Advice from Beginner, Intermediate and Pros HERE!!!

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JackB03

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Hey everyone. Im Jack. Ive been playing for 4 years but took a year off, and just now getting back into the poker world. Before, I just took it lightly and didnt care much about the game, just the money. But when I took the year off and got back into it, I wanna play to understand the game and make the right decisions. Money will come with it I know, but I wanna know the game! Its been a month since I got into it, and havent made any money or won any tournments. I have alot of books and videos. Im trying to read the books and understand it but I think im consuming so much information, its getting me no where. The reason I wrote this is because I wanna know what alot of yall do when you go to the table. What do you think abut during a hand. What do you do before you make a decision. Because when i get in a hand, my mind goes blank it seems. I just play my cards. And I know thats not right at all. I feel like I just need to start all over from the basics. Maybe some other good books someone can suggest. I just need some insight on what everyone does when they think at the table. Any help will be very helpful.

Like I said, I want to understand the game, and i try to make the right decision and know my decision is right every hand I play. Money is not an issue, but as long as Im makin the right decision, money will come along.

Thanks for everyones help.

_Jack
 
dj11

dj11

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You came to the right place.

As for what I think. It depends.

It depends on the relative value of my hand, and what my reads on the opponents are. What is my stack size vs the potsize, do I have odds in favor or against my situation at the moment.

The list goes on and on, and I'm fairly sure you'll get good response to this thread.

All of us, like you, would love to get into the heads of our opponents.
 
J

JackB03

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Thanks. Its more than getting inside my opponents heads. What I need, and probably most of us, is an expert advice. Every hand I wonder what a pro thinks about. I mean, they probably have a certain order where they see how everything is happening. I just wonder what alot of yall do when you get the cards. What do you think about? When you see the player to your left look at his cards, what do you think about? Is there a certain order of thinking? I think im approaching the game wrong or not thinking enough.

Please respond more!
_Jack
 
Kenzie 96

Kenzie 96

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Gotta do what works for you, not what works for someone else theoretically. Have you looked around the site yet? Many fine articles & threads here. Pick a topic, read a little about, it take the ideas to the table & try them out. Repeat over & over & over etc. Good luck & welcome.
 
calibanboy

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Here is a tip to help you make the right decision.

Everytime I make an action I do it and then move the mouse button to the other side of the screen and take my hand off the mouse.

This does two things.

1) means that you do not make impulse clicks of the button ( because the mouse is not over the icon to call and your finger is not over the mouse button )

.....I used to find that most of my leaks for impulse calls without serious thoughts to teh way the hand or opponent had played.

2) it provides time for you to consider what to do next and removes the pressure to action immediately.


This may not be the expert advise you are looking for..... but it does give you time to think through the hand and the position that you are in.
 
shinedown.45

shinedown.45

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Here is a tip to help you make the right decision.

Everytime I make an action I do it and then move the mouse button to the other side of the screen and take my hand off the mouse.

This does two things.

1) means that you do not make impulse clicks of the button ( because the mouse is not over the icon to call and your finger is not over the mouse button )

.....I used to find that most of my leaks for impulse calls without serious thoughts to teh way the hand or opponent had played.

2) it provides time for you to consider what to do next and removes the pressure to action immediately.


This may not be the expert advise you are looking for..... but it does give you time to think through the hand and the position that you are in.
I would like to add, that when taking time to think what your next move is, may I suggest shutting chat off as there are those who may try to rush you and if your the type of person that doesn't let chat bother you, then even better.
Also, make notes on your opponents betting patterns and what they show(if they do show) ie: Opponent made a 4xBB bet preflop with KK, if you make notes on the players at the tables and really pay attention to their bets, you'll be able to put them on certain hands as most players tend to bet the same way with the same cards time after time and don't think others catch-on or don't realize that their doing it.
 
joosebuck

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Here is a tip to help you make the right decision.

Everytime I make an action I do it and then move the mouse button to the other side of the screen and take my hand off the mouse.

This does two things.

1) means that you do not make impulse clicks of the button ( because the mouse is not over the icon to call and your finger is not over the mouse button )

.....I used to find that most of my leaks for impulse calls without serious thoughts to teh way the hand or opponent had played.

2) it provides time for you to consider what to do next and removes the pressure to action immediately.


