In practice mode your bets don’t appear in the exchange so other people do not react to them, also its impossible to make the matching process in practice mode 100% accurate.
This is why its always advised to only use practice mode for testing tools and features and for when editing rules files.
Once you know they are triggering correctly you should not be trying to test the strategy in practice mode, instead you should be moving into live mode with small stakes for testing.
Also, if you are somewhere around breakeven or just below after 12-18mths you should consider yourself as doing very well, you will have managed something only a few percent of those who try trading manage to achieve
