Is poker really learnable?

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NeoBandit

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I am going to be honest I have sucked at everything i have ever done, but with that said I have never put much energy into learning anything because I am afraid i will still such. I want to know is poker really learn-able. I have never been really good at games I can't say i am terrible at them but i haven't been good. I have never put much energy into it because i am afraid to fail which makes me a failure. I guess with poker I have nothing to loose but I need to know is it really learn able. If i get a course like Jonathon little's poker coaching will I improve. I am so tried of sucking at everything. I would like to be good at something and prove all those wrong who tell me poker is a waste of money. Right now I am a looser at life. I have no money no job, no wife no children and no one to share life with but my dog. I will be 50 this year and life really sucks, not sure if life is worth living if your a looser like I have been. I am a spot in life where I can't get a job because no one wants to hire you and not old enough to get SS. I have no friends i am depressed all the time with lots of time on my hands to study poker but i am scared to spend the money because I just don't have it to spare. I live with my parents who are 81 and won't be around much longer but maybe i will get lucky and they will live another 10-15 years. Poker is something I love and would love to be good at, but i am not i suck right now. I have watched youtube videos but they just don't give you what you need. So is it possible to learn poker for a site like pokercoaching.com and can you get good by using these sites. I am at a point where i am about to give up on life because i don't have much to live for if I don't find a way to be something to somebody and be able to make a living. Please if you have any help please share with me how you became good at poker. I need some help thanks.
 
Uncloggie

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Dude, that is a sad post. My advice is:

Honestly I wouldn't bet on making a living at poker, it takes quite a while to get any good at judging players and card odds, etc. There are a lot of players out there that will read you pretty quick. You may win here and there but until you win consistently more than 50 % of the time you will lose money.

Do the free poker schools and read all you can, they more or less lead you to the same place.

Play as much as you can at free or low buy ins. If you are good with numbers then you should be good at this.

It takes patience and time.
 
sam888695

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The best advice i can give you is to be something to yourself! Yes you can learn absolutely to play poker. Yes it is something you can win at. My advice would be to check out blackrain79 on you tube or Doug Polk they both offer courses. They are both an inspiration. Don't give up - could be the most exciting engaging thing you do. Start at micro stakes. Best of luck [emoji2]
 
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Everything is easier in life the more you do it regardless of what it is. It is a game of skill and luck combined. Jus have fun and play more and you'll be good b4 you know it.
 
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bellicoso

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I know how you feel. Totally. I suffer from several mental health disorders and depression is the least of them. If I didn't have the game, I would have nothing...

Anyway, I can tell you that you can learn to get good at poker but it's not going to come without some time and risk on your part. If you're broke, you're already in a tough spot. You really can't do anything but play freerolls. You need some way to pay for games. And you need to know you're gonna lose a lot when you first start out. The path to greatness comes with experience and luck. You'll need both.

If I were in your shoes, I would certainly look into ways to build a bankroll and start playing micro-stakes. Find work. That should be a priority for you... do whatever you have to.

In any case, you're only gonna get out of it what you put in as far as time and energy are concerned. If you aren't willing to hustle to make your bankroll, how will you be successful in the game?

No one is going to hand you victories. This is just as hard as any other profession and it only gets harder as time goes on. Everyone thinks they can be a winner but hardly anyone studies the game and its current trends. Ironically, this is what winning players depend on, you sucking at the game...

Failure is a part of the learning process. Learn to get through failures (and turn them into lessons) and you'll be in a much better position in game and in life.

Finally, If you aren't willing to evaluate everything you're going through, find solutions, and make this your passion (and I really mean putting your all into it), then I would suggest you find something else to spend your time on.

I wish you all the best going forward, truly. I hope you find some success soon. Best of luck to you.
 
