A Little Help Plz

[Mongoosey 0]

Hi, Ive been playing poker for quite a little bit now but I wanna get real serious into it and increase my BR a lot. I read articles and books often but I was wonder about Poker Traker and some other good ways to get serious and bring my BR up. I currently only have $88 on Stars and $200 on Full Tilt. What limits should I be playing? I am currently playing like .5-.10 NL. Any information or help would be greatly appreciated.Ty

[chgocubs99 0]

I'd load $500 up and build that way.If you don't have $500 then re-evaluate your priorities in life.Then, when you get $500, come re-post.To build from those levels someone else will have to help you.

[pokerguy33 0]

You need to do more than read books, and load poker tracker to bring your roll up. You need experience, and the only way to get better is to acutually play, know and find your mistakes, and try and fix them. You dont just read a book, and go the the table and take everyone's money. Not saying thats how you think just saying. But yeah play more, books will help with the understanding on why you make certain plays, but you really just need to play, and fix your leaks.

[Mongoosey 0]

You need to do more than read books, and load poker tracker to bring your roll up. You need experience, and the only way to get better is to acutually play, know and find your mistakes, and try and fix them. You dont just read a book, and go the the table and take everyone's money. Not saying thats how you think just saying. But yeah play more, books will help with the understanding on why you make certain plays, but you really just need to play, and fix your leaks.

I actually have played quite a bit live, but it seems so very very different then online. Mind you I have played lots online as well but just at the micros, it just seems that with the help of traker or something similiar it will help me be able to reconize and understand the leaks that I have.Btw. is Traker free ? I dont personally know anything about it, just hear ppl talk about it all the time

[gibler321 1]

I actually have played quite a bit live, but it seems so very very different then online. Mind you I have played lots online as well but just at the micros, it just seems that with the help of traker or something similiar it will help me be able to reconize and understand the leaks that I have.Btw. is Traker free ? I dont personally know anything about it, just hear ppl talk about it all the time

nope not free. it loads hand historys for you

[Mongoosey 0]

How much does it cost and is it well worth the investment?

[donk4life 34]

I'd load $500 up and build that way.If you don't have $500 then re-evaluate your priorities in life.Then, when you get $500, come re-post.To build from those levels someone else will have to help you.

lol...

[bdc30 0]

Tracker is $50. I'd have paid 2-3 times that amount with NO complaints. Invaluable.

[Mockerman1 0]

I actually have played quite a bit live, but it seems so very very different then online. Mind you I have played lots online as well but just at the micros, it just seems that with the help of traker or something similiar it will help me be able to reconize and understand the leaks that I have.Btw. is Traker free ? I dont personally know anything about it, just hear ppl talk about it all the time

If you d/l poker tracker from their website, it does have a trial period. The trial period, however, is not for a set time, rather it's for a certain # of hands (I don't recall how many). In terms of obtaining PT for free and other bonus info and rake info, there's not my area. I never got into all that, athough I know there are others here who do. While this kind of stuff won't help you improve your poker game, per se, it relates to what was said above - it's a way to save/create money that may not otherwise be there so you can sit at the tables.In terms of my advice, let me give you a little background so you understand where I'm coming from. I got serious about poker about a year and a half ago and have only VERY recently been able to take it really serious - I graduated from college and have had some time off to determine what to do next. I am in no way a big time player, I hope to be, but I still consider myself kind of in your role, just with slightly more money. I felt compelled to respond to you, however, because of your current br situation. I have only deposited $125 online and from that deposit I have kind of ridden the rollercoaster of poker. Again, I'm not pretending to be anything more than I am - a low stakes player, but one who has been able to build up and get better. I don't want to give current numbers on where my roll is now, but it's substantially higher. I don't want this post to fall apart here because of a ) a lack of crediblity or b ) the original numer but I also don't feel compelled, being a relative nobody to give out numbers like this.This is my advice. I started out not knowing anything about PT so that was not in my early equation. I think if you play live, then while if you can get it for free go ahead, but you should be pretty good at picking up table dynamics and who plays how everytime you sit down pretty quickly. If you take notes on these players for future, even better. My point there is that even if you don't take notes, it's a matter of focus and focus only to gain that information fairly quickly. To what stakes you should play, I am not an expert in BR managment, and I can never remember the number of buyins for a sufficient roll at a certain game. I don't know how fluid your money transfer situation is (between tilt and pokerstars) - I've always been stuck on sites where transferring is difficult, so I've always loooked at my BRs as independent, just because I didn't want to have to redeposit. This is something which others would tell you not to do. However if they're not fluid, then play at different stakes on the two different sites.I hate to say this because of the flak I'll get for it, but another way that I supplanted my early br and especially my early br during down times was to play freerolls. Bodog had good ones. I have no clue it a ) they're still really free and b )the turnout, but I would check them out. I also think the FCP ones are quite good too. Again, this may not tell you a ton about how you play but it'll help supplant the BR. Yes it's a pain, a major grind, but you know what, the road you're taking is. Completely. No glory. Period, it's a pain in the ***, that much I'll tell you, it's only worth it if you really love and enjoy poker or are big on facing challenges.In terms of when to move up, you should know. If you've been stuck at the same stakes a while and you're generally sucessful live, you're probably either a )not adjusting to not being able to see people. If this is the case, pay attention to every bet placed at your table. Why was it made? What could it represent? Do this in hands your in and not in. When there's showdowns figure out where (if anywhere) your logic about the hand (and that particular player) went south. It could also be b ) the whacky hyper-aggresiveness of especially microstakes players. You'll meet tons of players who think A3 is the nuts on a 10JA board. If this is the case, well wait for big ones and see the money come in. I don't know if this is the kind of stuff you were looking for, this post is exponentially longer than I thought it would be, and still doesn't cover the half of it. Just so you know, if this sounds like the kind of advice that is helpful let me know, any questions and I'll answer them. Beyond this though, I think the point is if you have the time, effort, and ability you should be able to pull it off. But it takes a TON of time and a tone of EFFORT. If you are lacking on either, than try something else (deposit more or wait).Rob

