T
takeastabatthepot
Rising Star
Bronze Level
Newbie
Hi. So I just started seriously playing poker in the last 6 months. I am reading, studying, playing often. Daily, often for a couple of hours. The more I learn and apply, the more I seem to bleed money. Often I make what seems like the right move and still lose all of my money online. What is the best way to avoid frustration? I'm trying to decide if I am even cut out to continue, as I currently suck. Thanks.
Hi. So I just started seriously playing poker in the last 6 months. I am reading, studying, playing often. Daily, often for a couple of hours. The more I learn and apply, the more I seem to bleed money. Often I make what seems like the right move and still lose all of my money online. What is the best way to avoid frustration? I'm trying to decide if I am even cut out to continue, as I currently suck. Thanks.
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
Hi Jadaminato,
What you're talking about is adding some bluffs to your ranges, while at the same time being somewhat 'balanced' to ensure you're not getting out of line too much.
The main thing to think about is how to play your draws and your made hands the same way (using the same bet size so opponents can't read thru it), starting with just your best draws (so you have high amounts of 'equity' when called) and gradually adding more and more weaker bluffs to the mix, gutshots, overcards, back doors etc.
This is a topic that is quite deep and so taking a short training course is the best way to get an understanding of it. There are 2 courses I really like on the topic
Run it Once's From the Ground Up - http://gripsed.com/ftgu
(Cost is $50 and comes with a free month of essential level videos)
Jonathan Little's Cash Game Masterclass - http://cashgamemasterclass.com
(Cost is $999 but comes Free when you join Pokercoaching premium for $99)
It's something that as you learn and practice you'll get more and more comfortable 'expanding' your ranges, and you'll also start to see where you can add in micro bets and mega bets (overbets) to become even more tough to play against.
Both of these courses have great discussion on those topics and will help you out a ton!
Hope that helps
What you're talking about is adding some bluffs to your ranges, while at the same time being somewhat 'balanced' to ensure you're not getting out of line too much.
The main thing to think about is how to play your draws and your made hands the same way (using the same bet size so opponents can't read thru it), starting with just your best draws (so you have high amounts of 'equity' when called) and gradually adding more and more weaker bluffs to the mix, gutshots, overcards, back doors etc.
This is a topic that is quite deep and so taking a short training course is the best way to get an understanding of it. There are 2 courses I really like on the topic
Run it Once's From the Ground Up - http://gripsed.com/ftgu
(Cost is $50 and comes with a free month of essential level videos)
Jonathan Little's Cash Game Masterclass - http://cashgamemasterclass.com
(Cost is $999 but comes Free when you join Pokercoaching premium for $99)
It's something that as you learn and practice you'll get more and more comfortable 'expanding' your ranges, and you'll also start to see where you can add in micro bets and mega bets (overbets) to become even more tough to play against.
Both of these courses have great discussion on those topics and will help you out a ton!
Hope that helps
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
Hi Maurijoya,
TT is a very tough hand to play as in some situations it's a monster, whereas in other situations it's not such a strong hand. It depends on the position, your opponent type and the depth of stacks.
Check out this free course I have: https://www.gripsed.com/how-to-win-at-poker
And spend a good amount of time in the Position, Selection, Aggression and Preflop play sections, this will give you a good idea of what types of situations will make TT a premium vs a not so strong hand.
The most important thing is your opponents range of hands for opening. So usually against an early position open or a really tight player TT should be played cautiously, but against a late position open or a really loose/crazy player TT can be played more aggressively.
Hope you enjoy the course, cheers!
TT is a very tough hand to play as in some situations it's a monster, whereas in other situations it's not such a strong hand. It depends on the position, your opponent type and the depth of stacks.
Check out this free course I have: https://www.gripsed.com/how-to-win-at-poker
And spend a good amount of time in the Position, Selection, Aggression and Preflop play sections, this will give you a good idea of what types of situations will make TT a premium vs a not so strong hand.
The most important thing is your opponents range of hands for opening. So usually against an early position open or a really tight player TT should be played cautiously, but against a late position open or a really loose/crazy player TT can be played more aggressively.
Hope you enjoy the course, cheers!