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Tough times. But tough times make you better as a person. No matter how old you are. 50 years old is young. You can still change your life. You said you have time. Thats important thing. You have lots of time during the day. Go and learn. Not poker. Go and learn something useful that will get you a job. Go learn how to be a carpenter, or a stock broker or anything you really want. But you said you never put any real time into anything. You need to do that. Find motivation at first and continue with it when it seems too difficult. You dont know how much you can do in a year. Go out of your comfort zone. Meet some people. First organize your life. Follow a routine. Continue improving on a daily basis. It doesnt need to be a huge improvement every day but if you do just a little bit better than yesterday imagine where you ll be this time next year. Depression is a shitty thing to deal with. Many people dissmis it like its all mental and its all in your head and that stuff. Its not. Its pretty serious. Thats why you need to be searching all the time. Search for any things that make you happy. Dont give up. You dont need to have money to be happy. And you have a best friend a man can have, his dog. Dont be dissapointed in yourself too much and show everybody that you can. You dont need to follow social construct of success. Success can be living in a small house in some village and having fun, being happy seeing nature every day. But you have time, thats whats important. And the only thing we cant get back is time. So start using it. Not first of the month i ll start, or on monday, there s no shit like that. You start now. I ve been through some dark times in my life so i know how you feel and its the worst feeling in the world. You need to search for your passion, whatever it may be. And who knows, in a year you can make yourself that much better that you re not gonna even recognise yourself. And now let me get to poker. Poker is learnable, as everything else. And you should do it. But concentrate on much more things. Try to learn that and this because poker is a risky job to do. It can be a side thing. And what im trying to say is that you can learn everything. And you should start now. And if you feel nobody believes in you, there will be some insignificant guy at some poker site a year from now believing in you. Wanting to see you grow and become what you want to become. Prove everybody wrong, visualize yourself becoming someone and work like hell to achieve that. When nobody else does, we believe in you. **** everybody who says something is impossible because of your age or because of anything. Everything is impossible until someone does it. Remember that! We believe in you
 
ACESOVEREZZZ

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Learning Poker

Like anything else in life the more one puts into it the greater the rewards. This goes not only for poker but as well applies to relationships, jobs etc.

In my opinion it is pretty simple that one will only "reap what they sow". Discipline, effort and patience are key factors in becoming successful in whatever endeavors you choose.

Good luck to ya !
 
Uncloggie

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I want to add , please, if you are lonely I doubt Poker is the answer....

There are way many other lonely people everywhere. Evermore so thanks to phones and modern life.

Didn't I see in the headlines in the last week that loneliness was proven to be as bad for your health as smoking, or something ?

I suggest that you get out there and meet people.... do some volunteer work, join a local social club like rotary or knights, or even become a scout leader or something. Volunteer to help people worse off than yourself ; a sure fire way to realize that your life isn't so bad after all. There are people everywhere in need.

Do something good for someone and it will make your heart better I think.
And maybe you will get lucky, find out how to love yourself , life and maybe someone to share it all with .

Cheers , and good luck !
 
eberetta1

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Yeah. Poker would not be the place to run. If you aren't depressed with life now, you will definitely get depressed after a few games of poker and your wallet emptied while trying to learn the game.
 
zinzir

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I am going to be honest I have sucked at everything i have ever done, but with that said I have never put much energy into learning anything because I am afraid i will still such. I want to know is poker really learn-able. I have never been really good at games I can't say i am terrible at them but i haven't been good. I have never put much energy into it because i am afraid to fail which makes me a failure. I guess with poker I have nothing to loose but I need to know is it really learn able. If i get a course like Jonathon little's poker coaching will I improve. I am so tried of sucking at everything. I would like to be good at something and prove all those wrong who tell me poker is a waste of money. Right now I am a looser at life. I have no money no job, no wife no children and no one to share life with but my dog. I will be 50 this year and life really sucks, not sure if life is worth living if your a looser like I have been. I am a spot in life where I can't get a job because no one wants to hire you and not old enough to get SS. I have no friends i am depressed all the time with lots of time on my hands to study poker but i am scared to spend the money because I just don't have it to spare. I live with my parents who are 81 and won't be around much longer but maybe i will get lucky and they will live another 10-15 years. Poker is something I love and would love to be good at, but i am not i suck right now. I have watched youtube videos but they just don't give you what you need. So is it possible to learn poker for a site like pokercoaching.com and can you get good by using these sites. I am at a point where i am about to give up on life because i don't have much to live for if I don't find a way to be something to somebody and be able to make a living. Please if you have any help please share with me how you became good at poker. I need some help thanks.