This may not be the expert advise you are looking for..... but it does give you time to think through the hand and the position that you are in.


i like this. people dont ask "WHY AM I DOING THIS ACTION?" enough. and things like this lead to you doing more than making [losing] motions.
 
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I too scroll the mousepointer to the edge of the screen to supress impulse moves. Especially when I catch myself impatiently waiting for my turn, already knowing what play I want to make. For example, I've decided villain's stealing too many pots and I'm going to bluff him. I'll want to reraise him on the flop. By moving the mouse, I allow myself to consider the flop texture, the outs I have, and it actually looks like I put some thought into my move. Or I've flopped top two, and someone's betting into me. Moving your mouse off the buttons is a good idea.

Not really an answer to the TS's questions, but some generic advices:

- To non-US players on a site where you can change your currency: Keep your balance in $USD's. For one, it looks like it's a lot more. Secondly, if you're European: the US Dollar is very cheap right now in comparison to the Euro. If you keep your balance in USD, and the value of the USD rises again (maybe when they elect a new president), you'll get more Euro's for your earned dollars.
- Purchase PokerTracker if you're serious about poker. After each day, take some time to analyze the games you've played and to add notes in pokertracker about your opponents (which you can export). It's not neccesary to do so during the game.
- After losing your buyin 5 times in a row, it's definately time for a break :p Don't move up in limits to make up for your loss.
- Don't play drunk.
- If you're in a relationship, spend some time (and poker-earned money) on your man/woman. The importance is that if your relationship's going through a rough time you won't be emotionally balanced, and therefore is likely to affect your game. You need to feel good in order to play well.
 
dj11

dj11

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DOH!
+ rep Calibanboy.

Such an easy fix to a nasty nasty leak in my game. Which I am defining this week. I donk, when I act too fast.

THis post has got me thinking, and the evolution of these thoughts is at this stage;

Analyze the facts, hand strentgh, position, stack size/blinds (M).
Usually this will tell me to fold. When it is not such a clear solution then I start thinking about the players. Who's in, who's not, and who has yet to act, and what might I expect him to do. If I have no reads then I want to error on the side of survival.
If I have a good to very good M, and nicely playable cards, like 89 suited in MP or later, and there is no known maniac yet to act, how might I want to play it. Or even 67 suited, or a mid pair.
I used to rush into acting, but now am beggining to understand that there is so much more to each situation, that when the rush comes, it behoves me to slow down a lot.

AH HA!, I got behoves into conversation today before anyone else did!
 
J

JackB03

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thanks

thanks to everyones advice. but im not an online player at all really. im talkin about live games. Im just to get a feel of what people think bout going to a table watching other players, thinking during a hand, etc... I read books and see how some pros think, but I think we could all learn steps from us non-experts, to see how evolve our thinking. The more we learn from each other, the more we grow and eventually move past the pros in thinking. So let me know what yall think.
 
dj11

dj11

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Yeah, I'm guessing the only live player forum would be after a gamblers anonymus meeting.

Your experiences at live games are of interest to us too. Tit for tat.
You got several good replys,, lets call it your turn.

It is an area which we all, or at least those students of the game we like to think we are, can really share for mass betterment.


HUH?
 
Lo-Dog

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i like this. people dont ask "WHY AM I DOING THIS ACTION?" enough. and things like this lead to you doing more than making [losing] motions.

Bingo. This is huge. Don't just raise to be aggressive or raise for the sake of raising. You must think "What do I want to accomlplish by betting/raising/checking. Theory of poker does a good job of explaining why you should check in some instances and why you should raise in others.

I can't say this enough, think about what you want to accomplish with whatever you are doing and what reason you have for doing it.

edit: calibanboy said it first so I better give him some credit too. :)
 
Stefanicov

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As much as thinking about each decision is good it isnt always the best way to play. Playing upon your wits although making more mistakes u will also make many marginal decisions better i have found. If u follow your gut it isnt wrong very often whilst if you overthink things you can talk yourself out of or into the opposite of what ure gut says. Of course some decisions need to be thought through. I do find though when i think things through i make the wrong decision more often than not.
 
crancko

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The donks route to simplified poker
I have tried to compile a list of checks i run through when getting dealt a new hand. Some of them are personal, correcting specific flaws in my game, but others are general and might be usuable for others than me. I have placed the personal rules separately at the bottom. As Kenzie said, its mostly about what comes natural. I like to be aware of my situation on an informed level before i donk all my cash out anyway...

