Teaching new players

Hey,
I've been playing poker since the 70's and holdem for 4 years. I moved to an area where no one knows how to play. They are willing to learn and I am willing to teach them.
I really want them to learn and enjoy an occassional $10 buyin home game tourney. I'm not looking to beat them up and take there money, because they wouldn't come back.
Obviously ,I know the rules well and I have a library of reading material, but what I would like is a guide to read up on that would show how to set up a learning environment. For example, would you play for 30 minutes with the cards face up to show them some fundamentals? Introduce a version of outs/probabilities/betting strategies? How much should they know? My goal would be that they can play at a competive home game level in a few weeks of maybe two sessions. But you have to introduce a little money otherwise you have a freeroll type mentality of chasing wild ass hands and that would be doing them a discredit.
Any thoughts?

Good question, wish I had the proper answer. One thing I'd do is to tell them about CC and get them to come here to learn and have fun.

Maybe doing some 1 on 1 play w/ no $ stakes with each of them and discus each hand after it's done to teach them would help. I taught my kids this way and they've became pretty sharp players.

i agree with adventurebound...if they have a computer have them read up on this site...also have them get into some on-line poker site's. (they can play 4 free and learn)..iv'e played for years but have still improved since i found this site... and mabey lend them some of your book's to read..(just don't teach them all u know...lol)

As long as they can use their imagination, they should treat their chips as real money. Its great your trying to teach them properly.
We definatety dont need anymore free roll mentalists out there....LOL

Have a blast with your home games. I know i enjoy a good game ....
Bearcat

Huck45 said:

I'm not looking to beat them up and take there money,

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While I can appreciate this, I suggest two things:

1. Don't teach them everything you know so that you can whip out the occasional twist and still keep a slight advantage.
2. Don't tell them you're not teaching them everything.

Hi, could not resist the temptation to scribble here!
After all seeing so many veterans and experienced poker players here I know this is the ideal place for me as a novice. At the same time you are also talking about teaching people about it. I understand being busy you people cant afford to waste your time here making us teach, can you give me an idea of online sites or any other areas where we can master the skills. I do love card games but poker games I could never grasp them properly.
It may be too irritating for you to see such a query but someone would be helped!!

daisydew said:

Hi, could not resist the temptation to scribble here!
After all seeing so many veterans and experienced poker players here I know this is the ideal place for me as a novice. At the same time you are also talking about teaching people about it. I understand being busy you people cant afford to waste your time here making us teach, can you give me an idea of online sites or any other areas where we can master the skills. I do love card games but poker games I could never grasp them properly.
It may be too irritating for you to see such a query but someone would be helped!!

Click to expand...

Blue tab top of page, Poker Strategies. :deal: Basics all the way up.

daisydew said:

Hi, could not resist the temptation to scribble here!
After all seeing so many veterans and experienced poker players here I know this is the ideal place for me as a novice. At the same time you are also talking about teaching people about it. I understand being busy you people cant afford to waste your time here making us teach, can you give me an idea of online sites or any other areas where we can master the skills. I do love card games but poker games I could never grasp them properly.
It may be too irritating for you to see such a query but someone would be helped!!

Click to expand...

Welcome to CC Daisy,

Your question is no problem at all,that's what we're here for. CC is totaly geared to teaching people to play poker and there are a lot of very talented people here who are happy to help with any question you have.

Read and Post in

[ ] Learning Poker
[ ]Poker General
[ ] Poker Strategies
[ ] Hands Analysis (either tourny or ring, which ever applies)

Also check out the strategy articles under the tab, you'll find some great stuff there.

Get your 50 quality posts and join us in some CC sponsored freeroll games or better yet get 15 posts and play some CC buy-in games where you get a crack at some very good play.

This last year I taught someone how to play. If you are a fairly solid player you have all you need to teach them the basics. I recommended books to the person I was trying to teach but it got them nowhere. However, when I talked to them and taught them personally they turned into a sponge. Different people work different ways. I stuck with the K.I.S.S. method.

For those who don't know what that is. Keep It Simple Stupid.

Teach them the form of the game and some general terminology. Then teach them that tight is right. This isn't so you can steam roll over them with aggression. It's just so they look at the cards and play fairly straight forward and get comfortable.

Then just add little by little. Later teach position play, outs, implied odds and other things. If you hit them with everything all at once they will get overwhelmed and lose interest. I hope this helps. Best of luck.