Mate, please don't take it the wrong way, but for your situation poker is not a good thing. You need to be outdoors, in the sun, breathing fresh air, moving your muscles, that's how you fight and conquer depression and get yourself unstuck from the rut you're in.

My humble advice is to go fishing instead of playing poker. Fishing, just like poker, stimulates your brain reward center in a variable ratio fashion, but unlike poker, fishing is great for fighting depression because it is an outdoor activity that benefits your body, and it brings serenity and hope that benefit your soul.

Just go to Walmart and buy a cheap fishing rod if you don't have one already in your house, and go, my friend, there is fish to catch out there no matter how cold, hot, rainy or snowy is outside. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to catch all kinds of fish, and how to tie knots, select bait and tackle etc.

Take your father with you too, I bet he would appreciate spending some quality time with his son. Remember, it's the simple things that bring the most happiness in our life.

All the best and good luck in everything you do!
 
Uncloggie

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Tons of good advice on here , I hope we hear back from NeoBandit ?

Hey ... if you need a quick cheer up I posted quite a few good ones on the joke of the day page recently.
 
Igor Popadyk

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it seems that the problem is also in psychology-tilt, a poker game with probabilities and great variance, especially tournaments! good luck
 
Evan Jarvis

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I am going to be honest I have sucked at everything i have ever done, but with that said I have never put much energy into learning anything because I am afraid i will still such. I want to know is poker really learn-able. I have never been really good at games I can't say i am terrible at them but i haven't been good. I have never put much energy into it because i am afraid to fail which makes me a failure. I guess with poker I have nothing to loose but I need to know is it really learn able. If i get a course like Jonathon little's poker coaching will I improve. I am so tried of sucking at everything. I would like to be good at something and prove all those wrong who tell me poker is a waste of money. Right now I am a looser at life. I have no money no job, no wife no children and no one to share life with but my dog. I will be 50 this year and life really sucks, not sure if life is worth living if your a looser like I have been. I am a spot in life where I can't get a job because no one wants to hire you and not old enough to get SS. I have no friends i am depressed all the time with lots of time on my hands to study poker but i am scared to spend the money because I just don't have it to spare. I live with my parents who are 81 and won't be around much longer but maybe i will get lucky and they will live another 10-15 years. Poker is something I love and would love to be good at, but i am not i suck right now. I have watched youtube videos but they just don't give you what you need. So is it possible to learn poker for a site like pokercoaching.com and can you get good by using these sites. I am at a point where i am about to give up on life because i don't have much to live for if I don't find a way to be something to somebody and be able to make a living. Please if you have any help please share with me how you became good at poker. I need some help thanks.


100% you can learn how to play poker, but the first thing that's important is learning how to learn. This will save you so much time and pay off in so many areas of life.

This is the best book I've ever read on the subject and I can't recommend it more highly
https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performance/dp/0743277465

I wouldn't be suprised if there's a way you can find a free version as well, the internet seems to be great for those sorts of things.

And as for learning poker specifically, if you'd like some great info that won't cost you a dime and will teach you from the basics to the best plays take a look at my youtube channel :)

Other recommendation is definitely to watch material by Paul Check. Studying health and relationships is a total gamechanger, and Paul is a wizard in those areas. Worth every second!
 
sam888695

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The best advice i can give you is to be something to yourself! Yes you can learn absolutely to play poker. Yes it is something you can win at. My advice would be to check out blackrain79 on you tube or Doug Polk they both offer courses. They are both an inspiration. Don't give up - could be the most exciting engaging thing you do. Start at micro stakes. Best of luck [emoji2]
Also check out Evan at Gripsed Poker on You Tube [emoji2][emoji106]
 
terryk

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Become fearless,,,,, :cool: What have you got to lose?
 
