Maybe I'm just venting some frustration here, but it seems the only thing I have any success at are SnG's (I haven't played a MMT yet). Seems I'm always a loser at ring games, but I DO want to at least try to figure them out (if nothing else to get my bonus money) - how do I identify whether limit or NL is my 'best' game?

Hell, maybe my best game is 'Go Fish' - I better start practicing. My son is 4 - he'll probably be able to beat me soon.

Gir,

I don't know if you have played enough to even say you have a game.

You are going to have to devote some time and money to pick one to beat.

I was about break even at PLH before I started playing SnGs. It took me quite a while to get to a point where I could regularly beat limit hold'em - in fact, I probably can't say for sure yet that I am beating it. I won't say that I can beat NL ring games. Most of my money comes from SnGs and limit omaha8/b and sometimes PLO.

Patience grasshopper.

In my opinion you should play what you enjoy.. SnGs are fun... You''ll even find me playing the odd MTT (but only on a free roll!)..Ultimately a good ring player can play more tables at one time and choose his tables and he has more choice of tables - so over time the greater +EV play is Ring.

I find Ring more exciting because with six tables it's rare to go five minutes without action. Also, betting out a marginal hand on Ring I find a lot more exciting because in order to maximise return from top pair/marginal kicker against a draw.. you have to play it close to the wind. I can also get 'into' ppl.. Over thirty hands I have usually got someones play down (ok sometimes I'm wrong).. but then exploiting that play brings out the sadist in me ...

Mathmatically Ring is a complete challenge. Some tables can't be beaten however good you are, others can be beaten well - but not controlled, others can be controlled but not beaten well.. I find the way tables flip between these states very interesting. There is also the 'just joined the table effect' - and the effect of a sequence of good hands.. and that's before you take into account the other players! ..the list is endless

Ring NL is hard to play well. A good starting point is to read all the books and then work out 'your' game which exploits all the ideas/weaknesses in these books - so even the majority of strong players won't have good weapons to use against you and responses other than 'fold' to your plays will get them into trouble. I ended up with 'my' game after a load of maths and analysis.. My hole card selection and preflop betting is very odd in many peoples terms but it works for me. Get your winning game then modify/play around with it..Some of my biggest wins/plays in NL poker have started out as massive financial losses

For me the big breakthrough in Ring was to realise that I must come close to losing every hand before I maximise returns. e.g when I go all-in with AA preflop I want as many callers as possible - even though I know that the odds shorten for every additional all in.

The second big step was realising that in ring you play your hole cards in the context of how you've played your last 20 hole cards. (i.e maximise your table image). Looking at individual hole cards/flops plays tells you about odds etc but you should also assess how the table sees you. As a crude example.

1] You get AA - you've folded 18 of the last 20 hands - you go all in. Everyone folds

2] Same table: You get AA - you've had a run where you've had good cards but no-one has seen you to showdown. You may well get a caller because ppl think you're bluffing.


How do you dictate your table image and maximise opportunity? Answer this and you'll hit 10 BB/100 on 0.25/0.5

Must say the bonuses are nice too...

Bob

__________________
See me playing $10/$20NL like it was play money

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?...405&q=xxdemexx

Doberman: "but Sarge, isn't poker gambling and just luck?"
Sgt. Bilko:" not the way I play it"

10bb/100? Lol good luck...

__________________
“There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about.” - John von Neumann

Well try a couple MTTs, like the $1 one in 10 minutes... Give it a whirl.

Try the other games, dedicate like 3-4 weeks to play nithing but limit, or NL, or whatever you fancy that month, but when you get frustrated, switch over to a format/game you enjoy more for a few hours. Then go back.

Personally I prefer playing limit over SNG's, but hey, ya'll think I'm crazy already...

I really can't play NL ring for any length of time becuase it becomes a self fullfilling prophecy, I find that slightly Loose hyper-aggressiveness turns a good short term profit, so I end up more LAPish as I go. Bad for the long run. So I only play NL for a week or so, then drop back down to MTT's and Limit ring. Gets the pent up aggression out from playing too much limit.

Vary your Poker diet while tryinjg ot focus on a new game, and you'll enjoy the results a lot more.

__________________

Have you bought PokerTracker yet, Girevik? That helped me to see patterns and situations and actions where I succeed most.

__________________

My problem with MTT's is the time. By the time we get the kids to bed, I'm too tired to be able to count on going 3 or 4 hours straight in a MTT. I guess if I bust out in the first hour, it'd be okay


Not yet. I've been playing so infrequently lately that I figured I probably wouldn't get any use out of it. I plan on getting it once I can start playing at least two or three times a week again.

get the demo version already, once you fill it up you can decide if it is useful or not.

I've got the demo version. Not quite sure how to use it though.....

You need to use that utility with UB to download the request hand histories for you.