Struggling after early MTT success, looking for advice

I’m from West Africa and started poker about 3 years ago. Last year I had some good results won a $55 and finished 3rd in a $109 PKO MTT (both through satellites), and was profitable for a few months.

Recently though, nothing seems to work. I’ve looked into coaching but can’t afford it right now.

What are the best free/low-cost ways to improve? Any tips for handling downswings and getting back on track (especially for MTTs)?

Appreciate any advice

Hi Manoukp , Downswing happen .. don’t overreact.focus on fundamental, review your hands , tighten early stages and be aggressive in late positions. Use free resources Cardschat forums , youtube , hand analysers and stick to solid bankroll management. Stay patient. Try this 30 days training videos. Goodluck 😀

@Manoukp87 Man I feel you. I had the opposite problem: 5 busto sessions straight before my first cash lol.

Last year you shipped a $55 and 3rd in $109 PKO via sats. That's not luck. You have the skill. Downswings happen even to Platinum guys here.

What saved me was 2 things I learned here on CardsChat for FREE:

1. **BRM from Aleksandr1991**: 100 buy-ins rule. You probably moved up too fast after that $109 run. I was playing $0.50 Spins with $1 bankroll until I read his post. Now I'm grinding freerolls until I have proper BRM.

2. **Patience from Kerasuss28**: "Stay 2+ hours" in MTTs. I was busting first 15min like a maniac. Yesterday I finally cashed: 40/2094 for $0.71 in WPD Freeroll after 2h 21m. First time I didn't punt early.

Free ways to improve that worked for me:
- **CardsChat threads**: Lurk "Learning Poker" daily

Hello poker fans,

I had to learn discipline at the poker table and played freerolls until I got to $100 before playing $1.00 buy-ins. My bankroll is at $400+ now and I am still playing $1 buy-in micros. The important thing is that I am not under pressure while playing and focus on making good decisions and going as deep as I can. After gaining a few dollars, I may take a stab at the ring table or higher buy-in tournaments but I always have a threshhold for my downswings before I go back to freerolls again or $1 buy-ins.

The 100 x buy-in rule is fine but set your downswing threshold to $5 then play freerolls until you build it up again. So with $55, I would play $0.50 tournaments and if I ever lose as much as $5 then I play freerolls until I am back to $55 again. During this time, take a critical look at your game and try to find your leaks and plug them.

The big wins will come as long as you work on improving your game. Be patient and do not let a big win get you into a false sense of greatness - poker is a game of percentages and probability. Find your most profitable game and stick to it. I like the Mystery Bounty Micro tournaments - give them a try if you play on 888Poker.

There are bad streaks all the time. As in any game, you will lose many more times than you will win.

As a new player its highly unlikely, you can beat the field in $55-109 MTTs. So you just got lucky and had some early success, which led you to overestimate your own skill level. What you need to do is to build up a track record and only attempt to move up, when your bankroll allow it. Depending on your financial situation you can start with a bankroll of anywhere from $100 to $500, and then you use the 100 x the buyin rule, which was mentioned already.

So if your bankroll is $100, you play $1 tournaments, and if its $500, you play anything up to $5 tournaments. Not satellites but regular tournaments. If you play SnGs, especially the single table type, you can reduce it to 50 x the buyin, so up to $2 SnGs with a $100 bankroll, and up to $10 SnGs with a $500 bankroll.

I would not recommend anything lower than $100 or higher than $500 as a starting bankroll. Lower than $100, you end up spending to much time grinding penny games or freerolls, which run the risk of you getting bored and abandoning the plan. Anything higher than $500 you begin with stakes, which you are unlikely to be able to beat without more practice and study.

If you are profitable in $5 tournaments, your bankroll will grow, and you will get to higher buyins soon enough. Poker is a marathon its not a sprint. Some very profitable players dont even attempt to move up all that much. Take this guy as an example. I play with him regularly in $5-10 SnGs.


As for free ways to improve you can start with our 30 day course:

Varela said:

@Manoukp87 Man I feel you. I had the opposite problem: 5 busto sessions straight before my first cash lol.

Last year you shipped a $55 and 3rd in $109 PKO via sats. That's not luck. You have the skill. Downswings happen even to Platinum guys here.