10gerka

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Of course, it is a game with a lot of strategy, it is important to study hard to earn money in the long term, everyone has the ability to learn this great game, if they have time and dedication they will bear fruit in the long term, you must always be persevering and not get frustrated if at the beginning things don't come out, luck at the tables ..
 
Eric Salvador

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You’re not a failure. You’re alive!!! You only fail when you give up. Period!!! Now when it comes to studying poker you get out of it what you put in. Coaching will alway improve you’re game but if you have minimal knowledge it won’t be a quick translation into a pro or semi-pro career. If you’re not finding help on YouTube you’re not following the right people. Jonathan Little has a ton of free videos. Team Gripsed, Assassinato, Doug Polk all give great coaching on there for free. Try going to you’re local library and see if they have any of the better poker books. Obviously something more advanced then Super System. Poker can be taught and absorbed but if you know the game and don’t have the proper bankroll and bankroll management you won’t succeed. You also need a strong mental game. Try listening to podcasts like Elliott Roe’s. There’s so much information out there for free.
 
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Mate, please don't take it the wrong way, but for your situation poker is not a good thing. You need to be outdoors, in the sun, breathing fresh air, moving your muscles, that's how you fight and conquer depression and get yourself unstuck from the rut you're in.

My humble advice is to go fishing instead of playing poker. Fishing, just like poker, stimulates your brain reward center in a variable ratio fashion, but unlike poker, fishing is great for fighting depression because it is an outdoor activity that benefits your body, and it brings serenity and hope that benefit your soul.

Just go to Walmart and buy a cheap fishing rod if you don't have one already in your house, and go, my friend, there is fish to catch out there no matter how cold, hot, rainy or snowy is outside. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to catch all kinds of fish, and how to tie knots, select bait and tackle etc.

Take your father with you too, I bet he would appreciate spending some quality time with his son. Remember, it's the simple things that bring the most happiness in our life.

All the best and good luck in everything you do!

Very good reply here. Start with this Neo, disregard everything I said before.
 
lnm2308

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Hello friend, first of all I am going to apologize for my bad English, since I do not master it 100% I am using the translator to be able to send you this answer. First of all I am not going to comment on your private life, since it does not seem right since I do not know you, but I am going to encourage you that if you really love poker like me and since you have mentioned that you have a lot of time free time you invest in this, because it is rarely exciting and long term with the right mindset can give you great satisfaction! the truth is that if poker is 100% learnable, with dedication and study you can improve your game exponentially, start playing mucrolimites with a bench according to the level, but do not stop studying and absorbing knowledge in relation to the game, because only then you can be better! In case you are already on the right track, you are in this forum, where you will only find people willing to help you! I wish you good luck
 
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Of course it is learnable.
 
thetick33

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I am going to be honest I have sucked at everything i have ever done, but with that said I have never put much energy into learning anything because I am afraid i will still such. I want to know is poker really learn-able. I have never been really good at games I can't say i am terrible at them but i haven't been good. I have never put much energy into it because i am afraid to fail which makes me a failure. I guess with poker I have nothing to loose but I need to know is it really learn able. If i get a course like Jonathon little's poker coaching will I improve. I am so tried of sucking at everything. I would like to be good at something and prove all those wrong who tell me poker is a waste of money. Right now I am a looser at life. I have no money no job, no wife no children and no one to share life with but my dog. I will be 50 this year and life really sucks, not sure if life is worth living if your a looser like I have been. I am a spot in life where I can't get a job because no one wants to hire you and not old enough to get SS. I have no friends i am depressed all the time with lots of time on my hands to study poker but i am scared to spend the money because I just don't have it to spare. I live with my parents who are 81 and won't be around much longer but maybe i will get lucky and they will live another 10-15 years. Poker is something I love and would love to be good at, but i am not i suck right now. I have watched youtube videos but they just don't give you what you need. So is it possible to learn poker for a site like pokercoaching.com and can you get good by using these sites. I am at a point where i am about to give up on life because i don't have much to live for if I don't find a way to be something to somebody and be able to make a living. Please if you have any help please share with me how you became good at poker. I need some help thanks.


play freerolls till get account started then play sit and goes if comfortable with them or 01/02 or mtt's but try to keep the fields small.

first where you playing from? do you have access to pokerstars etc... non US player?


next the only way you get where you feel good or safe in poker is honestly by application once you've played enough I would hope at some point 10k hands 100k hands 1 million hands you feel differently at each stage...

