J
jmill
Rock Star
Silver Level
I started some years ago on yahoo in their games section they have poker. Not for real money of course, but it was enough to get me interested and learn more.
lektrikguy
Legend
Silver Level
I started playing poker with my Grandma an Grandpa and my aunt when I was about 7. We played 5 card draw,7 card stud, and lowball. My aunt started me on hold em about 7 years ago, then I started playing with friends about 2 years ago in a monthly game. I then signed up on FT because that's where they all played.
greenokom
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Began two years ago, As part of my job I travel abroad with a few colleagues for a month once a year. In our free time we play poker and in fact I learned there the game. After the first trip I went home and I was readed in the internet about poker.
kmixer
Legend
Silver Level
I don't see the problem here. Eventually you will have 2 pair when they have three of a kind right?
MrPokerVerse
Legend
Bronze Level
Here is an excerpt from a letter that was sent to a poker site for a contest they ran to stake players:
Have been playing poker for over 35 years. My dad taught my brother and I stud and draw at the kitchen table, while giving us a lesson in gambling unbeknown to us. We were in Jr High, both with paper routes. We were able to win a few hands to have our eyes light up to "easy money". By the end of the evening my dad had collected funds from the route which was due the next day.
Didn't sleep at all that night, thinking about the payment due to the newspaper. In the morning my dad returned all the money with a short but sweet piece of advice about gambling. That lesson has been as strong now as it was that morning.
Have been playing Texas Hold'em online for 5 years now. Ironically it was my two sons’s who brought me to this type of poker due to the television coverage. First few years were played with free chips at party poker. After playing an 8 hour tournament to place in first and a screen shot to show for it, then decided it was time to play for real money.
I have had moderate success, have read and studied most aspects of the game. I belong to few poker communities and actively participate on those sites. My goal would be to be able to play live in tournaments and to be profitable at playing poker.
Have been playing poker for over 35 years. My dad taught my brother and I stud and draw at the kitchen table, while giving us a lesson in gambling unbeknown to us. We were in Jr High, both with paper routes. We were able to win a few hands to have our eyes light up to "easy money". By the end of the evening my dad had collected funds from the route which was due the next day.
Didn't sleep at all that night, thinking about the payment due to the newspaper. In the morning my dad returned all the money with a short but sweet piece of advice about gambling. That lesson has been as strong now as it was that morning.
Have been playing Texas Hold'em online for 5 years now. Ironically it was my two sons’s who brought me to this type of poker due to the television coverage. First few years were played with free chips at party poker. After playing an 8 hour tournament to place in first and a screen shot to show for it, then decided it was time to play for real money.
I have had moderate success, have read and studied most aspects of the game. I belong to few poker communities and actively participate on those sites. My goal would be to be able to play live in tournaments and to be profitable at playing poker.
doops
Visionary
Silver Level
Still learning.
Back when I knew nothing, I started by reading beginner poker books and playing Hoyle's computer poker. Then, once I had some of the basics, I went online and started finding out how fast I could lose money knowing only the basics. I've now read quite a few poker books, a ton of blogs, watched a lot of videos...and played a ton.
Eventually, I learned about bankroll management, and lose it slower.
I have a sense of which game formats are best for me (SNGs!), but I love MTTs --which are not a consistent money-maker for me. Good thing I am playing as much for fun as money...
Back when I knew nothing, I started by reading beginner poker books and playing Hoyle's computer poker. Then, once I had some of the basics, I went online and started finding out how fast I could lose money knowing only the basics. I've now read quite a few poker books, a ton of blogs, watched a lot of videos...and played a ton.
Eventually, I learned about bankroll management, and lose it slower.
I have a sense of which game formats are best for me (SNGs!), but I love MTTs --which are not a consistent money-maker for me. Good thing I am playing as much for fun as money...
A
akcash
Rock Star
Silver Level
played alot in college. we played like 30 person tourneys in a buddys attic. he had like 6 poker tables and lights everywhere. played in a 30 person tournament got 2nd. got my stack crippled with AT against 87. i felt i was a pretty good intuitive player in tournaments. I didn't know just about all of the fundamentals of poker besides slowplaying and bluffing. But in the last year i've been reading books and building a foundation playing online. im hoping to become a winning sit n go player at the mid-high stakes. Then play some live events.