What saved me was 2 things I learned here on CardsChat for FREE:

1. **BRM from Aleksandr1991**: 100 buy-ins rule. You probably moved up too fast after that $109 run. I was playing $0.50 Spins with $1 bankroll until I read his post. Now I'm grinding freerolls until I have proper BRM.

2. **Patience from Kerasuss28**: "Stay 2+ hours" in MTTs. I was busting first 15min like a maniac. Yesterday I finally cashed: 40/2094 for $0.71 in WPD Freeroll after 2h 21m. First time I didn't punt early.

Free ways to improve that worked for me:
- **CardsChat threads**: Lurk "Learning Poker" daily

Click to expand...

That’s a lot to take in, but it makes sense, especially about my bankroll management. I realize now it hasn’t been solid, and I also don’t have clear rules for re-entries in MTTs.

I’m going to work on fixing that and start applying your advice. Thanks again for the guidance 🙏

u had a good run, now it´s gone standard stuff

Probably just on an extended bad/unlucky streak. Keep playing and just push through. ez game

redboy23 said:

Hello poker fans,

I had to learn discipline at the poker table and played freerolls until I got to $100 before playing $1.00 buy-ins. My bankroll is at $400+ now and I am still playing $1 buy-in micros. The important thing is that I am not under pressure while playing and focus on making good decisions and going as deep as I can. After gaining a few dollars, I may take a stab at the ring table or higher buy-in tournaments but I always have a threshhold for my downswings before I go back to freerolls again or $1 buy-ins.

The 100 x buy-in rule is fine but set your downswing threshold to $5 then play freerolls until you build it up again. So with $55, I would play $0.50 tournaments and if I ever lose as much as $5 then I play freerolls until I am back to $55 again. During this time, take a critical look at your game and try to find your leaks and plug them.

The big wins will come as long as you work on improving your game. Be patient and do not let a big win get you into a false sense of greatness - poker is a game of percentages and probability. Find your most profitable game and stick to it. I like the Mystery Bounty Micro tournaments - give them a try if you play on 888Poker.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, it really makes sense. For the higher stakes, I only play them when I qualify through satellites or use tickets won from freerolls I don’t buy in directly. I definitely see now that I need to work more on my bankroll management and set clearer rules.

As for Mystery Bounty, I’m not a big fan. The games take long, and I feel like many players are overly aggressive with weak hands, which sometimes puts me in tough spots even when I’m ahead. Because of that, I’ve mostly stopped playing them unless I satellite into the $2.20 or $3.30, and occasionally the $5.50 or $8.80.

I did take a shot at a $109 once but busted on the bubble.

Going forward, I’ll focus more on discipline, better BRM, and being more selective with my games. Thanks again for the insight

WrongUsername said:

u had a good run, now it´s gone standard stuff

Click to expand...

I’m still winning some low stakes, but not as consistently as I’d expect. The games I tend to do best in are the $2.20 Snap PKO and early $1 6 max PKOs.
Lately though, variance has been rough, and I keep falling short in the final satellite stages for the $55 or $109 PKOs.
I know part of it is variance, but I also feel like there are leaks I need to fix — especially in satellites and late stages. Any tips on adjusting for these spots?

seiya1989 said:

There are bad streaks all the time. As in any game, you will lose many more times than you will win.

Click to expand...

From my 888poker stats since last year, I’m still profitable (withdrawn more than deposited), just not as much as I’d like.
I want to turn poker into a full-time income, but consistency is the issue. Doing okay in low stakes, but variance has been rough and I keep missing in the final satellite stages for bigger events.
I know I need to improve my BRM and fix leaks, especially in satellites. Any advice on making that next step more consistent?

Poker is a cruel game that can make you feel like a strong winner when your not and can make a top professional question if they have lost there edge. You had a nice run but ask yourself this question. Am i really that good and skilled or was I running well? Most players take a few years to win at the lowest levels and in 3 years you were running with the big players. It is possible if you truly put in the time and work. Honestly look at your self and play. Really access your play. You can do it but you need to do it correctly. Get a small bankroll and then work your way up the latter. If you are good it will happen fast until you find out your true skill level. Than find coaching with you winnings. Good luck.

poker is a game of ups and downs wish u good luck

I've read that professional players are in the money around 15-20% of the time. That means they are only paid once out of every five or six games. If after an extended time of playing tournaments your own results are in the range you are doing okay.

