Been playing for 15 years. I'm almost 30. Won a lot playing live last year but blew it on miscellaneous stuff not related to poker. I could have had a decent bankroll if I was more disciplined and never not had so much money before. But here we are.

Online, the most I've ever done is run $100 up to $500 (which was last year as well) playing 10nl and 25nl but for some reason lost $200 and cashed out. Live $1/$3 at the only casino in my state I ran $300 to like $4500 in <100 hours. I definitely think I'm improving and right now I'm playing 10nl with a $60 bankroll (all I can afford while I'm unemployed and broke), but I think there's aspects of my game I still can improve upon.

Also, I'm looking for a stake either live or online, so where can I go to get one of these?

-- What do I do against 4-bets preflop when I have a high 3-betting percentage? Is it okay ever to call, especially when OOP?

-- After a flop cbet, how many times to the river should I be 3-barreling? I used to never 3-barrel bluff but now I'm realizing giving up too many rivers because I'm afraid of the fish calling me is a big leak. I think this comes from the fact I've really only played against play money players or fish in the micro stakes. I just never believe they'll fold and so I check down the river with nothing after firing two streets. BUT I've been testing out the 3-barrel bluffs and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I definitely get more of a thrill 3-barreling, even if I lose. I understand scare cards and perceived range and so I'm just trying to take advantage of that and apply it instead of just thinking they'll always call because of the players I play against.

-- When OOP and playing against the aggressor in the hand (meaning they have the range advantage), how often should I be continuing with draws and top pair when I know if they fire a third barrel on the river that I'm going to have to fold? Does this mean that if I know this, I should be folding turns more often even with made hands? Or I should only call if I know I'm calling down the next river bet? Obviously this is opponent dependent.

-- As for live play, I'm kind of on a downswing/break even streak and I've been really nitting it up because that $300 I buy in for is like all I'll have for the whole month to play live. Also, because of this, every time I open a hand, everyone mentions "oh, the nit is playing a hand" so I don't get any action or my bluffs work. It's not how I prefer to play but I guess this is "scared money". I think I know what my problem is with this, which is why I want a stake.

I really want to be a professional, it's just hard to start up the capital. The best job I can get right now is washing dishes or delivering pizza. I have rent to pay and owe debts to other people that are non-poker related, so I don't see how I can get out of this hole. I just feel hopeless. I know I can make decent money at this game (only need like $1000 a month to live comfortably). It's just I can't get anything going for me.

What do I do?

You get a job. Its not the answer you want to hear. But as a long term pro who has coached and staked a fair number of players I personally would not stake some one that made your post in a million years. You have ZERO poker resume. You spun up a few buy ins and pissed it away. You have NO real track record as a winner and are in debt and are unwilling to work.

the truth hurts there chief

in b4 lock

What truth?

You can study all you want, if you're playing 10NL on a 6 BI bankroll you're gonna go bust, unless you get lucky.

Also, bankroll management is probably the 1st lesson in almost any poker course, so you clearly haven't studied, at all.

10nl is the lowest stake on the site I'm playing

What? I'm supposed to wait until I've made $200 from my stupid job?

Go play on a site that has 2NL, there are plenty.

If you can't do that, then you probably should wait until you have at least $200.

Spend your money on a poker course instead, like Run It Once From The Ground Up, or Red Chip Poker CORE

You don't have to save up money before you play, but having a small bankroll has huge psychological impact on your game.

Sorry, but I don't think what I need is bankroll management or a training site. I believe what I need is opportunity.

My state absolutely hates poker, restricting everything around me. What I need to do is get some lazy job to buy in for $300 again at the casino and get lucky to run it up again like I did last time to $4500 because I'm not going to wait years until I save up $6000 from delivering pizza.

That, or I can get a stake or run up this $60 (lolz) to some decent amount. It's a dream that seems so attainable for even the most amateur player, but I can't get it going for some reason and I think it's because of just my lack of opportunity.

At the casino I play at, it's a clear hour away and I have to go only early in the morning because after 9 AM, the wait list gets 20+ ppl and I'm not driving an hour there just to wait 2 hours more for a table.

I just feel dire.

My other dream is to become a published author, but that's just as difficult a barrier to entry for me at the moment. I guess I just want someone to tell me, "Yeah, that's tough. Just keep going." Because I don't know what else I could do.

Really don't appreciate the ******* who tells me to just get a job and that I haven't put in the work. I have gotten a job and trust me McDonald's at 30 isn't really meaningful work. And I do have poker achievements, just not any recorded.

There is never a lack of resources or as you call it opportunity, only a lack of resourcefulness, the willingness to go out there and find the resources you need.

You're playing the blaming game, blaming things you can't change.
Instead look at yourself and focus on the things you can do and change.

Either way, I'm done with this thread now

If you do, why are you busto?

Play on Global Poker. They give you free money to sign up, free money every day, and the opportunity to get lots of free money by mailing in request cards. You can literally get thousands of dollars with which to play poker. The request cards take some time to get credit - maybe 6 weeks or more - but if you are patient this will easily give you a decent bankroll.

all of you hating we gonna study up catch us in a few years bish

You claim you can’t find a real job at 30 years old during a time when almost everyone is hiring especially in the service industry.

