JonathanAReth Comes Clean

This Fish Chums

This Fish Chums

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I've posted a lot of suggestions in the learning forums, so I thought I'd "come clean" about my own playing skills to avoid anyone mistaking me for an expert.

First, you can look me up on sharkscope and see that my profits on poker are non-existent. Just look for my name on ACR (JonathanAReth) and on intertops I go by JonathanARet (stupid character limitations). I do have a sob story from when I used to play on bodog/Bovada/ignition, but I'm not going to tell it.

The purpose of this post is to expose that I'm not some awe-inspiring type of player. My suggestions are things I see other people do, or even get lucky and do myself, that I can sit there and say, "Hey, that would be a great idea if it works." And then I see it work, so I make a note of it.

So, if I dare to make so many suggestions, why am I not a pro? Well, several main reasons which I am aware of, but cannot seem to overcome.

First, I don't play math poker. I hate math and I love poker, so why would I combine the two? I might as well just stop playing at that point. I would rather be a mediocre poker player having fun than a math expert winning money.

Second, I have a massive bankroll management problem. When I have $25 I want to gamble $25. I don't want to grind it out in the .01/.02 tables, I want to jump up to the .25/.50 tables. I like gambling, but only on poker. slots do nothing for me.

Finally, I have a huge, "do as I say, not as I do" problem. I can identify ways to win at poker, but when it comes time to incorporate them into my own game I get a kick in the head and just go do what's fun instead.

So, if this makes you not want to read my posts, then that's fine, you can even bash my posts if you want. I'd like to know what I'm getting wrong. But if you still want to read my posts, then just pick and choose what will work for you and avoid trying to incorporate things that sound a little off compared to your playing style. Remember, it is better to be doing what you know than to pretend to know what you are doing.
 
WhereDidMyEVGo

WhereDidMyEVGo

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I want to hear the sob story.
 
This Fish Chums

This Fish Chums

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It involves Christmas, a near divorce and a donkey. I don't want to get into it.
 
WhereDidMyEVGo

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Now I want to hear it more.
 
LumeBStackin

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You're posts seem solid in my opinion. What provoked you to post this?

Also, I want to hear that other story too! What a tease. A donkey!!!??????
 
This Fish Chums

This Fish Chums

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I just felt if people were listening to my advice they deserved to know where my game stands at the moment.
 
ZenGreen

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hmmm..and now Ive based all my poker decisions around your posts..just wish I would of had this information then. funny though, my sharkscope looks like yours. so your teachings are working!!
 
Robochick

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It involves Christmas, a near divorce and a donkey. I don't want to get into it.
Now we're going to use those elements to create our own narrative. I think I am going to add a nutcracker.
 
PHX

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I have read some of your posts they are very well put together and have some great information in it.

Your posts should be judged on their content and not how successful your experiences have been.


Something to keep in mind - the great players usuualy have bad bankroll management skills.


Just keep grinding my friend.
 
dj11

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Add more humor and you'll be a hit.;)
 
Robochick

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Ah, there you go. Just a bad poker player.
I liked it better when I thought it was a hoofed animal donkey. I had a whole scene in my head involving the nativity and a stolen baby Jesus!:)
 
WhereDidMyEVGo

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I liked it better when I thought it was a hoofed animal donkey. I had a whole scene in my head involving the nativity and a stolen baby Jesus!:)
Yea, still waiting patiently to hear the story but a bit disappointed it doesn't involve an actual donkey.
 
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@JonathanAReth, It takes a lot of courage to post what you did. I would say most post on CC are just educated opinions. Results only matter in the long run. There are tons of pros that almost didn't make it after losing so much (read about Doug Polk's story). There are pros that are really bad, but had a string of good runs.

On another note, what do you do for a living, do you play live poker, and what type of studying do you do?
 
This Fish Chums

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@JonathanAReth, It takes a lot of courage to post what you did. I would say most post on CC are just educated opinions. Results only matter in the long run. There are tons of pros that almost didn't make it after losing so much (read about Doug Polk's story). There are pros that are really bad, but had a string of good runs.

On another note, what do you do for a living, do you play live poker, and what type of studying do you do?

Well, I test software tester for a living, I play live whenever possible, and, embarrassingly enough, everything I've learned has been through trial and error over the past . . . dear God it's been 20+ years and I haven't gone pro yet.
Like I said below, I just play for fun, but that hasn't stopped me from learning a lot of things over the years. I guess you could say I learn the most by studying my results and the results of what does and does not work for other players.
 
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ekgbeat

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embarrassingly enough, everything I've learned has been through trial and error over the past . . . dear God it's been 20+ years and I haven't gone pro yet.

That is not embarrassing at all. The only way to learn is to play, analyze your play against different opponent types, and and plug the leaks that you find.


I guess another question for you is do you want to play poker as your full time job? You inspired me to start a thread to see what type of poker players are on CC. I would think that 70% of us are recreational players (myself included), but I like data so I started a poll. The link is in my signature so feel free to drop by the thread to vote, and or leave a comment. Keep up the hard work, it will pay off.
 
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I liked it better when I thought it was a hoofed animal donkey. I had a whole scene in my head involving the nativity and a stolen baby Jesus!:)



Haha yeah I thought this was going to be some Xmas nativity stunt gone wrong involving a donkey!
 
This Fish Chums

This Fish Chums

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I guess another question for you is do you want to play poker as your full time job?

Yeah, I wish I could play poker as a full time job, or even an every day part-time job where I could maintain or increase a bankroll. But like I said, I have shortcomings that I know what they are and just can't seem to overcome them. So for now, I'm relegated to playing freerolls.

Although a few weeks ago I did win a ticket into the MDS. Lasted a few hours in it too, but didn't cash.
 
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ekgbeat

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Yeah, I wish I could play poker as a full time job, or even an every day part-time job where I could maintain or increase a bankroll. But like I said, I have shortcomings that I know what they are and just can't seem to overcome them. So for now, I'm relegated to playing freerolls.

Although a few weeks ago I did win a ticket into the MDS. Lasted a few hours in it too, but didn't cash.



It takes a lot to win one of those MDS tickets, so congrats. Have you ever thought about trying to be a live poker pro? It might be easier than online.
 
This Fish Chums

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Like many people, I don't have enough of a bankroll to be playing live. And by that I mean I have a family I support and no money for live play. Maybe someday though.
 
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ekgbeat

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Like many people, I don't have enough of a bankroll to be playing live. And by that I mean I have a family I support and no money for live play. Maybe someday though.


Yeah, I hear you there. I would save up a buy in or half a buy in over XX number of months, and just take a shot at the 1/3 game. I know that it's not proper BRM, but it is just a start. Might give it a try if you can, if not, then I'll see you in the freeroll streets :) BTW, I was able to get the poll thread made linked below. Feel free to stop in and talk about your journey, or any pointers that you want. I hope to get a mix of players in there to throw around different ideas.
 
okeedokalee

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We are all probably as good as our ability to avoid bad beats.
You can all play magnificent poker only to be slaughtered by some fish sucking out on you.
 
8bod8

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hi, appreciate your contributions a lot, thanks!

tip: when you write/tell about what you don't want to share, you get exposed to negative comments, jokes at best.
 
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