[Mongoosey 0]

If you d/l poker tracker from their website, it does have a trial period. The trial period, however, is not for a set time, rather it's for a certain # of hands (I don't recall how many). In terms of obtaining PT for free and other bonus info and rake info, there's not my area. I never got into all that, athough I know there are others here who do. While this kind of stuff won't help you improve your poker game, per se, it relates to what was said above - it's a way to save/create money that may not otherwise be there so you can sit at the tables.In terms of my advice, let me give you a little background so you understand where I'm coming from. I got serious about poker about a year and a half ago and have only VERY recently been able to take it really serious - I graduated from college and have had some time off to determine what to do next. I am in no way a big time player, I hope to be, but I still consider myself kind of in your role, just with slightly more money. I felt compelled to respond to you, however, because of your current br situation. I have only deposited $125 online and from that deposit I have kind of ridden the rollercoaster of poker. Again, I'm not pretending to be anything more than I am - a low stakes player, but one who has been able to build up and get better. I don't want to give current numbers on where my roll is now, but it's substantially higher. I don't want this post to fall apart here because of a ) a lack of crediblity or b ) the original numer but I also don't feel compelled, being a relative nobody to give out numbers like this.This is my advice. I started out not knowing anything about PT so that was not in my early equation. I think if you play live, then while if you can get it for free go ahead, but you should be pretty good at picking up table dynamics and who plays how everytime you sit down pretty quickly. If you take notes on these players for future, even better. My point there is that even if you don't take notes, it's a matter of focus and focus only to gain that information fairly quickly. To what stakes you should play, I am not an expert in BR managment, and I can never remember the number of buyins for a sufficient roll at a certain game. I don't know how fluid your money transfer situation is (between tilt and pokerstars) - I've always been stuck on sites where transferring is difficult, so I've always loooked at my BRs as independent, just because I didn't want to have to redeposit. This is something which others would tell you not to do. However if they're not fluid, then play at different stakes on the two different sites.I hate to say this because of the flak I'll get for it, but another way that I supplanted my early br and especially my early br during down times was to play freerolls. Bodog had good ones. I have no clue it a ) they're still really free and b )the turnout, but I would check them out. I also think the FCP ones are quite good too. Again, this may not tell you a ton about how you play but it'll help supplant the BR. Yes it's a pain, a major grind, but you know what, the road you're taking is. Completely. No glory. Period, it's a pain in the ***, that much I'll tell you, it's only worth it if you really love and enjoy poker or are big on facing challenges.In terms of when to move up, you should know. If you've been stuck at the same stakes a while and you're generally sucessful live, you're probably either a )not adjusting to not being able to see people. If this is the case, pay attention to every bet placed at your table. Why was it made? What could it represent? Do this in hands your in and not in. When there's showdowns figure out where (if anywhere) your logic about the hand (and that particular player) went south. It could also be b ) the whacky hyper-aggresiveness of especially microstakes players. You'll meet tons of players who think A3 is the nuts on a 10JA board. If this is the case, well wait for big ones and see the money come in. I don't know if this is the kind of stuff you were looking for, this post is exponentially longer than I thought it would be, and still doesn't cover the half of it. Just so you know, if this sounds like the kind of advice that is helpful let me know, any questions and I'll answer them. Beyond this though, I think the point is if you have the time, effort, and ability you should be able to pull it off. But it takes a TON of time and a tone of EFFORT. If you are lacking on either, than try something else (deposit more or wait).Rob

