a question for everyone...

[Hold_Em 0]

Ok.I don't know if anyone else experiences this problem but it could be a long post so read at your own discretion.I am a college student and being 19 years old i do not have a very big bankroll because a lot of my winnings go to things like college tuition and living expenses. I play online poker on Ultimate Bet and mostly play with $100 or so at a time.The problem I am having is that i absolutely can not beat the lower limit/tournament games. I am a mostly NL player and am mostly found at the $25 max tables at UB and almost always find myself leaving the table with less than i started or with nothing at all.I have read SSHE but I still can not seem to master playing small stakes online. I play tight aggressive like I should and I know i have leaks but I can not seem to beat these games.The strange thing is, when I can afford it or one of my friends stakes me I play 1/2 NL and the $40 and $100 buy in tourneys. I kill the 1/2 NL game almost always leaving a table with more then I bought in for and everytime i play a tournament with a higher buy in i seem to at least cash if not final table, but after I make this money I can not afford to keep it in my poker account because of the expenses of college life.I guess my question is, does anyone else seem to have this problem of not being able to beat lower limit games? If you have had this problem and have found a way around it any comments or helpful hints would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.-Rich

[21gambit 0]

no

[Sushiman 0]

SSHE doesn't apply as much to NL play. I mean, the counting outs sections and starting hand sections are quite good but a lot of limit plays Sklansky suggests is too aggressive for NL. I'm honestly not sure what your problem would be. I would suggest getting some tracker software and see where you are leaking money.

[rbakken2504 0]

It is a bit harder to beat low limit games, because of the rake, but the abundance of bad players here usually makes up for that. The thing i've noticed when I was still at the low limit stage, is that when you hit a bad run of variance, its usually long and really bad, because low limit players chase anything. But all-in-all, if you're a good player you should have an easier time beating the low limit games, instead of the higher limits.

[Jdr999 0]

Do not move up in limits. You will lose your money much quicker, and your wins at the higher limits are not over a long period of time. Secondly, ask yourself why you are losing. Is is small amounts each time, or do you blow it all in an hour? To track your results, I suggest you use Card Player's poker Analyst (Free Service). Lastly, see if you can make money in a new game. I started playing Pot Limit Omaha because I had mixed results in hold'em, and have seen a steady profit. But if you are not into that, find you weak spots (too tight, too obvious, don't know when to muck a hand, etc...) and improve on each area so you become a better, well rounded player.

[Hold_Em 0]

I've also started playing some limit that is when i read SSHE. I've also read the harrington books and I think this is some of the reason I have been able to be consistent in cashing in higher buy in tournaments. Thanks for the quick comments and to jackasses like gambit please don't even bother posting.

[Hold_Em 0]

I play 1/2 2/4 regularly in the casino that is why I play it when i have the money to online.

[SuM827 0]

it's probably either a small sample space in 25 nl, or a small sample space in 200 nl. either way, play more to get a more accurate understanding of your problem. Buy Poker Tracker, and use it to look for the leaks in your game.

[Nutcracker 0]

Well, if you are losing at 25 NL and crushing 200 NL, it seems logical to move up even further. Take a loan out of the bank for 10k or so (pretend it is for a car or business or something) and play at $10/20 blinds for a while.

[Limit Player 0]

The strange thing is, when I can afford it or one of my friends stakes me I play 1/2 NL and the $40 and $100 buy in tourneys.  I kill the 1/2 NL game almost always leaving a table with more then I bought in for and everytime i play a tournament with a higher buy in i seem to at least cash if not final table,

Two things.1. Don't believe you2. If it is true, stop ****ing around with shitty buy-ins and play the ones that pay you.

[Limit Player 0]

there's also the possibility you play like a coward when it's your own money, but you loosen up and play more aggressively when you can lose a friend's money. But I still don't believe you.

