So I just started going to the casino this month Dec 2018. The reason I stopped going was because I felt I was wasting money, I would never, never, never win, everyone is a shark, and the house players always win as a group splitting winnings. So I was able to cut it off for a while.

I went back, so far this month I been to a casino 5 times. Each time from four to six hours playing 40NL, 1/2. I started with 200 I was willing to gamble, and as of today that is exactly what I have, 200 I broke even. In my playing I made many mistakes that cost me money, so I could of easily won 200 to 300 or more but I got crazy.

I read that less than 5 percent of poker players actually win. Then what percentage of poker players break even? I feel like I broke even throughout my life a lot, that is why I have many hours of casino poker under my belt, I just get crazy and give it back. Could I improve to be a winning poker player if I cut out my mistakes? Basically I have the illness of thinking this hand will hit just because it looks nice, and I gamble. That has been my mistake, calling a large raise preflop with like 10h2h because it looks nice on the button. Then I get in trouble because I dont know what to do, call, fold, raise, bluff? I dont know how to play deep stacks very good, and I admit it. I dont want to get stacked.

If you want to play, get good and then play, and if you don't want to study then you should do something else with your time.

There is no simple answer to the discipline question. You can certainly improve your game by cutting down mistakes but actually doing it is a challenge. Playing more to get more experience will improve your game if your learning but most people reach a point where they are not really improving any more.

As for roughly break even players, I see a fair number at 2/5 who are probably losing to the rake over time but other wise roughly break even over all. At 1/2 and 1/3 it mostly seems consistent winners or losers. But that's really guesswork because I can't really see how another player is doing over a long enough period of time.

One solid piece of advice I will give you is to start tracking your money. It's not enough to feel like your breaking even. You need to know how much you won and lost each session and how your bank roll is doing over all. That is a vital step to being a consistent winner.

Hmm. My humble opinion, you can't improve if you don't play.
I've been struggling to improve going on 2 years now. I know how you feel op.
But you also have to study. Study and play. Play and study.
Keep honest records of all results.
Have a healthy bankroll.
Have patience.
Will you eventually become at least a break even player?
I honestly can't even say that for myself yet.
But my honest assessment of you, from the little you wrote.
Seems to me, you have a long ways to go.
Good luck

Could you get better? Probably.
Is it likely based on the tone of your post? Far less likely.
It reads as if you lack discipline and patience. As if you are just expecting poker to be easy, which it isn't.

I wish you the best, and I hope I'm wrong, but it sounds like you might want to find a new hobby if you're not comfortable being a break even to small losing player.

You just started this month? And after 2 weeks of breaking even you give up? LOL, sounds to me like poker is not for you. You didn't mention how many sessions, or hours you logged. You also don't mention how long you played and to what extent before your casino run. As iraisetoomuch says it sounds as if you thought you could just sit down and win lots of money right away. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. To even give yourself a chance to separate yourself from the other newbies and the average players you have to study and get some experience. Not sure how you could have done much of either in 2 weeks...

First, your "nice looking hand" of Th2h even OTB is still trash. How come your button makes Th2h looking nice? - What's nice about T2 suited?
Second, you are not playing deep if in 40NL cash casino game,

Good point from all of you. But I been playing since 2006, when I turned 18. And if I had to guess how much I lost in that time ill say less than 7k. At one point I played every single day of the year. So I played many hours, but I know some people live in the casinos, the retired, dealers, and obviously the people with a bank roll coming in.

I also played online poker on bodog, then bovada, won 3 freerolls of 2000 players or more, took first. But now I don't trust online poker anymore, but I still deposit small amount on ignition poker, to play low stakes and just have fun at home.

Very unlikely. Also, as IRaise pointed out, you have a lot of life leaks right now.

so me winning 3 online freeroll tournaments means nothing? back when is was bodog and we could see id names? just wondering... with over 2k players in them...

Does it mean something? Yes.

Does it mean that you're gtd to be winning player? No.

I dont know but this feels like OP is trolling

Ditto.

Playing is the fun part, and you certainly need to practice in game. However, playing alone doesn't make you improve if you aren't also learning the strategy through books and websites, and actively thinking through and analyzing your hands after.

I learn more and improve more through videos, books, and threads on here and dissecting through a situation than I do by just playing hands, which go by too fast for you to figure out the details in game. To improve, you must put in the work after the game.

If you want to make money at poker, it's very tough, and I would say don't try it unless you actually enjoy learning and studying the strategy.

But if you enjoy the game for the game's sake, then practice the game and one day you'll turn some profit as a side effect of playing the game well. But don't make winning money the purpose; much better ways to earn money than poker!

40NL in SoCal is not beatable long term due to the stack-to-rake ratio, even as awful as those players are.

But no, winning 3 freerolls means basically nothing, especially about live cash games.

You need to work on your fundamentals. Start here. Once you have read and understand every linked thread in that anthology, feel free to play again, but not 40NL. If a game doesn't allow you to buy in for at least 60BBs, move along.

Kinda hard to weed out the actual questions here, but:

- my guess is that most players lose and very few breakeven / win long term
- of course you'll improve if you cut out your mistakes
- the question is whether you are capable of cutting out your mistakes; if you have a gambling illness it's highly unlikely

GgoodluckG