Tyvm for this post. It does help me out. Im open to all advice on playing my way up from the micros. Like I said before, I have played lots of live $1-2 Nl , but online is very much different like everyone knows, Any advice of this type if very much welcome Ty once again

[milojones 0]

you can get pokertracker free on thepokerbay .... however.. it is well worth the money... also.. i dont agree that you NEED 500... you could make due with 250-300 if your halfway decent and your playing tourneys and cash games.

[11 to 1 0]

I hate to say this because of the flak I'll get for it, but another way that I supplanted my early br and especially my early br during down times was to play freerolls. Bodog had good ones. I have no clue it a ) they're still really free and b )the turnout, but I would check them out. I also think the FCP ones are quite good too. Again, this may not tell you a ton about how you play but it'll help supplant the BR. Yes it's a pain, a major grind, but you know what, the road you're taking is. Completely. No glory. Period, it's a pain in the ***, that much I'll tell you, it's only worth it if you really love and enjoy poker or are big on facing challenges.

I thought it was a great post and this is very good advice. You accumulate a lot of FPPs playing, and those points can be used for freerolls that pay out cash. Once the first half of the field goes out, it's good experience, I think. You can use small amounts to play micro buy-in tournaments, single table or multi, and make those buy-ins playing mico limit poker. The time and effort are big investments, Poker Tracker is great, you can replay every hand you lose and study every play until you see your own patterns. One day, you'll fine yourself playing higher more comfortably and getting pretty big bankroll increases as well. But it ain't easy.

[Mongoosey 0]

you can get pokertracker free on thepokerbay .... however.. it is well worth the money... also.. i dont agree that you NEED 500... you could make due with 250-300 if your halfway decent and your playing tourneys and cash games.

is there any catch?

[milojones 0]

well.. techincally its illegal.. but if you dont consider that a catch.. than no.. theres no catch

[Mockerman1 0]

... you could make due with 250-300 if your halfway decent and your playing tourneys and cash games.

Second this too. In order to move up at a pace that doesn't drive to complete frustration, I do feel you have to get lucky once. By this I mean play one of the smaller buyin tourneys (again not familiar with Tilt or Stars) and score a FT/top 6 finish. Again this is something where I feel those freerolls come in, but a top 6 at a $5 tourney can be some serious cash in terms of br effect. This however HAS TO HAS TO HAS TO (yes that's right three times) be tempered by your knowledge of your tourney play and also that tourney variance is insane to begin with. Do not play too many tourneys but don't rule them out completely either. I make a point of saying don't play too many because when I started out I was playing mostly $1/$2/$3 tourneys and with the frequency I played them and the lack of cash game at that point I basically ran my roll out.So don't get silly with tourneys, but if you know a little bit about how to play tournies then once in a while (maybe after making enough money at a cash table to cover a couple of buy-ins) try one. If you feel that this is eatting your bankroll too quick that stick to the tables and wait to play tournies with less frequency.Rob

[Mongoosey 0]

well.. techincally its illegal.. but if you dont consider that a catch.. than no.. theres no catch

lol ok ty

[Mockerman1 0]

Oh and one last point on the freeroll thing - don't play the hubble's or whatever they're called on PS or the Tilt freerolls - those don't offer enough cash, or in the case of the PS ones are basically situations where you have to pass through the main event field twice to win a couple of hundred. Definitely not worth it. I don't know how good the FPP tournies are on these sites, but as mentioned above, it may be worth it to check these out (in general it is).Rob

[Mongoosey 0]

Second this too. In order to move up at a pace that doesn't drive to complete frustration, I do feel you have to get lucky once. By this I mean play one of the smaller buyin tourneys (again not familiar with Tilt or Stars) and score a FT/top 6 finish. Again this is something where I feel those freerolls come in, but a top 6 at a $5 tourney can be some serious cash in terms of br effect. This however HAS TO HAS TO HAS TO (yes that's right three times) be tempered by your knowledge of your tourney play and also that tourney variance is insane to begin with. Do not play too many tourneys but don't rule them out completely either. I make a point of saying don't play too many because when I started out I was playing mostly $1/$2/$3 tourneys and with the frequency I played them and the lack of cash game at that point I basically ran my roll out.So don't get silly with tourneys, but if you know a little bit about how to play tournies then once in a while (maybe after making enough money at a cash table to cover a couple of buy-ins) try one. If you feel that this is eatting your bankroll too quick that stick to the tables and wait to play tournies with less frequency.Rob

