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Server Time: 10/11/2008 5:48:51 AM PACIFIC |
 how/when will i be a consistent winner at hold'em?, AKQJ9, 25. Aug 2003 01:38 | ||
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| i've been playing hold'em for about a year now. about three months into my poker career i started playing in middle limit games (20/40). i was a consistent loser. lost thousands. i took a break from poker for about a month.... maybe 3 weeks. i analyzed my game and i saw the following weaknesses: 1. i played way too loose 2. i didn't fold enough, even when i was pretty sure i was beat 3. i didn't focus enough on reading hands 4. i didn't use the tool of deception correctly out of all these weaknesses i saw (and there are many more), the most important i believe is that i was way too loose. after my break from poker, i decided i will play significantly tighter. anyway, to make a long story short... last month, when i started playing again, i had a net gain of $14,000. i gained tremendous confidence. thought i was on my way to becoming a pro. then this month, i thought i was playing the same, but i lost $5000. went to a higher limit (40/80), which was a BIG mistake, and lost $5000 more! in the midst of this, i saw that so many of my premium hands (AA, KK, QQ, AK) were getting cracked! my tight game was not doing well at all. anyway, was last month just a aberration? is my tight/aggressive style, that made me 14g's last month, enough to make me a winning player? i know this a loooong post, but to all the pro's who read this... please, please, please, give me some words of advice and encouragement. ty | ||
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| Re: how/when will i be a consistent winner at hold'em?, 4 POKER, 25. Aug 2003 03:01 | ||
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| Hey AKQJ9, One of the "Key" things here are good money management skills. You must protect and cherish the bankroll that you "do" have or it isn't going to get any bigger, and you actually may lose it completely. (or at least temporarily if you currently are getting a paycheck). By that I mean..........playing poker is a long series of events with a lot of ups and downs, and your bankroll must be able to withstand those fluctuations to survive the test of time. But first comes a true knowledge and understanding of the game, and being able to apply all that you have learned in any game....whether it be a passive type game at a lower limit, or a more aggresive type game filled with some tougher competition at a much higher limit. Table selection is very important. So is the limit in which you chose to play at. But the real important thing to remember is that you should chose a game that is A) not going to have a devistating affect on your bankroll if you wind up losing several sessions in a row, because that would be putting way too much pressure on yourself and experiencing losses *will and can happen*.....it happens to everyone, even the pros. Losses are a part of poker, but if your bankroll is put in jeapordy, that may very well cause you to play slightly less than optimal poker. And B) you want to sit in games where you are far better than the players you will be bucking heads with, and that means that the skills and edges that you have are more than the ones of your opponents at hand. If they possess more of those things, you're not going to have much to rely on as you may get outplayed too often, and/or find yourself making incorrect calls as well. (just something to think about). But to be a consistent winner, you must have enough knowledge, good reading abilities (so you won't be paying someone off when you shouldn't be, etc.), and you must be able to take many things into factor and understand as to "why" you are entering a pot, why you are betting, raising, folding, etc.........and that comes with having a lot of experience AND it comes with having a really good "feel" over the people you play with. And IMO, having self-discipline is the KEY to survive and to be able to beat any one game ........and that means to have enough common sense and the strength to leave a game when you're just not at your best and/or playing the best game that you should be playing. Don't play, tired, "steaming", or any other way that will cause you to lose focus in the game. So if you're playing too loose, you have to ask yourself, Why? If you're paying off bets when you "know" it's not right, you have to ask yourself, Why? Why am I doing these things? Maybe your not yet disciplined enough to make those laydowns and/or it may be that you just don't have enough experience yet, and the poker knowledge that you do have at this moment needs to improve and expand. The game of Poker can take along time to fully understand because there are just so many variables, factors and nuances to it, that to expect it to just be a cut &dry type of game, and one that has only one set way to play it, would be misleading you. It's a situational type of game and before you really absorb all that that entails........you really have to put in a ton of hours so your own game will have a much better understanding to it all. But before you move up to a higher limt (unless that limit will have no bearing on your existing bankroll and/or your positive frame of mind).......my suggestion would be to start at a limit (whatever limit that may be), and put in the hours there, learn how to play the game to its best potential, start developing good poker habits, try to put your opponents on "hands", take notice to the pot odds and the implied odds that a pot is laying you, start entering pots with good starters and learn