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How to press a reset button and learn better poker?
I'm sure I can't be the only one, maybe others have gotten to a similar point with their game... and I know I'm not good at brevity so for the shorter version, please read just the bold red text 
I'm very aware that my game has completely plataued in the last six months or so. I've read the odd book and tried to implement things, read loads of magazine articles, read hands in the clinic and posted a few of my own, looked back over hand history, even tried watching a few youtube sessions by random players (althouth I admit I do tend to glaze over on most of these).
I figure that I've got to a point where:
- There are loads of daft leaks in my game that I'm struggling to even notice now - ones which now I've played on Sky microstakes cash for almost a whole year are being exploited by more and more table buddies.
- I seem to have so many different ideas and concepts in my head I'm just confusing myself - and no doubt the sort of things which have nothing but -EV at the games I'm involved in.
- I really don't know where to focus first in terms of improving.
- I figure I'm taking terrible notes on players... and even where I have good notes, seem to fail in finding the creativity to take advantage of the notes.
I've played on and off for a few years, winning small amounts so that I've not needed to redeposit, but never 'proper' sums that allow me to either step up levels (with a sensible bankroll) or withdraw a meaningful amount to pay for a new telly, holiday etc. I have no dreams of playing high stakes (ie by Sky standards, NL100 or higher), becoming a pro or anything like that, but I would like to get the stage where I could realistically withdraw say £1k or so at least once a year and also have a realistic shot at qualifying for and being vaguely competitive at the occasional SPT event - not even talking about a big cash, just know that I can hold my own against the majority.
I know I could never even consider pro - 40+ hour weeks of poker would drain all the love for the game out of me and I don't believe I could ever sit with £1,000 in front of me and not play so tight as to be an even worse player than I am now!
So I guess my query is where do I go next? I did toy with some sort of coaching, but this seems like a hefty outlay when I'll be playing no higher than 10NL / £5 tourni buy-ins and would have to absolutely tear it up for a decent period of time just to recoup the initial outlay. Not sure this is really worth it?
I do feel like I almost need to empty my head of everything poker and start again... but in the absence of being able to do that... where would a novice be recommended to restart?
Thanks in advance for any help that can be offered to this microstakes fish!
ps - apologies if this should be in the poker clinic rather than general chat...
Comments
I'll post some advice and things that might be helpful when you post what games you wanna play etc
You have a pretty good game and playing the way you do, i'm sure you do win at the cash levels you play at.
Just don't try and bluff me :P
If you wanted to take out 1k a year, set yourself a target of £80 profit per month, which is well achievable at the levels we play at.
Posted by shakinaces
Again, that's part of the frustration, I know I do the basics that a decent proportion of competitors at NL10 still don't do - ie not limping, playing more cautiously in early position / out of position and opening my starting hand range closer to the button, getting my bet sizing reasonably correct rather than betting 1/10th of pot or less - the sort of things repeated ad infinitum on ch861. So I figure to not be a million miles away from from refining my game to a consistently winning position... but yet it still feels that far away lol
And yeah... too many poorly timed bluffs probably doesn't help my cause... I'm sure you have a good profit and loss versus me because of those!!
That does sound a fair price, may PM when I'm at home and have a bit more time (rather than lunchtime skiving at work). As noted before, cash is my preference but would still love to get at least a solid novice game at tournaments so that I can aspire to qualifying for and not embarrassing myself at an SPT event. Being wholly competitive at low stakes buy-ins can only help with that.
Sounds from various posts on here that being competent at £10 BI tournis online is not far from £100 BI live tournis... and given I'm not going to be rolled for anything above that, it'd be a useful level of competence to reach.