[idiotbocs 0]

pwnd

[closetwin 0]

Stop playing NL. Stop playing out of your bankroll.Play microlimits. Get good at limit playing. Play good cards, fold to raises when you don't have top pair, or the flush on the board, or the straight.That is a good kicking off point. Now learn how to play poker by playing more microlimits. Once your bankroll exceeds 10 no limit buy-ins, play some NL. When your bankroll is big enough that one buy-in isn't a very big deal, you're ready to play NL.Play a TON of poker at limits low enough to be irrelevant to your bankroll/cash situation. Keep doing it. You still doing it? Oh, what's that? You're running bad now? Keep playing. Oh, you hit a rush? You've doubled your initial investment? Keep playing. Oh, you're way down again? Keep friggin playing.Losing for a day or a night shouldn't hurt you if you're practicing bankroll managment. The only times I've EVER screwed myself were when I played out of my bankroll. Play solid poker within your bankroll. Do that, and you won't lose it. I promise.BTW, this is coming from someone who has studied proper poker playing to no end, and has flushed their meager bankroll several times. I'm doing fine now, thanks. You should listen to what I say if you want to get started playing seriously.CT

[fryer98 30]

I didn't read the other responses, but I will say...You'll have a few hands in a lower limit game that may not have been played the same by a player in higher limits, but overall, you should dominate them.PS. I have a hard time believing 100% of the story.

[Limit Player 0]

Stop playing NL.  Stop playing out of your bankroll.Play microlimits.  Get good at limit playing.  Play good cards, fold to raises when you don't have top pair, or the flush on the board, or the straight.That is a good kicking off point. Now learn how to play poker by playing more microlimits.  Once your bankroll exceeds 10 no limit buy-ins, play some NL.  When your bankroll is big enough that one buy-in isn't a very big deal, you're ready to play NL.Play a TON of poker at limits low enough to be irrelevant to your bankroll/cash situation.  Keep doing it.  You still doing it?  Oh, what's that?  You're running bad now?  Keep playing.  Oh, you hit a rush?  You've doubled your initial investment?  Keep playing.  Oh, you're way down again?  Keep friggin playing.Losing for a day or a night shouldn't hurt you if you're practicing bankroll managment.  The only times I've EVER screwed myself were when I played out of my bankroll.  Play solid poker within your bankroll.  Do that, and you won't lose it.  I promise.BTW, this is coming from someone who has studied proper poker playing to no end, and has flushed their meager bankroll several times.  I'm doing fine now, thanks.  You should listen to what I say if you want to get started playing seriously.CT

I don't think you heard the man. The higher he goes the better he does. You should take a break from studying poker and brush up on reading.

[JamesWinfro 0]

First off, if you don't have the money to play because you have other expenses, then don't. It's a waist of your money and anyway you should be focusing on your education first and foremost. You have the rest of your life to play poker. Get your degree and go from there. Right now, I'm 21, I initially lost over 400 dollars online. I also noticed that it took away from my studies, so I quit. I only decided to pick up poker with discipline and patience and time in mind. I waited until I had a break, winter or summer, and I read five or six of the best known poker books out there. I also took notes on these books, which was a big help, and with the better books, I reread and rereread. You have to study the game then and start small, don't piss your bankrool away at a limit your bankroll can't handle, I've been there done that.If you have 100 dollars and you want to play NL, it would be best to play at a .02/.04, or maybe .05/.10 limit. You must learn the game first. Just as in school you don't learn Organic Chemistry prior to your general chemistry. Take it step by step, there is no get quick rich scheme. The other suggestion is to go bonus whoring. It is a huge help, especially using a netteller account. Once you have about 350XBB than you can move up to the next limit. You will learn something from each limit and eventually move up with the right mind set. These tips are only going to help if you are devoted to the game. You can't be devoted to the game and be in school at the same time, it doesn't work out initially. If you want to know how you can check your game for leaks I suggest you get a poker software know as poker tracker which will help you by being able to view hands that you may have misplayed at the table away from the table as well as keep notes on your opponents. It is worth it.As for me, I made back the money I lost and am continuously moving up limits slowly, but at a pace that won't hurt my bankroll. Hope that you got something out of this. You sound like you need it. Remember your education is your future and poker will always be there.

[closetwin 0]

I don't think you heard the man. The higher he goes the better he does. You should take a break from studying poker and brush up on reading.

Oh, I misunderstood. I thought he wanted to be better, not worse. Forgive me.My new advice: Play some 1k nl. You'll tear it apart. Theory dicates it.CT

[Limit Player 0]

thank you for humoring me, CT.