Why do I suck at poker?

I

IsaPalacios

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I can't figure out what it is I need to learn or what bad habits I've picked up from playing online for "fake" money.
I am extremely profitable when playing for fake money. I believe it's due to the fact that a lot of people there are much less experienced.

When playing for real money. I have a couple of set rules.
-I play with the largest buy in possible $5.00 on .02-.05c games. (6table)
-I play a lot tighter when out of position
-I tend to play premium hands only other than when I get suited connected cards. (I've watched Tom Dwan have a lot of success doing so.)
-I don't overbet, I play 3x the pot +1 for every limper.
-I try and get an opponents hand range dependent upon how passive or aggressive they've been playing.
-I know how to fold and I do so without pride when I don't have a good amount of outs.

What else do I need to learn? I want to be profitable, even if it's just a tiny bit. I've been watching poker after dark like no other. Also I've found that I'm typically better at sitNgoes than a cash game.

Someone help, I've lost $60 dollars thus far, not including the alcohol I have to drink after to cheer myself up. I've been playing poker for about 3 weeks.
 
Rain92

Rain92

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Hey bro one thing you should know is that I've had the same experience so I can share some tips. First of all when you start playing real money you said that you play tighter. That will result in fewer hands and your opponents can also take advantage of you by raising often. To manage this make sure you practice proper bankroll management and play at room buyins that are lower so that you can afford to lose the money that you use and can play your usual game. Real money is also slightly different because compared to play money people will play more seriously and better to avoid risking their bankroll. Improving you skill level will help also. Hope this helps.
 
I

IsaPalacios

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I started playing again. I only had 6 dollars left in my bovada account and now I have 16. Idk what happened.. I must played people who suck way worse than me.
 
A2345Razz

A2345Razz

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If I was a relatively inexperienced or weaker player, I would start with STTs and full ring cash games.

This is because the full table allows you to still play optimally but tighter and that keeps you out of a lot of marginal spots postflop that your relative inexperience/weakness will make problems for you.

The STTs are pretty mechanical and teach you how to shove/fold properly and play short in tournies better.
 
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Sohmurr

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My first comment would be to not buy in for the table max. When you get to be a better player, then absolutely buy in for the table max; however, the only reason to buy in full is to take advantage of the weaker players. Until you are a stronger player, buying in full means you will be the one taken advantage of.

Second, don't rely too much on TV poker for an education. Look more towards books and forums. The main reason for this is that when these professionals play, they have history with each other that can justify a non-standard play. They also tend to edit out some of the less interesting hands, so that can affect what you're seeing and lead to incorrect thoughts on proper play style.

I would also agree with A2345Razz about playing at full ring tables as opposed to 6-max. Since the blinds come around faster in 6-max, you have less opportunity to make money off basic plays and have to loosen your starting hand requirements. Play at full tables until you start to make a profit and understand the game better.

Last, and most importantly, have fun with it. If you do better at STTs than cash games, that's fine. But if you have more fun at cash games, play those. Find whatever game and format you like best and then post some hand histories in the Cash Games thread here to get some feedback. And save the alcohol for celebrating your successes rather than burying your failures. :) Good luck.
 
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Blue_Fossil

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I'll echo the advice to refrain from using televised games as a training tool. They leave way too much out.

I bounced around from cash games and MTTs for a long time before realizing SNGs are my strength. I've played probably 90% (if not more) SNGs for the past few years and have been profitable ever since.
 
FanatsLV

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You can try read some books first... For start i recommend Holdem poker by David Sklansky and theory of poker by David Sklansky... there you can get insights about poker...
 
suby_rafael

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If you think you are good at sit n go's then i think you should continue putting your time and energy into playing it as it can give a bankroll a good boost by good consistent deep runs in it.

Also it is good to have a set of rules as it can help you maintain discipline in your game which is very important in order to be successful especially when grinding for long hours these days. But i think sometimes you should be ready to be a little more flexible with them when the need arises so that it helps to combat different types of plays made by different players.

For example i would suggest to not play the largest buyin possible as it is not good for your bankroll as you would often lose the whole bankroll. Therefore instead of playing 5nl now you should move a level down and play 2nl. Therefore this rule of yours should definitely be amended for good. Also sometimes you can try and overbet sometimes to trick your opponents.:cool:
 
teh_colonel_saigon

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Another benefit of SNGs not previously mentioned is that it limits how much you can lose. Your initial buy-in is all you can lose, so often, at the lower limits, you can play more hands from cheaper compared to online cash games.

Also, SNGs will emphasize pre-flop play a bit more, so your knowledge and discipline will be a larger advantage to you. 9-man is preferable to 6-man for these reasons.

Essentially, even if you are just folding the first 30 hands, other more reckless players can be eliminated in that time. In these scenarios, youre % chance of winning can actually increase slightly, just by sitting there :)

Poker after Dark is good for motivation and to keep your interest and love of the game, but try out some books and post HHs here. (people are really helpful!)
 
goaldriversv

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could be a couple things. first, it could be variance. you could just be having some bad luck. in the law of averages, you'll see an upswing where you just seem to be having all the luck/suckouts in the world. second, try sngs and mtts. you might not be an online cash game player yet. give micro sngs/mtts a try. this is what happened to me.
 