Amazon, Walmart, even Chipotle pay at least $15/hour now. You should be able to cover your expenses, pay off debt and even make some money to play poker with if you only need to make $1000 a month to cover expenses.

Squid face is spot on. Your post is full of red flags for anyone in the staking business. You’re such a high default risk that you will have to pay a huge premium to get a stake. If you find one at all. Best bet would be to find someone in the poker room because they have the option to just hand you chips at the start of your session and collect immediately when you’re done.

I’m not trying to be insulting or snarky here, but honestly it seems from what you posted that you have bigger issues than an insufficient amount of money to play poker with. Like others said there are red flags indicating that you may not be as good at poker as you think you are. You say things like “I somehow lost $200” (referring to your online play at 10 and 25NL). Apparently you don’t get it; you can be the greatest pro player in history and still it wouldn’t be all that uncommon to lose that amount playing those stakes. You say you don’t need bankroll management advice, but statements like that indicate you probably do.

You also talk quite cavalierly about running your bankroll up again the way you originally did. Again you aren’t getting it - what you did likely involved running well and getting lucky to a large degree. Even if you are highly skilled, it might not happen that way again.

One other red flag, you complain that you don’t want to drive an hour to the casino and wait two hours to get a table. That certainly indicates a lack of patience and discipline, qualities which, I’m sure, all would agree are essential to play winning poker.

In short, you are results-oriented. You think that the fact that you managed to increase your bankroll for a while implies you are a winning player. I’m not doubting that you did what you say you did, but you still aren’t Getty that what you did isn’t really all that significant. Running 100 up to 500 online doesn’t make you a pro poker player any more than hitting a bunch of three pointers in a pickup basketball game makes you an NBA player.

Like I said, though, you may have bigger issues than poker and bankroll. Have you ever stopped to consider whether risking your last $300 playing poker is even a good idea, especially when you could use that money to reduce your debt? Have you considered why it is that you are 30 years old and unqualified for anything more than employment at fast food or similar jobs? Have you considered what you might do to make yourself qualified for better employment? (If you really do have the skills to be a poker pro, for example, you probably would have enough mathematical skill to go to a cheap state university or community college and study statistics, leading perhaps to a career as an actuary - just one example, not saying that’s what you should do).

I apologize if what I say is completely off base; I obviously don’t know you, and am just going by what you shared in your post. You can do what you like; it’s your life. However, you might want to consider giving poker a break for now and do some things to improve your life and get your finances in order. After that, maybe treat poker as a hobby or a side income rather than a career. Everyone seems to think they can play poker for a living but very few can. Full disclosure— I am in the class of those who most certainly cannot play for a living. I play strictly as a hobby and have a steady income. Poker is much more fun when you can afford to lose the money you play with.

Well, if you are willing to self publish on Amazon that is very easy. Just write the book, upload it to their servers, and you are done.

1) Get a job .. there are plenty. Shoot it's Summer, go to any construction site and just be their gopher for 3 months. Get outside, breath some air. How about Uber?
2) BI live short .. If no one is calling you then why risk your whole BR being on the table? Buy short and give 'more' action in the right situations. Yes, you can still go broke, but at least it's 'easier' poker.

3) A lot of your queries are Board and stack size related. Bart Hansen said last week that NL Players would save a lot of chips if they never flatted a 3-bet!

4) It really does sound like you are playing 'not to lose'. Poker is a game of aggression. And yes, aggression can lead to swings in both directions. AND YES, when you are on a downswing it feels like nothing is ever going to go your way.

5) The best way to be confident about your play is to study your hand histories and run a few hands through an equity App. If you've been playing both online and live for 15 years you should be able to tell the difference between whether you or your opponent played a hand 'badly' .. and who got the variance. STUDY!

I think folks in here are being pretty kind to you compared to what they could be. If you really want to be a poker player, then pick yourself up and do what it's going to take to get back in the saddle even if it means working 'minimum' paying job(s). I don't know all of your math, but at $150/week you'd have a much bigger live roll .. and then BI for $120 and use that Nit image. Even though it's not 'correct', adapt some limps into your game and start to see some Flops. Even a few limp/folds will generate some action when you open later.

There are many ways to play the game with short/tall stacks. Sure, you may want to play 'big' or think that your 'skills' are better when fully rolled or playing higher stakes. But that isn't the case right now. So figure out how to play 'differently' with what you've got and don't blow it on 'other things' when you build it back up.

Get rid of the excuses that are scattered in your posts .. I can only comment on my area, but some of the worst profitable poker is played at 9AM (and if 'that' crowd is calling you a NIT then you really need to address your game play). At 30 you should still not be thinking that 9AM is 'early' unless you are up all night grinding online. Set a schedule, don't play all night if you're going to play live the next day. Figure out how poker can be something to look forward to, not just a downswing grind.

Most everyone here wants you to succeed, but they wont give you too much more time unless they start to see some sparkle in your posts instead of the excuses. GL