I have taken the advice of many here and purchased SSHE by Ed Miller. I have decided to begin my in-depth study in Chapter 3. Chapter 3 deals with postflop play, which is the weakest part of my game. The first two chapters (gambling concepts, preflop concepts) I will go back to later. I have to start somewhere and the flop is where it is. I have a basic understanding of gambling concepts as well as starting hand requirements anyway. I am figuring that a simple chart, although not optimal, will work fine for now while I'm learning to play the other streets. The book, itself, even seems to suggest this approach:

Understanding postflop concepts and play is far more essential to maximizing your win rate. Move quickly through the preflop material, and concentrate on what is important.
OK. The introduction to the postflop section (pages 96-97):

Major Idea: "In sshe, the real money is won and lost after the flop."

Commentary: The hand example provided was/is an eye-opener to me. It really drives home the fact that I don't know how to play. I, like most, easily recognize the poor decision made preflop.

On the flop... I would have assumed that I was behind and estimated that I had approximately 6 outs (if I wasn't up vs. JJ or QJ). 6 outs is about 7:1 odds and since the pot is now offering about 11:1, I would call. I certainly wouldn't think of raising here, knowing that I'm likely beat and on a not-so-strong draw!

No wonder I am still a losing player. It turns out that my "logic" isn't the correct thinking afterall. In fact, the book says that my postflop error is "worse by far!" than even the preflop cold-call with Q7s!! Shocking! That is some BAD play! Even my second choice (folding the flop) is supposedly wrong. My top two choices (out of 3) are "both major mistakes!" Meanwhile, the play of raising, which I failed to even consider, is the only correct play.

Man, I suck! The book does tell me not to worry though.

"This chapter will teach you all the postflop concepts necessary to become a big winner in small stakes games."

Won't you join me next time as we discuss, COUNTING OUTS.

By the way, I researched several forums (twoplustwo, cardplayer, pokerpages, thisisthenuts, internettexasholdem, etc...) prior to joining this one. I opted for FTR for a few reasons.

1. The site looks good. It is organized well. Visually appealing.

2. The better players seem to comment a lot more than on some other sites. That is important to me. I have read many of your posts and I definately respect your knowledge and opinions.

later.