Live poker? I sit down and my thought process is I OWN THIS TABLE.... honestly it feels as I sit down like the only HOME ive ever truly known....

I will tell you this took a lot of work a lot of time to feel that way..... To feel you can accomplish anything at a poker table...

now suggestions read some of harringtons m series books is pdf's online .. use a hud and a team to decipher your hand history and play when have enough hands over 1k to start to work on your game and use access to free things like twitch and youtube to go over poker play and videos obviously watch WINNERS etc..

next thing is get on freerolls here and league and anything else you can do here to participate....
 
Matt_Burns88

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I am going to be honest I have sucked at everything i have ever done, but with that said I have never put much energy into learning anything because I am afraid i will still such. I want to know is poker really learn-able. I have never been really good at games I can't say i am terrible at them but i haven't been good. I have never put much energy into it because i am afraid to fail which makes me a failure. I guess with poker I have nothing to loose but I need to know is it really learn able. If i get a course like Jonathon little's poker coaching will I improve. I am so tried of sucking at everything. I would like to be good at something and prove all those wrong who tell me poker is a waste of money. Right now I am a looser at life. I have no money no job, no wife no children and no one to share life with but my dog. I will be 50 this year and life really sucks, not sure if life is worth living if your a looser like I have been. I am a spot in life where I can't get a job because no one wants to hire you and not old enough to get SS. I have no friends i am depressed all the time with lots of time on my hands to study poker but i am scared to spend the money because I just don't have it to spare. I live with my parents who are 81 and won't be around much longer but maybe i will get lucky and they will live another 10-15 years. Poker is something I love and would love to be good at, but i am not i suck right now. I have watched youtube videos but they just don't give you what you need. So is it possible to learn poker for a site like pokercoaching.com and can you get good by using these sites. I am at a point where i am about to give up on life because i don't have much to live for if I don't find a way to be something to somebody and be able to make a living. Please if you have any help please share with me how you became good at poker. I need some help thanks.



Pfff...this is a tough read. I'm sorry you're in such a dark place right now.

Honestly, playing poker is very rarely the answer to making money. Ask almost any pro - they've pretty much all gone bust at least once in their career (maybe not so much with the young guns now, who are much more aware of bankroll management).

I would strongly suggest getting a job (literally anything), and put some money aside each month for poker. Bare in mind, if you want to join a coaching site, you will have to fund this and fund your playing time as well.

If you find that you start to be successful playing poker, keep working at it and increase your playing times. Hopefully you will be able to give up your job and focus full time on playing poker, but don't expect that to happen immediately after you've watched a few videos.

Good luck and I hope things turn around for you soon.
 
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learn poker

I am not good but have fun and am learning, only advice I have is you cant learn in play money. peaple play totaly different there I sometimes go there just for fun but alwys leave a worse player lol.
 
Sokolik

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We can learn anything in life. There would be a desire. Therefore, poker is no exception.
 
TheDude6622

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One thing we have to remember here is that poker is a GAME. There are going to be some that can handle the swings and some that cannot. Some that can learn how to build stacks and some that cannot. Some that can utilize tells and reads and some that cannot. Poker is a GAME and some may not be good at it.

You say you're afraid to put too much energy into it. Why are you on this site then? This site is meant to ask for help in different situations in the game. There's a ton of different topics/forums/videos/poker pros on here that are helping us grow daily.

This is one of those things that you have to start looking at life in a positive light. Life is a gift. No matter what you have in life, be thankful. That is an amazing first step to take.
 
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