Learn this game or go back to where I came from. Need advice

[alexander_670]

I haven’t posted here in a while but I need your advice again. I learned Limit mostly from reading SSH and FTR posts and was doing fine at the limits I was playing (moving from 2-4 to 9-18 b&M). After our B&M limit games dried up, I moved to NL 3 months back.
So far I have played 300 hours of NL @ B&M.
100$ Buyin - 83 hours +$970
300$ buyin - 220 hours -$436
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Net: 506$ in about 300 hours...PATHETIC

Now, most of these hours in the beginning I was learning NL and making fundamental mistakes (overplaying AK, c-betting where shouldn’t, stacking off with 1 pair, stacking off against flushes etc, some bad runs ). Now that I have gotten the hang of it, I feel like I have improved a lot in the past 3 months but still feel frustrated time to time. Also even though I feel I have learnt a lot, my results don’t reflect that.

Arguments in sticking to NL:
1) I love this game a lot more than Limit. I never need to read magazines while playing this game and getting cold run of cards. Just watching the action makes it interesting enough for me.
2) Variance is lower.
3) If I eventually get this game, then I will make a lot of money + not getting crazy with downswings that are so common in limit.

Arguments for quitting:
1) I am losing money (if you consider time value of money). If I was playing 4-8 ----- 6-12 I would have won at least 3-4 grand playing limits.
2) Maybe I will never get this game no matter how hard I try.

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1) Can a winning limit player supposedly NEVER get this game no matter how hard he tries.

2) Should a player keep plugging away learning a game where as he could be making money if he was playing a different game. In short, should winning money be more important than playing a game that I actually enjoy a lot more.

[Raiser]

Should a player keep plugging away learning a game where as he could be making money if he was playing a different game. In short, should winning money be more important than playing a game that I actually enjoy a lot more.

You raise a good point - Poker to me is a hobby... i enjoy playing live and meeting new people and trashtalking - i love it i love it i love it.....

I dont play to win the money - but if i do win then its a bonus... i would rather spend £20 playing poker and having a laugh than going into town to waste £50+ and all i get is a hangover the next day (or some action if iam very lucky).

In short... there is no magic formula to winning and even though i am happy with the reasoning to why i play - it wont suit other people.... just do what you feel is right!! I have just sat down and roughly worked out my stats for my first year playing the game.... and it looks like i am down by £300 (live and online and that is complete honesty) so i will quit playing online but continue playing live - as i enjoy it.... the way i justify my loss is: it was my first year & averaged out i lost just over £5 a week.... which i can justify.... £5 a week to have a bloody good laugh at the tables talking the piss out of everyone and getting some good old table banter going - i dont think i have been to a game where i havent wet my self laughing... Just enjoy the game and the company!!!

[Prowler]

i think most of us are at the level where you know what ya doing and are enjoying playing, having a good laugh and a few drinks and if ya cash its a bonus, at least playing live anyway so its like an entertainment/fun night out

you can tell people who only play online as all they ever go on about is winning and money and have no concept of what a great social game poker is

which leads to the question, What kind of player are you?

a) a terrible player who loves the social occasion
b) a decent player " " " " "
c) a good player who enjoys the social and money aspects
d) an improver, someone who's playing to learn and maybe play bigger games
e) an internet player for fun and relaxation/ as a testing ground
f) an internet player who's only in it for the money
g) a combination of 2 or more of the above

to start the ball rolling i'd say i was a combo of b) c) and d) with e) thrown in

i love playing the bigger mtt's (runners not buyins) and enjoy the laughs and windups and if i cash or heaven forbid make a profit i'm even happier and online i prefer to play the deepstack/ long level games as opposed to rebuys or crapshoots, i'd happily play a $5 deepstack mtt with a small prize pool rather than a $20 normal tourney as i find there is far more play in them and usually better players

as for cash games, this year i'm only really gonna play live as i find it far more entertaining and profitable, online is a repetitive grind and only fun if theres a crowd of people i know playing and as for the suckouts, well i'll be glad to leave those behind

[Raiser]

A & D - a slight contridiction though lol

[Dice Man]

I don't think you've really accomodated for players like myself.

I do play for the money and social occasion but more importantly just to win. That's why I can play live for free and online for free. I don't ever spend the money I've won on non-poker, I just hoard it up and occasionally move up levels to invest more of it, but I'm still playing very deep-stacked.

I think probably I'm turning into a c. My project is to make enough money from poker to have a decent bankroll to play bigger games in casinos and therefore mainly for the money and social aspect. I'm just trying to get to that point for free by slaving away online and keeping it fun with cheap live games.

[Thor2007]

Combo of E & F, but do enjoy playing house games, but these are infrequent.

I think even live poker would become tedious and boring if you were playing it as much as it's possible to play online.

I reckon for the few months that I went intensive at online poker I was averaging about 6-10 hours a day, usually late at night / early morn. Imagine sitting in a casino for that length of time day in, day out. Fuck that!

p.s Option D seems a bit strange. Surely everyone is playing to learn / improve to some extent.

Edit: In fact, I forgot about Alexross. ROFL! The all in master!

[Prowler]

i've met a few people that aren't looking to get any better/ take poker seriously and just like a game now and then so they wouldn't be d), unlikely to find any of them on a forum but ya never know

[RobDew]

which leads to the question, What kind of player are you?

a) a terrible player who loves the social occasion
b) a decent player " " " " "
c) a good player who enjoys the social and money aspects
d) an improver, someone who's playing to learn and maybe play bigger games
e) an internet player for fun and relaxation/ as a testing ground
f) an internet player who's only in it for the money
g) a combination of 2 or more of the above

d, previously e.

The inter-web thingy is a great place to learn, especially the value of the "all-in". It taught me that an AI is more often than not a weak hand that suddenly realises it after getting re-raised. The other things I learned we e the arts of slow-playing/ check raising.

Cheers
Rob