i am a fish!

coolDadJimbo

coolDadJimbo

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salutations

i was introduced to texas holdem about a year ago... i messed around with play money off and on for awhile and then decided to play some real money. probably too soon as, with hindsight, i really didn't know anything.. i was considering it cheap entertainment with the occasional thrill of placing ITM... i wasn't too concerned with ROI, as i realized i was learning and learning has a cost... i play mostly low stakes games and play just to improve my game and table reading abilities... i play various games

i started in june 2014, but really didn't start studying the game until late november.... i'm into the 3rd Harrington book and have a few others to read.... i've also found some good resources on u-tube, and this great forum has become a daily visit... i know the language and have a grasp on most of the math... i realize i need some work on other aspects

so, i've learned a bunch and was interested in my stats... so, i checked out a few sites and, WOW, i am a fish!!!

i'm really not surprised, but the label still stings a bit... my goal is to turn that downslope in my graph to an upslope!!! i don't consider myself a fish in the stereotypical sense of calling with bad hands/draws, raising with crap, an inability to fold, etc etc.... just a newb with stats that reflect my inexperieince

anyways, i do feel i have improved recently and will work more at my game.... one of the things that the stats helped me with was identifying games where i was successful.... there are some games where my ROI is very close to being positive.... so, my plan is to return to these games and continue to study...

Daniel N says to list your poker goals, so here they are:
- stick with the games where i've had success
- increase the amount of study time
- find a poker buddy to chat with
- review more hands
- stay away from zoom and spin-and-go
- remove the little "fish" icon on my stats page by turning my graph upwards

are there any other former fish out there with comments on how they crawled onto land?

thanks
 
NoWuckingFurries

NoWuckingFurries

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- remove the little "fish" icon on my stats page by turning my graph upwards

Welcome :)

I wouldn't worry too much about that one, certain types of tournament (such as rebuys) might cause the fish icon to appear, but the others sound like good goals.

The most useful thing that I found here was hand analsysis, but they can be quite demanding in the amount of information that they want you to provide.

That's because poker isn't just about a standard set of rules for what to do with a given hand, it's often more about the other players and the exact situation that you're in.

Sadly I'm still a fish, but hopefully less of one due to some of the great advice that I received from the lovely people here :)
 
AlfieAA

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Good luck cooldadjimbo....we were all fish to start with...I still am :D

Having a poker buddy is a good one..if you want to chat poker then you can add me on skype if you like...id is alfiey7

Keep posting and asking questions on here though and you will learn alot :)
 
Marcwantstowin

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Good luck cooldadjimbo....we were all fish to start with...I still am :D

Having a poker buddy is a good one..if you want to chat poker then you can add me on skype if you like...id is alfiey7

Keep posting and asking questions on here though and you will learn alot :)


Nice post Alfie. I totally agree that in the beginning we are all fish. I still am too!!

Cooldad - You will find a lot of helpful people on here and whats more their help is free! Take advantage of that and it is good to talk, so I would take Alfie up on his offer as you can both learn to swim and eventually dry off together (haha)- gl all..............:D:D:D
 
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I wouldn't worry about the fish label, as everyone plays like that when they are first starting. You have a HUGE advantage, in that with your approach, I think your learning curve will be very short, and you will pick up on the fundamentals of the game very quickly. I believe in a short time you will be a decent player, who won't make most fish mistakes.
You will also have one VERY BIG ADVANTAGE, in that players who have previously played with you, will have labelled you as a fish. Use this to your advantage. Since they expect you to play like a fish, you can turn the tables on them and win huge pots with good hands, as your opponents will expect you to be calling with poor hands.
 
John A

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Welcome to Cardschat. This is honestly the best poker forum on the internet. I've been on them all. You're welcome to join our study group. There's a free poker ebook of mine you can get that should help you get adjusted to online play as well:

https://www.cardschat.com/forum/cash-games-11/polished-poker-vol-i-study-group-227214//index45.html

If you put the work in and stay positive, you'll do great.
 
dopeddrgn

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Hi Cool Dad, I have played you on 2NL zoom and yes I have tagged you as a fish. No offense. I started playing zoom in October with 40$ and have almost 360$ , grinding my way to 5NL. I would be happy to help you get to TAG status. Feel free to consider me a buddy. I would love to share my winning 2NL zoom strategy with someone eager to learn.
 
PapaC

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Hi coolDadJimbo and welcome to Cardschat. Can I first ask you if you are or working toward being a member of the Freeroll Club here. If not you should work your way to that goal. It has helped me so much just to play with these members and it has not cost me a dime. Also thought I would leave you two links that might help, but first of all you have to stop thinking of yourself other than a beginner trying to learn the game and get at a level where it won't hurt you so much if you do lose a $

https://www.cardschat.com/forum/learning-poker-57/sun-tzus-art-war-applied-poker-249276/

http://www.poker1.com/archives/33150/mike-caro-poker-word-is-stop

I really hope these my help you some. They have me, and they were given to me right here.
 