JPoling

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Don't expect to just watch poker players and read a couple books and all of a sudden become a winning poker player. Sadly, truth is...majority of poker players are losers in long run. Focus on why you are losing. Focus on what hands you could of played better. Always try to find the leaks in your game and plug them. Whenever I get done with a MTT whether I lost, ITM, or first placed it. I always sit back right after and think. Am I happy with way I played? Did I win/lose/ITM cause I did good or just got lucky? Think about huge hands and how I played them. I am always thinking about what has happened and how I played a hand so I can try to figure out did I play it good? Did I play it profitably? Etc. My only advice, keep pracising, keep reading, and keep playing.
 
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joe777

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Try gaining more experience.And if you think you fare better in SNGs,maybe you should stick to it.
 
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twohaha

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Fake money is a terrible indicator of skill.
From what I see, you seem to have a decent set of rules. However if you only played for 3 weeks, unless if you are extremely lucky or a genius, you are likely a fish, and need improvement in order to be a profitable player.
Easy way is to post some of your hands you aren't sure of on this site.
Better yet, read some GOOD poker books. By good, I mean books that actually explain situations and the why, not "do x with y hand(s)". I reccomend David Sklansky no limit hold'em and practice, even tho it might be a bit advanced
 
S3mper

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Okay lemme' give this a stab..

As said play money is a bad place to see how good you are or how bad you are play money is for fun and to learn the basics of the game. I personally don't have fun at play money and already know the basics so I never play them unless it's a Cardschat event or against a CC member for practice.

The reason for this is because it's play money no one feels any loss when losing play money chips and is willing to make the hero call, or shove with any two cards it is nothing like real money..

As said about playing like they do on TV they cut things out they have history another thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that players at 5NL (.02/.05) are not going to understand any sophisticated moves and against these type of players you should be playing level 1 poker because they won't understand what is happening at level 5.

Also you say you don't over bet when you are playing at 0.2/.5 I would recommend overbetting and larger then 3x opens (with made hands/ premium starting hands) simply because these opponents are not likely to pick up on it. To most of them it's $5 they are calling stations and new players such as your self.

Now that advice is for the micro stakes and will not work when you move further up the ladder as when the limits get higher the opponents get tougher it is like a game.

Read books

Browse the forums

Play in Cardschat events such as the free rolls

Post some hands in hand analysis section so other Cardschat members can tell you what you did right what you did wrong it is THEE best way to get better
 
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tomnovember

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I can't figure out what it is I need to learn or what bad habits I've picked up from playing online for "fake" money.
I am extremely profitable when playing for fake money. I believe it's due to the fact that a lot of people there are much less experienced.

When playing for real money. I have a couple of set rules.
-I play with the largest buy in possible $5.00 on .02-.05c games. (6table)
-I play a lot tighter when out of position
-I tend to play premium hands only other than when I get suited connected cards. (I've watched Tom Dwan have a lot of success doing so.)
-I don't overbet, I play 3x the pot +1 for every limper.
-I try and get an opponents hand range dependent upon how passive or aggressive they've been playing.
-I know how to fold and I do so without pride when I don't have a good amount of outs.

What else do I need to learn? I want to be profitable, even if it's just a tiny bit. I've been watching poker after dark like no other. Also I've found that I'm typically better at sitNgoes than a cash game.

Someone help, I've lost $60 dollars thus far, not including the alcohol I have to drink after to cheer myself up. I've been playing poker for about 3 weeks.

Firstly, you shall well manage your bankroll. If you have 20 max buyins or less, you shall downgrade your game level until you grind you money back again.

Secondly, you may try stealing blinds and 3 bet blind stealing more often.

Thirdly, play less connected suited as you will not get much implied value as you think at this level.

Fourthly, try to improve your postflop skills. Try to learn range & hands reading. Hit or fold strategy will never by a winning strategy.

Furthermore, you may post some of the hands you played so that we can discuss about them more specifically.
 
tothbopo

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Fake money and real money are not the same poker at all.

Players are not stack comitted with play money.

I play freerolls to learn real poker.

Not all players are stack committed first couple of hours but when reaching the buble and going near money or tickets play gets serious.

Cardschat freerolls are also very serious due to size of prize and personal honour.

Tv poker is not good for learning as when you see the final table in tv they played severel hours/days to get there and habe wide info on another.
 
skiptomyloot

skiptomyloot

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ill tell you 1 thing, you made the right move by admitting that your not succeeding and going out your way to find help already shows your commitment to wanting to be great at poker. I think its hard for people to admit that they lose . Everyone wants to sound like they know how to win. I think you shouldn't focus on why you can't win, but ask yourself, why are they not losing as much as I am and what do they know, that I don't. I finally understand poker and it took me a few years to get smart at it. And i think alot of people starting off just playing play chips get hooked on the game. and you go around learning about freerolls and playing here and there. Thats the problem I had. I didnt approach poker correctly to be successful at making money consistent. Although i have taken down MTT, I would always go bust or tilt. I learned to accept poker as winning and losing, and you have to have the right knowledge, tools, fundamental, and be prepared for mental fitness. find where you can apply your strengths and start off on a level you can make money on and be consistent. Honestly if you can build play chips, you already got an idea on how to increase the numbers.
 
skiptomyloot

skiptomyloot

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if your gonna have the beer after the game, might as well sip it pre-game. its not good to drink because itll throw your game off, but hey its something i wouldnt mind my opponents to do. lol. plus drinking to a lost, doesn't take the feeling away, just pushes it aside until the buzz goes away
 
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