For improving on a budget, focus on free study: watch YouTube channels (like BBZ Poker or Raise Your Edge free content), review your own hands regularly, and discuss tricky spots in poker forums or Discord groups. Even simple tools like equity calculators can sharpen your decisions.
For downswings, tighten your bankroll management (at least 100+ buy-ins for MTTs), drop down in stakes if needed, and judge yourself on decision quality not short-term results. Also, keep sessions shorter if tilt creeps in.
If you stay consistent with study and discipline, results usually follow.

I think you should keep playing, but stick to tournaments your bankroll can comfortably support. You could also mix in some freerolls to build your bankroll and experiment with your game.

For me, the key is to keep playing while managing your bankroll properly. If you stay consistent, you’ll improve without even noticing. Good luck!

@Manoukp87 Glad it helped bro 🙏 Re-entry rules saved me too.

My rule now: Only 1 re-entry max, and only if I have 100+ buy-ins for the stake. No more firing 3 bullets like a maniac lol.

@WrongUsername Thanks for jumping in. "Standard stuff" hits hard but it's true. Downswings feel personal until you realize even legends deal with them.

Manoukp87, what stake are you grinding now? If you drop to micros with strict BRM like Aleksandr1991 preaches, you'll rebuild faster than you think.

I just went from $1.21 to $0.02 yesterday playing $0.50 Spins without roll. Back to freerolls only until I hit $5. Painful lesson but necessary.

Keep me posted on your progress. We Bronze grinders have to stick together 💪

Manoukp87 said:

I want to turn poker into a full-time income, but consistency is the issue. Doing okay in low stakes, but variance has been rough and I keep missing in the final satellite stages for bigger events.

Click to expand...

If this is your plan, then one of the first steps is to stop playing satellites for "bigger events". You are not profitable in these "bigger events" yet, and if you are not bankrolled for the target tournament, then you are also not bankrolled for satellites into the target tournament. So almost per definition you are not managing your bankroll properly, when you play satellites, and this makes it way more difficult to get the bankroll growing. If you dont find enough tournaments on 888 Poker, which you are bankrolled for, then move to a bigger site like PokerStars or GG Poker and build up your bankroll there.

The same thing happened to me.on 888, Last year, things went very well — even too well. I managed to win several competitions and also collect some big cash prizes.

Then suddenly nothing worked anymore; I didn't win a single flip, and my pre-flop advantage always turned into a disadvantage on the river. After a long time, this became very frustrating. Now I don't even play as much; I start once or twice in major tournaments, but I feel like nothing has changed — at crucial moments I'm knocked out with AK, AA or QQ.

I even paid for a couple of courses; I feel that I have improved, but the results have not come. Mentally, I don't feel ready for the game. I feel when things are going well, it's easy to stay positive.

Be active on the hand analysis forum — I got a lot of help there; there are some really good players here! Persistence!

same here...looking for advice since my playstyle just passive. like fold and wait for good hand.

Downswings in MTTs are not an exception — they are the norm. They only feel unusual because people tend to remember wins more than long stretches of variance. Tournament poker is structured in a way where even correct decisions can go unrewarded for a long time, especially in PKOs and large-field events.
If you cannot afford a coach, the most effective resource is structured work away from the tables. Not “playing more,” but “reviewing better.”
First, the highest EV improvement comes from hand review. Not selective review of bad beats, but focused analysis of preflop decisions and push/fold spots (10–25BB). That is where most long-term leaks come from, not from coolers.
Second, structured learning is better than random content. Even one solid free source on MTT strategy (push/fold, ICM, bubble play, PKO dynamics) is more valuable than dozens of unstructured videos.
Third, discipline with volume and fatigue matters. In downswings, players often either overplay to recover losses or avoid playing altogether. Both hurt consistency. A stable, manageable schedule is key.
On the psychological side: downswings often distort perception, making recent results feel more important than past correct decisions. In these periods, it helps to rely on facts rather than feelings — were your decisions +EV, regardless of outcomes?
And finally, your past results (a $55 win, a $109 PKO top 3 via satellites) are not random. They indicate that you already understand tournament structure. The current issue is likely not ability, but rebuilding confidence and maintaining decision quality under result pressure.