how to play and use your position in the game correctly; and you must be aware of the entire game/situation/and table texture before you make any one decision.........and plain and simple......."you just need more experience". There are too many "depends" when it comes to how you should play any one given hand, but if you can become more "aware" of your opponets tendencies and abilities.....with a combination of your own poker skills.......you may start to show and experience better results and ones that become clearer to you now as well. Keep playing......gain more experience.......it will make you stronger if you're "able" to apply it. If you play at a limit that is too high and you're just not ready yet, you can go broke in a week. And don't laugh because it could happen. Start slower my friend, and improve your skills first before stepping it up. Even if you chose to play $40-80 or whatever, and those players happen to be weak or bad players themselves, and they're not as compitent as you........you "still" are putting your bankroll at risk due to the short term luck factor that is prevelant in this game. (sorry for the long-winded reply.......hope it helps, anyway)......... Good luck to you. 4P- | ||
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| Re: how/when will i be a consistent winner at hold'em?, Swagman, 25. Aug 2003 03:32 | ||
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| Only wanted to add on more think. its a great thing that you have the money to play a 40/60 game, but if you cant beat it, then go to a lower level, and maybe give the money that you would have lost at playing a higher limit to charity or something. | ||
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| Re: how/when will i be a consistent winner at hold'em?, Roy Cooke, 25. Aug 2003 06:41 | ||
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| Hi No...If playing tight aggressive was all it took to win 14k a month...everyone would do it.....there are many factors that go into a great players poker game...You listed many of them yourself. 1. Mental and emotional strength 2. Play knowledge 3. A good understanding of statistics in regards to poker.. 4. Discipline 5. Good competitive skills (Focus, heart ect) 6. Good people skills to read hands effectively There is a LOT to know and become. Life is Good :-) Roy Cooke on 25. Aug 2003 01:38 AKQJ9 wrote: > i've been playing hold'em for about a year now. about three months into my > poker career i started playing in middle limit games (20/40). i was a > consistent loser. lost thousands. i took a break from poker for about a > month.... maybe 3 weeks. i analyzed my game and i saw the following > weaknesses: > 1. i played way too loose > 2. i didn't fold enough, even when i was pretty sure i was beat > 3. i didn't focus enough on reading hands > 4. i didn't use the tool of deception correctly > > out of all these weaknesses i saw (and there are many more), the most important > i believe is that i was way too loose. after my break from poker, i decided i > will play significantly tighter. > > anyway, to make a long story short... last month, when i started playing > again, i had a net gain of $14,000. i gained tremendous confidence. thought i > was on my way to becoming a pro. then this month, i thought i was playing the > same, but i lost $5000. went to a higher limit (40/80), which was a BIG > mistake, and lost $5000 more! > > in the midst of this, i saw that so many of my premium hands (AA, KK, QQ, AK) > were getting cracked! my tight game was not doing well at all. > > anyway, was last month just a aberration? is my tight/aggressive style, that > made me 14g's last month, enough to make me a winning player? > > i know this a loooong post, but to all the pro's who read this... please, > please, please, give me some words of advice and encouragement. > > ty | ||
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| Re: how/when will i be a consistent winner at hold'em?, grant pittman, 25. Aug 2003 07:08 | ||
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| AKQJ9 I will give you my advice but I won't "doctor it up" so you will feel better about your game. Sorry. Playing poker at a professional level is very tough . There is a lot to learn about the game and you really never stop learning. If there were a "poker course for experts" that was offered to all players it would be a benefit to most people BUT it wouldn't guarantee that you would be able to play for a living. This is true because knowledge, although it is the cornerstone to success in winning, is not enough to allow you to keep on winning. Factors like discipline,game selection,emotional control,proper spending habits,physical/mental conditioning and many many more come into the mix when determining who will KEEP ON WINNING. So to answer your question honestly, you are making efforts to improve and you are likely a much better player than you were 3 months ago. GOOD STUFF!!!! Keep on working on your game. I am doubtful whether you have plugged all the leaks since it is very difficult to go from sizable loss to big winner by just playing better.Likely luck has played a big role in determining these results since they are on the extreme side both ways. But let this be incentive for you to keep trying. I have never met you but I do know from experience that some people are not "made" to play this game on any sort of a professional level. Be honest with yourself and ask around to other pros who you know are PROVEN winners. See if you can envision yourself playing and living your life close to how they do. Good luck AKQJ9!!!! GRANT PITTMAN | ||
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