1 - Hand value and odds (Standard chart. PLUS Outs calculation as simplified probability by using 2 pct pr. card and pot odds converted to pct. to match outs calculation).
2 - Current limit and stack (I use the Harrington M factor: Stack / SB+BB+Ante = M, above 10 all is safe, below 10 its time to start simplifying your game).
3 - Position. (As the real estate guys say, its all about location, location, location).
4 - Current field (any super loose donks raising 7-2, any rocks, etc etc. If i havent got any idea of the table yet, ill tighten my game alot).

Bet decision. If going in raise min. 3-4 BB. Rare limp allowed if the table lets you and the cards are ok for it. (TAG mixed with series of LAG in max 3 hand bursts - unless i get gold served again and again).

DO NOT
-Chase a flush
-Fall in love with your hand postflop
-Go all-in when re-raised on a solid table
 
Dorkus Malorkus

Dorkus Malorkus

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Here is a tip to help you make the right decision.

Everytime I make an action I do it and then move the mouse button to the other side of the screen and take my hand off the mouse.

This does two things.

1) means that you do not make impulse clicks of the button ( because the mouse is not over the icon to call and your finger is not over the mouse button )

.....I used to find that most of my leaks for impulse calls without serious thoughts to teh way the hand or opponent had played.

2) it provides time for you to consider what to do next and removes the pressure to action immediately.


This may not be the expert advise you are looking for..... but it does give you time to think through the hand and the position that you are in.

This is actually really good. For a long time I was definitely guilty of 'impulse clicking' - discovering my problem was one of the triggers of this post I made a while back. </pimpage>
 
BigTimeSmith

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I think that this post might be one of the most insightful posts i have read yet. Good advice guys!
 
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bocasas

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I always made myself the same question:
are you ready to lose with that hand??
this helps me not going on tilt and besides it gives me some time to reanalize my decision
 
kadafi

kadafi

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I think poker is mostly common sense applied in what ever situations you might find yourself in. Knowledge of pot odds, Best starting hands and of your opponents helps but i'd suggest waiting to learn that. First you need to learn the basics.

What kind of player are you- aggressive, tight, loose etc...

Also Never chase straights and flushes unless the odds are in your favor. But in general its bad play because someone hits two pair on the flop, u have flush draw and call. Then your flush doesn't come off and your screwed. Generally people who chase cards go broke.

Also crancko made an excellent point. Don't fall in love with your hand preflop. What i mean is if you get dealt AA and the flop shows j 8 9 Suited, dont assume you have the best hand and call anything or you'll go broke.

I think poker is like learning a language it takes time and theres no quick way to do it and even the most skilled player will learn new things and become more articulate at the game and like a language the more you use it the more skilled you become at it.

When i first started playing a while ago i thought poker was just about getting good cards and betting them. That of course is completely false. Someone once said " you play cards i play poker" what he meant was a skilled player doesn't need to be dealt good cards.

LOL all im saying is poker is more complex than i had ever thought and i know its going to be a long time before i become truly good at this game. I'd suggest sticking around on this forum, reading threads, asking questions and playing poker because you won't become great over night.
 
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Stefanicov

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It is all about experiance to be honest untill you have that all the books in the world will not help you. Once experiance is gained yoou will learn ure style as it will change a lot over time.
 
W

wreckoning

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I really try hard to get into the other person's head. I am always looking around the table to find the weakest players. Once I target someone as weak, I ask: how and where is he weak? What exactly are his mistakes? Once I figure that out, I decide how I can take advantage of that. I try to get identify situations where he will be weak and I will be strong, so that if they come about I will already have a plan ready. Most of the situations I think of will never come to pass, but it exercises my brain and better prepares me for the real situation when it happens.
 
gondaybo

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I'm so happy I found you all... SO many hours having these discussions between my right ear and my left... Not knowing this was going on. Where have you been all my life, CC?
 
murderbydeath

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little limping.....rarely bluff....bet the nuts....fold the rest.
 
murderbydeath

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and i make sure i dont play mind games with myself.....always stick to the stradegy you are using
 
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