A
AntiKhrist
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I started out playing any card game I could find. Started playing hold 'em at my fiance's brother's house. Played every Tuesday for about 2 years. I actually played about 3-4 times a week during that period. Started buying books every time I would win. I suggest doing that, it's like getting them for free!
NoWuckingFurries
Legend
Silver Level
I find books work really well for me, but we're all different. Just because books haven't worked too well for you so far does not necessarily imply that it is the same for everyone else.
Poker Orifice
FoolsTilt
Platinum Level
I already posted above about 'how I learned'... but how I got started is a bit different from that (after reading alot of responses about how members first got started).
I began playing poker at ~ 4 or 5yrs. of age. I was the youngest of 5, & had a natural gift for Math & stuff like 'chess'. My entire family would play poker fairly often, ie. always after Sunday dinners, while visiting my great grandmother (yah, she'd play too,.. right up til 90+yrs. of age), etc. I was also very competitive (partially due to being the youngest of 5).
By the age of 10 a group of friends were playing regularly. We'd play mostly Stud (& variations of it) but also stuff like stooker & guts, etc. Age 12-15 we'd often play alot (at least a couple/few times per week).
I quit playing by around age 21 -22, took a fair-sized loss late on a NewYear's Eve, losing ~$5,000 in about 20mins. hu stud.
I didn't play again until just a few years ago (20+ yrs. later).
I got started up again one night when watching my partner play 'Pogo'. She said I might want to check out some of the games on there. I didn't think I'd be interested because I don't play or like video games. She said, "Well, there's 'hearts', 'chess', & other card games on here too." I asked, "What about poker? Do they have poker?" She said, "Yes, but what a dumb game, who'd ever want to play that?"
I gave it a shot and won a ton of tokens for her, more than she'd ever won in the games she'd been playing on there. As I racked up more & more tokens, it sparked her interest.. "you mean there's more than just dumb luck to this game?"
That was the start of it, lol.
Watching a bit of poker on tv, seeing ALOT of ads. for a few of the sites... I decided I'd make a couple of deposits & check it out but promised myself I'd never play anything above $1.
First game I played was at 10:30pm PT, $1 mtt, 'The Ferguson'. There were around 900 entrants in it. Around 5 1/2 hrs. later I was headsup on the final table, got it in with AJ < KT, took 2nd and was a bit bummed because I thought I won nothing... that was until the little window popped up and said I'd just won $114.00... too ez. I'm in!!!
Woke the girlfriend up, (actually had woken her up on the couch at every break, telling her, "Im still in this!".. not sure if she heard me or not, lol), and told her, "Hey, I took 2nd place & just won $114.00!!". She was playing the very next day, lol.
Started playing micros, but mixed it up a bunch, playing all sorts of different stuff (not what I'd recommed doing at all btw). Then discovered some private freerolls/forums and on some days/weeks I'd go into freeroll mania and just play a TON of them.. other days/weeks it'd be the micros, $1 sng, $2 18plyr. $3 tourney, $10 tourney, etc. I did a TON of reading and managed to stay as a marginally winning player. After a bit I was a marginally 'losing' player.. but with the freeroll cashes thrown in my banrkoll always stayed ahead of how much I'd deposited.
My freeroll mania pretty much shut down after taking 1st place in two railnerd freerolls on the very same day (June'08), one on Fulltilt & the other on Stars.
After that... more reading, more books, poker training vids., etc. I got more hooked on reading up on & studying the game then actually playing it... probably spending 60%+ of my time on studying/reviewing, railing & talking to others and 40%- playing poker.
THen (yah.... this story is getting long.. but honestly this is the short version of it, lol)... I got into playing one format at a time... ie. I'd decided it'd be Fullring Cash tables for awhile & played a bunch on Doyles (also throwing in the odd tourney... & occassionally some freeroll mania). Then it was 6max... read more about that, read/study Ryan Fees 6max Strategy Guide, etc. Didn't get into that for too long as I still preferred MTT's.
Then it was 9plyr. SNG, studied that a bunch, more reading, joined forums where sng players hung out, study, study, study, play a bunch & study some more.
Got bored with that so it was back to MTT's.... 'wash, rinse, repeat'.
That kinda sums it up (in the short version form, lol).