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
Hi Veirge,
With a bankroll of $100 if you want to make it last you should stick to $1-2 SNG/MTTs or 2NL Cash Games.
If you want to play more aggressively and are ok with reloading, you can go to the $5 SNG/MTT level and 5NL Cash Games.
As for whether you should play cash games or sit n gos that's more of a personal decision which is based on your drives for playing poker as well as your goals. This video I made goes in depth on the benefit and main draws of each format
Generally if you're playing to make money, cash games are the play
If you're playing for the thrill, tournaments are the play
If you're playing for a mix but are short on time, Sit-N-Gos are the play!
Good luck and Happy stackin amigo
With a bankroll of $100 if you want to make it last you should stick to $1-2 SNG/MTTs or 2NL Cash Games.
If you want to play more aggressively and are ok with reloading, you can go to the $5 SNG/MTT level and 5NL Cash Games.
As for whether you should play cash games or sit n gos that's more of a personal decision which is based on your drives for playing poker as well as your goals. This video I made goes in depth on the benefit and main draws of each format
Generally if you're playing to make money, cash games are the play
If you're playing for the thrill, tournaments are the play
If you're playing for a mix but are short on time, Sit-N-Gos are the play!
Good luck and Happy stackin amigo
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
I'm a big fan of structured courses. For Free training http://gripsed.com/udemy
If you're looking to invest in your training, I'm a big fan of Jonathan Little's training site Pokercoaching. I'd start with his masterclass http://cashgamemasterclass.com and then move onto the quizzes
Youtube and Twitch are fun, but it's very easy to get taken off course there and lose a lot of time watching highlight clips, so for real learning I would stick with the courses.
I've also got a free 30-day training program you can join at http://gripsed.com/stackin
And I'm going to be constantly adding to this program to make it better and better
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
For 1/2NL you should generally have 20-100 times the buyin
20 BI is very high risk, good if you can reload easily
40 BI is in the mid range, fine for part time players
80-100 BI is safe and conservative, best for full time grinders
a BI = a buy-in. If you are buying in for 100 big blinds, then $200 is a buyin.
If however you are shortstacking (buying in for 40 big blinds), then $80 is a buyin.
This allows people to have very different bankroll sizes, even at the same limits.
It all comes down to your risk tolerance and how willing you are to move up/down.
When to move up is just done by following the numbers above. And this video talks a bit more about it
Have fun climbing up the ranks brother!
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
In general we rank skill on the following two measures (over a large sample size like 50k hands or 50k games)
For cash games your BB/100 winrate is a measure of your skill level
2 BB/100 is a solid winner
4 BB/100 is a very big winner
6+ BB/100 is a crusher (and probably playing in great games too)
The thing that's tricky, is that the skill level of your opponents will factor into this as well. So having a high win rate can come from great game and seat selection, rather than just pure strategic skill (which is why game selection IS A SKILL AS WELL!!!)
In tournaments, your % ROI is generally the measure, and again it varies. In hyper turbos a 0.5% ROI is a very significant, while in regular speed games something more like 2-5% would be a fair target to aim for.
For MTTs if you can get your ROI over 10% you're doing well, over 15% very well, and anything over 20% is really crushing it for online play.
In live even higher rates are definitely possible with the added advantage of live tells and physical fitness edges over opponents, but it's hard to get 1k+ games to have a fair sample to draw from.
Which is why a lot of it comes down to whether or not you feel like you are consistently making better plays than your opponent, and if you feel CONFIDENT in your skill level relative to them. This is much easier to gauge than the numbers and can be done on a daily basis, whereas getting the data takes a significant amount of time.
As long as you are beating the rake in your game, you're ahead, and from there it's a matter of ensuring you play better than your opponent's. If you're doing that you are well on your way to being a solid winner player, and the more you practice at high quality the more quickly you may even become the top winner in the game!
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
It's definitely a sort of inner circle thing where pros are happy to share within their 'crew' but generally hesitant to share with people outside the crew.
I've learned almost everything I have thru fellow pros, and it's helped me a ton.
That's where joining poker training sites is a great investment as they basically get you 'in the club' for a very small investment. Books are also a great way to do this as authors always make an effort to put their best ideas in the books so they can be proud of the work they made.
