I need help with my deadlift.

[Charis Mitsis]

Lately I've been making really good progress with my squat and bench press.I've been training these lifts 3 x week for a while and I seem to recover really well.
But my deadlift is a little stubborn.I recently upped the frequency to 2 x week (1 light(er) romanian/straight-legged deadlift session after my heavy squats and 1 heavy session).But that might have been a mistake.
My deadlift performance is not consistent at all;some days I feel strong and others I feel "like a pile of dead rats".Furthermore,I have an issue with my grip.The shitty commercial gym that I train at has barbells with terrible knurling and my fingers are relatively short,so sometimes I resort to using straps,even though I try to avoid them when I do heavy doubles,singles etc.
Would it be a mistake to cut the frequency down to 1 x week again?Also what can I do to strengthen my grip?(I'm using hook-grip).
All advice appreciated.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Read the book. Do the program.