I basically learned by reading, so I'd suggest maybe introducing them to a favorite book, and having discussions on the topics. I know when I started, some things I was reading through I didnt quite understand fully and would have loved to have someone else I know interested in poker, so we could discuss things. None of my friends have any interest in poker, and they pretty much think it's retarded that I love it so much.

your right if its free they chase nearly anything. whynot just start out with penny poker like .01/.02 limit blinds and just let them all start with 3.00 and it will last a long time and they will learn alot more than likely instead od a tourney
by the way i did what you did with the 10.00 buyin tourney with some friends and just the winner got paid but i cant seem to win the first tourney. we have had about 6 games and i'm winless i get 2nd every time almost but no win. hows your tourneys turn out do you win?

bottom line is experience keep having them play games they will win with a little luck every once in awhile even if the buy in is 5 bucks

There is a pretty good chance that if they all want to play a regular game, that you will win about 90% of the time. I would suggest (if you don't want them to get annoyed that you are spending their money) to buy something for the games. Maybe treat them to a pizza, or spend some of the winnings on some chips. Really anything to enhance their experience. I think they wouldn't mind paying you if you use SOME of their money towards the poker game. Just a thought

best way to teach people is to tell them the basic rules and then give them practice and experience.

What city is that....I wish someone could teach me.....I dont know many people who play live poker....

I guess as long as they dont feel taken advantage of and its fun for you and them....it will work...

TurningStar said:

What city is that....I wish someone could teach me.....I dont know many people who play live poker....

I guess as long as they dont feel taken advantage of and its fun for you and them....it will work...

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yea i cant even find a live game much less a teacher haha

What's high

First it would help if they already know the value of a hand. If not, you got some work cut out for you. Good luck.

Huck45 said:

Hey,
I've been playing poker since the 70's and holdem for 4 years. I moved to an area where no one knows how to play. They are willing to learn and I am willing to teach them.
I really want them to learn and enjoy an occassional $10 buyin home game tourney. I'm not looking to beat them up and take there money, because they wouldn't come back.
Obviously ,I know the rules well and I have a library of reading material, but what I would like is a guide to read up on that would show how to set up a learning environment. For example, would you play for 30 minutes with the cards face up to show them some fundamentals? Introduce a version of outs/probabilities/betting strategies? How much should they know? My goal would be that they can play at a competive home game level in a few weeks of maybe two sessions. But you have to introduce a little money otherwise you have a freeroll type mentality of chasing wild ass hands and that would be doing them a discredit.
Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

lol like ur ?. i honestly think if people want to learn hold'em/omaha,etc. they should have too know the basics about poker first. anyways u said they want to get a game together. My advice take theire money. Don't give them a break. they know what there getting into when they come over 4 the game lol just cuz they will lose 90% of the time dosn't mean they don't enjoy it and they defenitly learn from it. i know everybody can enjoy a game even if they lose. or even take a bad beat.

If you do decide to teach them while winning, make sure the game lasts a bit of time. no one wants to play for fun but be out in 20 minutes.

I'd try to teach them some basic strategies: check-raising, overbetting the pot, continuation betting, post-flop all-in, count outs and some hand probabilities. These things are kind of easy to learn, even if you've never really played hold'em before, and it makes the game so much more fun for your friends if they learn that the game is more about skill than about luck.

Maybe the game is more about skill than about luck when you consider all the check raising, overbetting the pot, continuation betting, post-flop all-in, count outs and some hand probabilities. Never gave much thought to all those things before.

if they completely do not know the game, i think its important not to overwhelm them with information immediately. people are usually attracted to the game because it seems fun and lively, so shoving a couple of books down their throats totally kills their enthusiasm as it seems more like studying rather than a game.

i think you should firstly host a tournament and explain to them the rules of poker and how to play, and then just let them play. let them feel the excitement of making a hand and the depression of a bad beat. this will keep them intrigued and encourage them to learn more about the game. those that do will probably ask you for books and resources rather than you needing to offer it to them and then they will be interested in improving themselves rather than you forcing them to improve themselves. obviously, for the first tournament (or first few) you hold to introduce the game to everyone you probably shouldnt play as you will need to go around and make sure everyone is following the rules and knows what to do. the introduction tournament also doesnt necessarily have to have a buy-in, just think of it as having a few friends over.