learning order

hi all
i thought poker (holdem) was a simple game ....
until i started to learn it.
the more i learn , the more complicated it becomes
like learning to play a musical instrument (i play guitar).
do any of you ever feel 'swamped' with information
is there any order to learn
ie; what to learn first
what to learn second etc.
or should you just play the game ?
with the guitar for example
when you practice you play scales,arpeggio's,
study music and generally try to improve your technical abilities.
but when you are at a gig you don't think about technique
at all,you just play.
same approach for poker ?????
best of luck to everybody

1) Pre-flop strategy
2) Estimating your equity
3) Deciding whether or not to bet/raise
3b) Deciding whether to call/fold (pot odds)
4) Table selection
5) Seat selection
6) Exploiting opponents mistake
7) Tilt control
8) Metagame
9) Hoodies, Ipods, sunglasses, card protectors, chip shuffling, etc..

"It depends" < lol What type of game are you playing? (cash tables, SNG, MTT..??).
For getting started (& for some who've played for awhile), reading Phil Gordon's "Little Green Book" is probably a good idea.
If nlhe Tournament Play is your preference pick up Vol.1 & 2 of "Harrinton On Holdem" (Tournament Play).

I would just play my game mainly,and apply what you learn a little at a time.This way you dont get info-overload.
From what you said about playin guitar,yes its alot like that.Don not try to learn everything in one day,or even a week,month....really its constantly learning and adapting to each game.,in my opinion.

I would try to learn as much as you can about every specific part of the game. Keep a notebook of what you have learned and separate it into specific categories. The more you read and learn the more you will see what you have to learn about. Learning something doesnt simply mean reading it and knowing it but truly understanding what, why, when and how to use it. You should review your notes every time before you play but when you are actually playing, dont focus on using what you have learned, only focus on the game in front of you. If while you are playing, a certain situation arises and you happen to remember what you have learned then by all means try it out. another thing you can do is go into a session intending on using a play or move and try to look for every situation where you can use it.

This

By is Check-Raising the Devil by Mike Matusow any good?

Before step one: Bankroll management. Understand about playing within your means.

Read lots in forums (this one is very good!). Search and ask questions. Capture hand histories and post them for analysis here. Listen.

But, mostly, this is a game and you should enjoy it and have fun.

All that stuff u and others said and then yes, just play... GL!!

I am still learning to deal with 3b and 7 and those are the 2 hardest things for me to do at this stage of my pokering. If I could only get my tilting under control I could be a very profitable player.

To answer the question of the OP:

I would say Bankroll Management, Tilt Control and learning odds would be of utmost importance to me. If you are a new player you should read as many books as you can. Try to take as much info in as possible and try to apply some of the techniques that you read - work them into your game as you learn them.

Managing our TILT factor really comes down to separating our emotions from our decision making process. When it's my turn to act, I usually ask myself, "What do I want to do here?" Once I get an answer, I dismiss it.

Then I ask myself, "What SHOULD I do here?"

When our "wants" start over riding our "shoulds" then it's time to take a walk...

I feel bankroll management takes top priority in poker, overcoming the temptation to play at higher stakes than the bankroll permits when your losing or bored is what is needed. Play at the right stakes and good luck.

I feel that the ability to control ypurself is the foundation of a good poker playing construct. If you can control yourself then you can learn all the additional stuff.

Take everything you've learned and then throw it out the window, so when it comes time to play it's embedded in your gut and it becomes more like a natural reaction as opposed to you sitting there debating over your lessons learned on what is the appropriate move to make. Again, when I say "throw it out the window" I don't mean disregard it, I mean let all that knowledge just kinda flow, don't over analyze or over think a situation, thats when I think you'll lose. But when you just kinda let everything you learned flow in a more relaxed way, you'll hit big! GL!

great replys
thanks all

Gday, I too have played both Poker and Guitar for over 20 years, id like to think im good at both, but, i havent made much money on either, yet. I cant do the gig scene anymore because of family commitments and physical issues as well, so there wont be anymore money coming from gigs.

Poker, unlike the guitar, can be learnt, practiced and mastered all-in-one. With this is I mean, you grad a chair, and put all the fudamentals of poker to work. These were so nicely pointed out by http://www.cardschat.com/members/double-a/ (http://www.cardschat.com/members/double-a/)

With the guitar though, you have learning/practice sessions by yourself, or with a tutor, then its off to a jam session, and thats all before the main event, which also has a rehearsal, and sound checks.

So what im basically tring to say is that as soon as you sit down at a poker table you are having to put all these things into place at the same time, so just by following the basic methods of poker, which DOUBLE A has tapped on, it will all evolve within itself.

just to clarify
i'm not a beginner
my BR is $192 from zero
mainly from freerolls and micro.
using basic abc poker (position,pot odds etc)
i just can't seem to progress beyond basic concepts
and apply it to my play.
I'm trying to get to grips with pot equity,fold equity,3 bets,icm,hand ranging etc.
but when i play i just seem to play the same way everytime.
i know enough to know there is something missing from my game.
ah well at least i'm not losing anything.
thanks for all replys
good luck all

Double, I am just starting to incorporate your methodology into my game and it's been very rewarding for me. With 2 months of online poker experience under my belt, I have yet to cash out on a freeroll but I am getting much better and coming a lot closer to finishing in the bubble. The question of should vs. want is a crucial one to mastering your game. Sometimes I chase turns and rivers because I want something to happen or I am hoping something will happen when I really should be folding. As I gain the strength to walk away, I last longer and save my chips for a better hand.

Thank you.

Wow, yw.

Most of us know what we "should" be doing. Our problem is, our behavior is more often influenced by what we "want" to do.

Our wants can expose us to randomness.

We'll never get rid of our desire to hit our draws. We're always going to want to win every pot that we enter. That's human nature, there's nothing wrong with it... except that it's only profitable "when we get lucky".

What we need to do, is set "making the most profitable decision" as our top priority. Wanting to "hit draws" is still on the list... it's just below "making the most profitable decision".

Once "making the most profitable decision" is our top priority we'll stop worrying about results and become more process oriented.

I'm rambling...

I realized that's exactly where I am in my game. I'm gaining control of my emotions and learning to fold hands like KK and AA when I know I don't have the nuts. Don't mean to be a pedantic posturer but I read what you wrote and went AHA!

I think he should read at least a book first.
Than BR management and tilt control.
To apply what you have learned from that book you need BR management (remember you are learning now and for that you need a strict br management so you have money to play and to applay what you have leaned). Than you need tilt control so that you do not loose you money when the little man inside your head goes crazy because of a bad beat or because of the bad hands you recive from time to time.
Than after experiencing a little poker you should start rereading and complete you knowledge with equity, odds, art of folding (this is i think the bigger part in the poker game that brings you the profit at the end of the day).
After you learned this i thinnk you will know what part of you game has leaks and start working on them.