Hi everyone,

Been lurking for a few days trying to get used to the forum, quite expansive and informative isn't it?

Some really intelligent poker players on here , so perhaps you could help me decide something.

I have been playing for about 2 years as a hobby because i love the game.

I play live and do very well (low stake stn go, mtt, but only a small number of cash games) home games, and casino. I am in profit a few hundred pounds.

But online i suck, as i initially do well after depositing, i then manage to lose it all over a few weeks ( i think all your bankrolling management advice is partly what i need) .

I know alot of players use Pokertracker and other programmes online, are they really helpful? and am i dumb not to have been using them all along?

The thing is, i don't spend alot and only spend what i can afford ($200 deposit every few weeks), but really love the game so would like to improve online. So anything i use would have to be cheap, as anything expensive wouldn't be worth it for me. Mainly to help me make correct decisions and learn at the same time. I have never used anything in the past, would this put me at a disadvantage?

I look forward to your wealth of experience, and recommendations.

Go easy guys...........first post.

P.s I feel in awe at the amount of knowledge on here. You guys rock.

alan1963 is my sig, on 888.com (pacific)if anybody wants to check my stats out before replying.

Thanks and i look forward tolearning from you all.

If you are investing $200 every few weeks then something isn't right. I'd definitely recommend investing in some sort of software, I'm using HEM just now and love it. In saying that though, there are other things you should be doing as well, buy a couple of books and read them. Then re-read them and then do it again. Pick out little nuggets from the books and try to understand the concepts behind them and apply them to your game. Also, take advantage of the free trial of Deuces Cracked if it's still available.

And finally, it's a cliche on here but for a good reason, post hands on here

Wow.

Sounds as though you're simply being outplayed.

Drop down a few levels.

I've never played live but I'm pretty sure any live game is much softer than the on-line game at the same stakes.

HEM and Pokertracker are both available on free trial. Definitely worth getting one or the other imo.

Good Luck.

Thank you gentlemen. It is money i can afford but i'd rather be winning.

This site is a Goldmine in itself, but the free trials sound good for next time i deposit.

Live is probably much softer as you said. I will also try and post a few hands too, good advice ( when i work out how to do it :-)

Also i never held much regard for bankroll management, but after lurking on here for a few days, it is IMPERATIVE to do it right.

I must admit, it is easier to tilt online, as i guess players figure out my play quite easy.

Thanks.

Alan

I think it sounds like he is playing a level he isn't properly rolled for. Since he is a winning player, I would think he could play 10NL or whatever pretty well on a 200 dollar bankroll.

My suggestion would be to start out with atleast 20 buyins in your bankroll. So if you are gonna start with 200 start at 10NL and go from there.

But since you are depositing every few weeks it sounds to me like you could afford to start at a higher level. Maybe deposit 500 to 750 and play 25NL.

Read up on bankroll management, it will save you alot of headaches. Just do a search for it.

My basic rules regarding bankroll management are (and I got these from Raze) move up to the next level when you have 30 buy ins for that level. Move down to the level below when you have 10 buy ins for your current level. Simple. I like simple.

Here's Raze's post for aspiring online players: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/32...r-players-842/

Oh yeah, definitely pick up PT3 at www.pokertracker.com . Its a free 60 day trial. Definitely worth your money as it will help you keep track of your own progress, review your hands, and give you valuable information on your opponent's tendencies.

Is it just me, or is this seriously bad advice?

The whole point is, OP's NOT a winning player. (Live, yes, but not online).

Surely it's winrate that's his problem - as in, it's negative - not bankroll.

OP, when you want to post a hand, you'll need to get hold of the hand history, which is saved on your hard drive by the poker site you're playing at.

The hard way to do that is to trawl through the hand history files. The easy way is to find the hand in Pokertracker or HEM. (Another reason for having tracking software.)

You then need to paste the hand history into a 'hand history converter' which, as you can probably guess, converts it into a format that's ten times easier to read.

The 'official' hand converter is explained here although, frankly, I've never found it that easy to use (that's probably just me). There are plenty of other converters. Like this one for example.

Good Luck.

Hold'em manager or poker tracker 3

BRM is absolutely vital if you are a winning player and want to remain one. At the moment you are obviously a losing player and need to set a budget and play lower limits that allow you to play good volumes in order to improve.

I think you are right. Tilt is much more widespread online than live. However that has nothing to do with players figuring you out.

Not quite sure what OP you read?

Yes, dreadful advice.

I would venture to say he is probably not a winner in live play. Sounds like he has no BRM live and keeps no records. It is easy to have a few wins and think you are a winner while forgetting all the losing sessions.

OP - you need to improve in all aspects. Learn about good BRM, variance, tilt control, post hands here for advice and ask anything you want. Try out the free versions of HEM or PT but more importantly think about your game and do not auto-pilot when playing - think through each decision and tell yourself why you are making the play you are doing and what you are trying to achieve with it. This may mean single tabling for a while but will be beneficial long term.

Good luck

alan, in case you haven't been informed, online games and live games are very different.

1) Online play on the whole is more aggressive
2) Online stakes do not correlate with equal live stakes, (aka $2-$4 online = harder; $2-$4 live = easier).