Solid adavice. Thank you. If I’m folding AQ, basically always, then I shoukdcreakky only be getting into pots with 1010+ and AK, that’s it? What about suited AQ and suited AJ? Are those instafolds? Thanks again for the advice. This is what I needed to hear....

Should only*

Sorry if answered before, I haven't read 100% the full thread start to finish, if so, can point me to a post

OutlawLuck, could you elaborate your gambling addiction problem in more detail? What has motivated you
to do gambly & swingy approach to the game instead of a safe, but more boring BRM?

This is just sad to read, tbh makes u put ur own life into perspective...

Honestly, I wish I could tell you, but I don’t really know. Stubbornness, laziness, ego perhaps? When I first started playing the game I just thought you learned by playing, I didn’t realize people actually study this game. Also, like a lot of fish I watched Moneymaker win it all and thought it was my destiny to follow in his footsteps. Plus the fact that I was able to build a bankroll before gave me hope I could do it again.

Mostly I think it just came down to impatience, and ignorance. Plus, I’ve always had a solid job, so even though I wanted to take the game seriously, I always treated as a way to low off steam (instead of a legitimate business opportunity.)

For a long time I would have said yes. But truth was, most of the time I only WANTED to get better, I wasn’t actually doing anything to improve my game.

I think you think you're special. You can watch Tonkaaaa bust his ass in the tourneys, having losing days on the stream part of the days, busting his ass for his ROI with all that experience, going through the swings and all. Yet, you think you can just buy that SMilly ticket and run deep, don't you? $40k+ just like that. top 4 out of 5k? Ez game, I can do that sh*t blindfolded don't I

How do you spend so much money on poker, but you don't invest in training sites? Even if you bought virtually all of the stuff out there, that's probably still less than 10k spent.

I mean, when I was younger, sure. Not any more. I mean, sure, I can ship a tourney, but so can anyone if they get lucky!

Studying is work and why would you work when you can gamb0l.

Mostly, because I am an idiot. I guess I was trying to do it the hard way. I thought if I put in enough time at the tables, eventually it would all click. Yeah that didn't happen lol.

So what are you doing now that's different?

Well, at the moment, not much. I have had some things come up unrelated to poker which is going to keep me strapped for cash (even more so than I originally thought I would be) so it'll probably be a month or two before I get all my financial stuff in order, but once I do I plan to sign up for a training site and get some books. In the meantime I have been trying to watch whatever material I can find on youtube that relates specifically to the micro stakes and beginner poker. .

You need to run good to make money from gambol

It's not EZ to run really good, it only happens 1 in 10 times or so

Or in my case, even less lol.

The truth was, there were dozen upon dozens of times that I got a little rush early, and turned a couple hundred into a couple of thousand. Had I either a) dropped down in levels and practiced BRM, or b) just stayed patient and didn't worry about trying to win it all as quickly as possible, I think I would have turned this thing around a long time ago. But every time I hit that point, Id throw caution to the wind. "Hey, I just $1K today, but its only 4pm. Imagine how much I can win by the end of the day!" Instead of just taking my time, trying to win a buy in or 2 a day from that point forward.

Of course I say that, but I know that could all be wishful thinking. Seeing I have no record of being a winning player, I am sure I am over valuing my own abilities. Oh well, you live and you learn. Never too late....

Exactly! I already work for a living, I want my free time to be about blowing off steam and blowing up stacks! Go big or go home!

Yeah, with that thinking I normally just ended up going home lol.

So after a week of grinding the mirco's I was ready to just torch my bankroll and quite playing all together. Those games are just terrible, soul crushing games. $2nl, $4nl, I don't know how people play those levels. But to be fair, you guys built up bankrolls and I went broke, so what do I know?

Well, anyway after torching half by BR playing heads up $25 tables, I decided maybe I should take this more seriously. What's more important, having fun, or winning money? Well, I couldn't answer. Why can't both be equally important? Poker should be fun, that's why we play the game. But whose to say we can't make little money too.

So I decided to make the switch to SNG's. If I am gonna go broke anyway, I might as well go broke on my terms! No, in actuality I am just way more confident in my SNG game than I am my cash game (especially because I would probably have to be playing at least $25 or $50 tables to take it as seriously as I would take a SitNGo. So after hitting a low of $21, my bankroll is now sitting at $62. So not too bad. Obviously, the SNG's options on WPN is pretty slim, so I am not really practicing strict BRM at the moment, but would like to get to that point once I have enough to actually play the levels I want to play. But really, at this point it's pretty much been whatever was available. $3.30 Games, $5.50 games, $11 days, $16 games. Whatever I could fill up. Now, after playing for a few days, I am even more confident in my SNG game. Plus I see areas where I can improve to get even better. So this is definitely a positive shift.

Eventually once I have built up a decent little bankroll I will probably make the switch back over to cash. In the mean time I'll try to post about weekly or so, just to give updates on where my roll sits. So I know most of you assume I am going to go broke. Let's find out if I do....

Hi,

Nice job grinding it back up a little bit with SNG's. I am interested in why ater you would build up your roll playing SNG's would you then switch back to cash games? When you said you find the lower stuff soul crushing and you are much more confident in your SNG game than your cash games?

I can understand that it can sometimes be mundane to play the same game over and over, but seems strange to me that you plan to build your bankroll up playing one format to only play a different format when you reach a certain level.

Had to scratch that nasty gambling itch?

Yeah playing anything below 50NL is a waste of time. I'd get a job before I tried to grind the micros. Also WPN is terrible, you should play on Bovada. Poker has to be fun for you to be able to succeed. So have fun but don't be too eager to move up stakes. Good luck.

Well it may be a pipe dream, but I am still working towards the goal of making some solid side income frommpoker. The SNG selection on WPN isn’t that huge. It’s jot like the old days where you could grind dozen upon dozen of sng’s a day at any level you’d want. It took me 30 minutes to get 4 games going. And at least for the time being, MTT’s won’t really work with my playing schedule. So eventuskky, cash will be my only option if I want to move up.

I agree. I really don’t like playing anything below $100NL (but at least at $25 and $50NL I can take it serious enough)

Yeah, I can’t play on bovada. I self excluded either the declaration that I had a gambling problem 🤫 so they won’t let me play either there or on ignition. I can’t even play on ACR, because I did the same thing there. I have to play on the BCP skin.

Yeah first priority is to build the roll and improve my game. No point in moving up if I’m just gonna go broke again.

I’m confident in my SNG game. My result have shown my cash game is weak. SNG’s will at least give me a fighting shot of staying in the game long enough to improve.

What do you mean you don't beat cash? Beat micro cash! Tradition of micro cash. Imagine peasants working like rice-fields back in the day. M-i-c-r-o c-a-$-h. (rice!)

For example, you can win NL10 cash playing nit playstyle, srs, as long as you play the style correctly. Downside, it's slow, it's frustrating. If you lose a number of BI, slow climb up.

How about actually improving before you torch half a bankroll? If you have time for a week of grinding you sure as hell have time to study. But that conflicts with gambling so you won't do that.