OP,
Thanks for posting this thread - I really needed it. While I'm normally in USNL, I read SSNL a lot because I feel the discussions are a lot better.
Here's my story, and how I'm planning on turning things around.
I've always considered myself pretty intelligent. 3rd in my class in high school, top 2% for SAT's, etc. However, I have found that the 2% of the population that are more intelligent than me can be a LOT more intelligent
I've been playing poker now for maybe 3 years. I found 2p2, and of my 3000 something posts, I think 90% of them are in OOT or other forums. I'd say only the last year or so I started to take the game seriously.
I've been a break-even type player for a loooong time. I'm currently beating 50nl by a small margin, and make some money from rakeback. I don't play nearly enough, which is a large part of the problem. I put in maybe 5-10k hands a month, and cut a lot of sessions short when I start losing money or end up even.
I think the biggest challenge for me is that I'm SO used to just succeeding without trying that the game pisses me off to no end. I go into auto-pilot, and just assume that they'll hand their money over. The game just isn't that intuitive to me, and I have several other VERY smart friends that struggle with the game as well.
I also think it's an entirely different kind of natural ability - sort of like being a musician.
Let me give an example:
In high school, I played trumpet. I have no musical ability whatsoever, but I completely busted my ass. Practiced almost every day, went through fundamentals, etc.
Of around 40 players, I was probably about the 5th or 6th best by the end of my years there. The 4-5 guys ahead of me had natural talent, and could easily outplay me even if they probably never practiced a second of their lives.
It's all about setting your own personal goals. For me, it was to be good enough to play in the symphony and hold my own.
Poker is sort of like that for me now. I'd just like to be able to work my way up to 1/2 or 2/4 and make 30-100 extra k a year. I don't need to beat the nosebleeds, and probably never could against guys with such excellent gut instincts.
I was about to just say F poker for the hundredth time, but after thinking about it I've put nowhere near enough study into the game.
It's also probably worth noting that we all learn differently. Videos might work well for one person, hand histories for another. I really appreciate everyone on this forum that has donated their time in posting, or directly discussed hands with me over IM (you know who you are).
Anyone up for setting up a regular study session?