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I was around at one of my friends houses recently ( he only has one house btw) and he was playing a $10 ish SNG on partypoker. He wandered off while the game was playing and told me to just keep folding until he got back (Fish indication #1). I did as told. When he got back the first hand was AA so he raised (can't remember how much but it was reasonable) the flop came three hearts and neither A he had was a heart. He did a pot sized bet (about 3/4 his stack) and BB shoved all in. BB had K high flush and my mate said "Bad beaten again on AA"(Fish indication #2). On talking to him about poker he believes it all to be about luck (Fish indication #3)and that "any 2 cards can win"(Fish indication #4 etc...) . I've tried to explain to him about EV and stuff but he won't have any of it. The weird thing about this is that when he was made redundant he was talking about going pro. Now, if you've read what I've just typed then you will see that my friend is a true fish and the fact that you are on here in the first place reduces the fishiness within you by a large amount. Keep on studying and you'll soon get there. Good luck (LOL after I've just slated luck)
 
dopeddrgn

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Hi again Cool Dad, I took the liberty to check the samples I have on you and there are some interesting things to note. If you like I am on Skype as "Rigmasher", we can discuss.
 
solargarlic

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I can be fishy as well

I have been and am a fish at times but I try to use that in my arsenal of weapons to win. It doesn't always work and sometimes it fails miserably but when it does work I find it can be an asset. Nothing seems to tilt an opponent more than a "fish" doing well so I roll with it. Then in later rounds after I have accumulated a stack I with play tighter throwing them off their game. I like to put players off kilter they play worse then. I guess what I am saying is the title doesn't have to be a blemish you can wear it as a badge of honor if done properly.
 
PapaC

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Make sure what these people say. I have learned so much from them I dont have space enough her to type it all.
 
12551255

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Sometimes players are listed as a fish when they are not aggressive enough. Maybe you don't bet or just call when you have a good hand. A lot of new players won't bet unless they have the nuts or will make 1 bet then shut down if they get a call. If this is you, don't be scared to lose hand.
 
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you have the right mind set OP, and that is all you need to learn, when you realise your weaknesses you can correct them. and you already realisey our weaknesses so you are ahead of alot of players just for that. and in poker there is always something new to learn no matter how good you get there is always someone better. I think CC is a great place to learn and the short time I have been here I have learned alot.. poker is the deffinition of easy to learn, but hard to master.
 
PapaC

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"Poker is the deffinition of easy to learn, but hard to master" said carsguitars. Now that makes more sense to me than a a lot of things. Well I am 55 and kind of set in my ways. But this tells me to get off my chips and do something every day to better your game. Can't always improve playing 12 hours a day. I'm down to about 6 unless I drink 6 then I my go on a all night'er. I think there is something else said here too. Maybe the very first thing a player should learn is to protect their money. LOLOLOL
 
coolDadJimbo

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wow.... some great replies!!

thanks a lot guys!

dopeddrgn, i do recognize your name..... funny....

i don't have skype.... currently.....

is there another way we could chat... could you PM me.... i'm interested in your observations....
 
dopeddrgn

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Hi Cool Dad, I need to post more before I can PM. Can email me too ddrgn@hotmail.com
 
Poker Orifice

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whereabouts in canada do you live?
 
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Brian11580

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I am a fish at times too, I have a problem with doin it in my end game, an being real tight at the start of my game
 
coolDadJimbo

coolDadJimbo

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i'm in winnipeg....

GoJetsGo!
 
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braveboat

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"Poker is the deffinition of easy to learn, but hard to master" said carsguitars.

Well said, PapaC. Learning the rules of the game is Step 1. You can master this in a few days. Learning how the game plays is Step 2. You can master this in a week, or two. Learning Strategy is Step 3. You'll spend the rest of your life on this step, if you're wise...
 
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tavolira

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everybody starts being a fish, too the pros
 
2Pacavelli

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''- stay away from zoom and spin-and-go''

why stay away?
I like the tournaments zoom , gives much fish and you can play more hands than in a normal tournament , I see no reason to avoid
 
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My advice would be go out there and watch what the people who are winning without showing their cards are doing.. Then go online and watch videos of the pros how they play... Your play style or who you are as a poker player can only be shaped threw time of playing the game and starting to understand different levels of it.. If you can not get past playing your cards.. Hey go ahead and do that if you are looking for fun.. Otherwise understanding the basics of position playing and bet sizing.. How to spot a player only playing cards so on.. It takes a lot of hours logged to get it.. If you never do and get mad about losing.. Try something else!! Good luck!!
 
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Being a fish is relative. At some tables, it's all fish and I'm the shark. At other tables, I'm the fish. I'll go fish hunting and find them on $5/$10, no joke.

What's important is that you:

a) have your fundamental down as much as possible. This isn't strictly easy. ABC poker you can learn in about a day. But all the standard lines, board textures, assigning ranges, narrowing ranges, combinatorics, meta game considerations, bet sizing.... it's a lot. Learning this like: what does a donk bet usually mean on a dry board? what does a donk bet usually mean on a wet board? what does it most likely mean to your opponent? Those aren't easy things to figure out and there's about a million of them to learn and adjust with.

b) keep at it on low stakes for a while. Think of it as paying for an education. Yeah, you might lose a couple hundred bucks. Sometimes it's worth calling knowing you're going to lose just to see the other person's cards when you're playing .1/.2 . Yeah, you lose a $1, but you gain insight into betting patterns and tendencies. It's perfectly ok to be a fish while you are learning. Because there are only two types of fish: fish that stay fish, and fish that turn into sharks.
 
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