How to fix leaks in your NL hold em poker game?

Question

How to fix leaks in your NL hold em poker game?

Answer 1

If you are playing online at the major sites (PokerStars, FullTilt, etc.) you can have the site email a history of your past hands.  Go thru each hand that you played.  If you lost money on the hand (either by folding to a bluff or not seeing that you are beat) figure out what you did wrong and rather or not you could/should  have done something different on those hands.

Usually, your leaks are going to center around either not being able to read your opponents or not calculating your pot odds correctly and acting accordingly.

Reading your opponents requires a history of hands against them.  You should always make note of your opponents' play even when you are not in a hand with them.  This is repeated over and over by the pros and should be taken as gospel.  You should note what type of player (loose/tight, passive/aggressive) your opponent is.  You should note whether they lay down to a big reraise, how often they bluff, how often they are willing to chase a str8 or flush draw.  Most poker players know they should be doing this but few take the time which is a big mistake if you wish to become a consistent winner.

Calculating your pot odds and acting accordingly is equally if not more important.  You MUST do the math!  Over the long run calculating and acting on your pots odds will make you a consistent winner.

Another important problem to overcome is being too passive especially in a no-limit game.  Your opponents will run over you and take your pots away if you show weakness too many times.  If you are the first to enter pots preflop you have come in for raises with speclative hands (suited connectors, small pairs, etc..)  This will throw off your opponents as they will not know whether you are coming in with a monster preflop hand.  When you show down a made speclative hand your opponents will know you are not just playing premium hands preflop and are willing to gamble.  They will be less likely to try to bluff you off your marginal hands.  In no-limit hold em aggressive play is the right play.

So, in a nutshell, to plug up your leaks, (1) take lots of notes, (2) improve your pot odd calculating skills, and (3) become more aggressive.

Answer 2

Read books, study, analyze hands you've played.  Find a study partner who understands the game, and discuss hands with them.  Join the forums and post questions there.

Consider a professional coach if you really want to get into it more deeply.