Ty, I do like to play these micro tourneys and try to when ever I can, but I also realize i can prolly make more money faster in Cash games. I also feel my cash play is better then my tourney play

[milojones 0]

Second this too. In order to move up at a pace that doesn't drive to complete frustration, I do feel you have to get lucky once. By this I mean play one of the smaller buyin tourneys (again not familiar with Tilt or Stars) and score a FT/top 6 finish. Again this is something where I feel those freerolls come in, but a top 6 at a $5 tourney can be some serious cash in terms of br effect. This however HAS TO HAS TO HAS TO (yes that's right three times) be tempered by your knowledge of your tourney play and also that tourney variance is insane to begin with. Do not play too many tourneys but don't rule them out completely either. I make a point of saying don't play too many because when I started out I was playing mostly $1/$2/$3 tourneys and with the frequency I played them and the lack of cash game at that point I basically ran my roll out.So don't get silly with tourneys, but if you know a little bit about how to play tournies then once in a while (maybe after making enough money at a cash table to cover a couple of buy-ins) try one. If you feel that this is eatting your bankroll too quick that stick to the tables and wait to play tournies with less frequency.Rob

QFTi put money on stars and play usually only tourneys.. hit a 1st place in a 180 man and a few cahses thereafter... however, if i wasnt able to sit there patiently and grind the .25/.50 NL and .10/.25 PLO my brankroll would be in despair right now.. however, being able to get deep in tourneys consistently (much like the mockerman.. im not saying im a balla) and being able to cover the buyins i lose in cash games my bankroll is staying the same. if i were to give up cash games id be broke, but if i were to give up tourneys id probably steadily increase it. it just depends on if you think you can win tourneys or not, to determine if they are a proper investment. ive been able to take shots in tourneys well above my roll ($16.50 is well above my bankroll) mainly because i was able to cover the loss in cash games. this strategy however nets you little profit for the time and energy invested for a very long time. however, if your good engouh you will eventually cash big, or do extremely well in a cash game, and increase your bankroll. in my opinion the key to bankroll management is not playing within your roll (although thats very important) but making sure your skill level and abilities at a certain stake are strong enough to maintain your bankroll at a certain level, through dry stretches and long periods of *variance*. as long as it can be mainained.. and your a decent player.. your bankroll will eventually increase. if you find that after months and months and months your losing money or havnet increased at all. you reall need to re-evaluate your game and think critically about whether poker is or is not for you. because unlike others things in life.. the highs are very high but the lows are lower than anything youll ever feel.edit:it just depends on if you think you can win tourneys or not, to determine if they are a proper investment.after re-reading this i realize its kind of a silly statement. everyone thinks they can win tourneys.. if that wasnt the case jamie gold wouldnt have taken the largest prize in sports history. what i really mean is if your results show that you can win a tourney as opposed to if you think you can win. bigstack.com and thepokerdb are great ways to evalute your game and the consistency of your tourney play without having to invest in poker tracker.

[Mongoosey 0]

QFTi put money on stars and play usually only tourneys.. hit a 1st place in a 180 man and a few cahses thereafter... however, if i wasnt able to sit there patiently and grind the .25/.50 NL and .10/.25 PLO my brankroll would be in despair right now.. however, being able to get deep in tourneys consistently (much like the mockerman.. im not saying im a balla) and being able to cover the buyins i lose in cash games my bankroll is staying the same. if i were to give up cash games id be broke, but if i were to give up tourneys id probably steadily increase it. it just depends on if you think you can win tourneys or not, to determine if they are a proper investment. ive been able to take shots in tourneys well above my roll ($16.50 is well above my bankroll) mainly because i was able to cover the loss in cash games. this strategy however nets you little profit for the time and energy invested for a very long time. however, if your good engouh you will eventually cash big, or do extremely well in a cash game, and increase your bankroll. in my opinion the key to bankroll management is not playing within your roll (although thats very important) but making sure your skill level and abilities at a certain stake are strong enough to maintain your bankroll at a certain level, through dry stretches and long periods of *variance*. as long as it can be mainained.. and your a decent player.. your bankroll will eventually increase. if you find that after months and months and months your losing money or havnet increased at all. you reall need to re-evaluate your game and think critically about whether poker is or is not for you. because unlike others things in life.. the highs are very high but the lows are lower than anything youll ever feel.

Tyvm for your insite on these points