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Server Time: 10/16/2008 12:02:21 AM PACIFIC |
 Another new guy stumbles in for aid, MA's Dad, 3. Nov 2003 11:44 | ||
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| Greetings. First off, thanks for the wonderful site and thanks to the many excellent forum contributors here. I found the forum a couple weeks ago and have been catching up on what can be found here and there. Now for the intro and questions: I have followed the familiar route from dealer's choice home games for years (not serious games, mind you) to 6 or 8 weeks of fake money play and one trip to a B&M casino. I have now been playing at pokerstars at the .25/.50 tables for approx. 2 weeks while ironing out the kinks in my game of which there are many. With my modest $100.00 bankroll, I was up $70 or so after what I thought was some solid play and a 1st and 2nd in the $5 SnGs. I assumed I would be moving up in limits in no time. Then, of course, reality reminded me I am not the next Lederer or Helmuth or Moneymaker. I hit some bad cards and took a $30 hit in a couple of days at the .25/.50 tables. Still playing too many marginal hands, sticking with cards to the river when I know my chances are slim to none, not giving up AA-QQ out of sheer stubborness, and a few other maladies that take patience and discipline for the new poker enthusiast (read: addict). I have read Jones (2 or 3 times) and picked up the original Sklansky Hold 'Em book and will get Hold 'Em for Advanced Players next. If I stick with it, which I plan to, I will work my way through many of the others mentioned here and elsewhere. I guess my question is (and thanks for waiting for it) how do I know if I suck? That is a little over-simplified, but the frustration and insecurity that bad runs lead to make me wonder. I know I just started and I intend to stick it out for entertainments sake at least. I just was wondering if there is some way to measure. BB/hr.? Does that really hold up in the lower limits. THe fact that you are not broke after a month seems positive. Keeping that "Hands Played" % down is what is driving me to improve right now. How many hands should I play before I get a good idea? 5,000, 10,000. Sorry if this is all a bit jumbled and thanks in advance for taking the time. | ||
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| Re: Another new guy stumbles in for aid, Flatout_Mainiac, 3. Nov 2003 13:40 | ||
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| Just the fact that you recognize possible problems in your game and that you are out there learning and asking about the game is proof that you don't suck. To try to answer your question. Yes, BB/hr. is a decent way to calculate your win rate. Over the long term i guess you can correlate that into how well you play...or don't play (Maybe we can call a -BB/hr your "how much you suck rate"). Over the short term...which is the area you are in right now you cannot really be used BB/hr as a decent indication of how well you are playing as luck will be a big factor in that rate. With regards to losing and winning sessions. Some days it just doesn't matter how well you play, you are going to walk away from the table with less money than you came there with. Also, somedays it just doesn't matter how bad you play, you are going to walk away from the table with more money than you came with. Don't only focus on what you did right and wrong when you lose, focus on it when you win. If you keep on learning and asking questions and working on your game, the chips will fall your way more often than not in the long term. I wouldn't get overly worked up about "hands played"% while you are playing. Having played 17% of your hands one night may or may not be better than playing 29% another night. It all depends on texture of the table and luck. If you instead focus in on learning the importance of position and table texture and how that affects you starting requirements then your "hand playing" % will work itself out. As a side note...if you are alot higher than 30% (and even that is high for a session) then you should really review HEFAP's chapter on Starting Hands or even Lee Jones chapter on pre-flop play and work on tightening up a bit. Good luck | ||
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| Re: Another new guy stumbles in for aid, MA's Dad, 3. Nov 2003 17:09 | ||
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| Thanks Mainiac. I do realize a lot of these questions will work themselves out as I play and read and play and re-read and analyze and play....I guess part of my question was wondering how different folks gauge their successes or losses while playing. Reading these stories of people who started with a nickel and turned it into $1,000 and then reading all about bad beats, maniac bettors, and miserable runs of luck made me curious as to whether there are any folks in the middle. I guess most of us are the ones in the middle and those stories simply do not make for interesting message board posts. Thanks again and good luck to you as well. | ||
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| Re: Another new guy stumbles in for aid, Flatout_Mainiac, 4. Nov 2003 06:26 | ||
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| Personally, I gauge my progress on playing the best I can play every hand. If I do that i should see positive results. If I take a bad loss or even win a nice pot on a hand I think about how and if I could of played the hand any better. I think about things like; did I get the most value for my hand, was there any reads I miss that could have saved me some bets, any so on. If I feel that I did play the best I could given the situation, I am happy with it no matter what the results. If I am unsure if I play the hand well or not then I refer to books or post the hand here and get advice. You are right, great victories and bad beats make nice stories and take up a good portion of the topics when poker is discussed. But the guys who consitantly win at this game win it during the other 90% of hands and plays that barely even get noticed. | ||
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