I began playing poker at ~ 4 or 5yrs. of age. I was the youngest of 5, & had a natural gift for Math & stuff like 'chess'. My entire family would play poker fairly often, ie. always after Sunday dinners, while visiting my great grandmother (yah, she'd play too,.. right up til 90+yrs. of age), etc. I was also very competitive (partially due to being the youngest of 5).
By the age of 10 a group of friends were playing regularly. We'd play mostly Stud (& variations of it) but also stuff like stooker & guts, etc. Age 12-15 we'd often play alot (at least a couple/few times per week).
I quit playing by around age 21 -22, took a fair-sized loss late on a NewYear's Eve, losing ~$5,000 in about 20mins. hu stud.
I didn't play again until just a few years ago (20+ yrs. later).
I got started up again one night when watching my partner play 'Pogo'. She said I might want to check out some of the games on there. I didn't think I'd be interested because I don't play or like video games. She said, "Well, there's 'hearts', 'chess', & other card games on here too." I asked, "What about poker? Do they have poker?" She said, "Yes, but what a dumb game, who'd ever want to play that?"
I gave it a shot and won a ton of tokens for her, more than she'd ever won in the games she'd been playing on there. As I racked up more & more tokens, it sparked her interest.. "you mean there's more than just dumb luck to this game?"
That was the start of it, lol.
Watching a bit of poker on tv, seeing ALOT of ads. for a few of the sites... I decided I'd make a couple of deposits & check it out but promised myself I'd never play anything above $1.
First game I played was at 10:30pm PT, $1 mtt, 'The Ferguson'. There were around 900 entrants in it. Around 5 1/2 hrs. later I was headsup on the final table, got it in with AJ < KT, took 2nd and was a bit bummed because I thought I won nothing... that was until the little window popped up and said I'd just won $114.00... too ez. I'm in!!!
Woke the girlfriend up, (actually had woken her up on the couch at every break, telling her, "Im still in this!".. not sure if she heard me or not, lol), and told her, "Hey, I took 2nd place & just won $114.00!!". She was playing the very next day, lol.
Started playing micros, but mixed it up a bunch, playing all sorts of different stuff (not what I'd recommed doing at all btw). Then discovered some private freerolls/forums and on some days/weeks I'd go into freeroll mania and just play a TON of them.. other days/weeks it'd be the micros, $1 sng, $2 18plyr. $3 tourney, $10 tourney, etc. I did a TON of reading and managed to stay as a marginally winning player. After a bit I was a marginally 'losing' player.. but with the freeroll cashes thrown in my banrkoll always stayed ahead of how much I'd deposited.
My freeroll mania pretty much shut down after taking 1st place in two railnerd freerolls on the very same day (June'08), one on Fulltilt & the other on Stars.
After that... more reading, more books, poker training vids., etc. I got more hooked on reading up on & studying the game then actually playing it... probably spending 60%+ of my time on studying/reviewing, railing & talking to others and 40%- playing poker.
THen (yah.... this story is getting long.. but honestly this is the short version of it, lol)... I got into playing one format at a time... ie. I'd decided it'd be Fullring Cash tables for awhile & played a bunch on Doyles (also throwing in the odd tourney... & occassionally some freeroll mania). Then it was 6max... read more about that, read/study Ryan Fees 6max Strategy Guide, etc. Didn't get into that for too long as I still preferred MTT's.
Then it was 9plyr. SNG, studied that a bunch, more reading, joined forums where sng players hung out, study, study, study, play a bunch & study some more.
Got bored with that so it was back to MTT's.... 'wash, rinse, repeat'.
That kinda sums it up (in the short version form, lol).
NCfoldem
Rock Star
Silver Level
I downloaded pokerstars II about 4 years ago. I didn't even know the rules before then.
PLAYINBIG
Legend
Silver Level
I first started playing poker for fun with my dad as a kid is how I got interested.When I was a teenager I used to work in a grocery store & after work on the weekends a friend I worked with would have home games of poker.My friends & I would all go over there to play poker.Thats were I first started to learn poker.The top games then were 7 card stud and 5 card draw.I never had played Texas holdem until I was in my early 30's.I first learned Texas Holdem on the internet after tons of beatings from experienced players.I will always remember my first tournament win on online poker. It finally broke the ice for me.Give me more confidence & I began to get better from that point.Now I play live and online.Love the game.
PLAYINBIG
Legend
Silver Level
Well the game I understand the basics.The players I'll prob never understand.