only if you have money to reload. Playing .10/.25 with only $20 is really bad. Not only do you not have a full starting stack to maximize value on your big hands, but you also don't have any reload money. Chasing a couple of draws for $2-3 and soon you find yourself sitting there with $10 and tilted.

I recommend you play .01/0.2. No, you're not going to win big money but you also won't go broke as fast and when you drop down to $1, you can easily just top up to a full stack. Also, read the cash game threads in here, if you are gonna be playing cash more often.

Lastly, if you really can't seem to get your head around cash games, just stick to tourneys. The game is always there my friend. You don't have to play everyday, if there is no good tourney on at the time you log in, go watch tv. It will be there the next day, and the next, and the next....

Gl and hope this helps
 
Fieldsy

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I tried to get into online poker but god damn it is boring. I think I go on some kind of bordem tilt and play hands just for excitement.

With online tournys I am very good at them...which makes me maybe want to get back into them again.

Is Bovada the best choice for someone from USA (Pa)?
 
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you need to think about what are your poker goals.....you may be rec. player
 
AugustWest

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Boredom is a factor for me as well, it's tough to fold,fold,fold etc...

But at the micros, as others have said, patience is key. Wait for the good spots!
 
gohan2015

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Poker is a game, the same way chess is a game and basketball is a game. Just keep getting better and improving (as well as playing in your limits) and you'll be good.
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bernotas22

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Poker is a game, the same way chess is a game and basketball is a game. Just keep getting better and improving (as well as playing in your limits) and you'll be good.
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bad comparisons, chess has basically little to no luck in it, and neither does basketball in terms of individual players and how good they are, poker has so much luck in it it's not even funny, true it has skill but luck is a pretty big factor in the game which it isn't for the other games you mentioned at all...look's like you are not a super saiyan yet gohan
 
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