Here's a video I have to help build your poker network. It takes time but it's worth it.
I've learned almost everything I have thru fellow pros, and it's helped me a ton.
That's where joining poker training sites is a great investment as they basically get you 'in the club' for a very small investment. Books are also a great way to do this as authors always make an effort to put their best ideas in the books so they can be proud of the work they made.
Here's a video I have to help build your poker network. It takes time but it's worth it.
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
Super common situation, totally know the feeling brother. And I can help.
Start out by keeping it simple. Learn the basics, learn a solid strategy and play with that for a while until everything thing clicks.
Once things make sense add one new concept at a time, be patient, and know that usually when first learning a new move you won't be great at it, but after a few failed attempts and successes the play will make sense to you.
This is why adding one new play at a time is key. If you try to add 5 new moves at a time it's easy to feel like nothing works and to just give up. This is why a slow structured course with a solid strategy is the best place to start (tight is right
This is my free course http://gripsed.com/udemy
It will help keep you from overplaying hands and losing more money than you should with good but not super great hands. And will keep you in the game longer.
If the emotional side of the game is bothering you, this is a video that tons of people have found helpful from my youtube channel
And the big thing when emotions are riding high is that usually the money is too big. Play smaller limits, and with amounts of money that while they may not seem 'exciting' at first, will definitely not hurt if you lose them. This allows you to learn the game in a safer way, and once you have a good handle on things you can play for bigger limits.
Hope that helps!!!
hannamori
Rising Star
Bronze Level
a case like that happened to me, my hand was Ah Ad was near the bubble, 3 people checked, I raised three times, everyone called, on the flop comes 9s 7s 10s, turner 2d, I raise 33 percent and two people let go and on the river 4s. what is the best attitude at the moment, all in or fold ..
ps.. google translate. kkkkk
ps.. google translate. kkkkk
T
timeforachange
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I have a question outside of normal luck in certain situations, do you feel that cards in a tournament just shut off or go opposite, from one extreme to the other? Meaning if youre getting lucky and start off hot by the end it will cool off and vice versa? Thanks for the input.
V
Vida005
Rising Star
Bronze Level
OK, I have a situation where I am uncertain how to play connected unsuited cards. From early position I always fold anything less than 10 / J and from middle position i fold everything from 6 / 7 and even 8 / 9 unless there has been no action prior. Am I being too cautious noting my VP is always between 17 - 24.
M
Mantones
Visionary
Bronze Level
Hey. What do you think is the best poker game to win $ on low stakes online? sitngo or mtt?
L
lackingtoast
Rising Star
Bronze Level
What does it take to become a professional player?
Hi, although I am not a beginner, I have been playing for a couple years now. I am 18 years old and I really enjoy playing the game and seek to maybe becoming a professional at the game. Is there any tips or advice you can give me to solidify the idea that it is possible for me to achieve this goal?
Hi, although I am not a beginner, I have been playing for a couple years now. I am 18 years old and I really enjoy playing the game and seek to maybe becoming a professional at the game. Is there any tips or advice you can give me to solidify the idea that it is possible for me to achieve this goal?
gon4iypes
Legend
Platinum Level
Hey Evan I am SOOO happy to have found your thread.....this is really just what I need. Although I have been playing a very long time I have got really rusty and need to get back to basics, as the games have changed so much I know I have been left in the dust!!!! Just reading through your posts above has already been so encouraging. Thanks a lot
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
Great question, and I totally know what you mean. I had that for a long time too where I would have to play 2 or 3 meaningful pots to get those early session jitters away.
I find the most helpful thing to do prior to playing is visualize myself playing poker, see myself shuffling chips, holding cards, making bets, taking my time to observe opponents, breath, play in a calm collected fashion etc.
It may sound a little 'woo woo' but I can promise you it works. When we visualize ourselves doing things it 'myelinates' (I think that's how you spell it
) the same brain circuits we use when actually performing the task. So we basically warm our brain up with fantasy and pretend for it to do the task when it's time.Another thing you can do if say you're on the wait list and have 15-30 minutes is just look thru some hands you played last session (have them in your phone or in a note pad) and start thinking critically about poker decisions. I find this to be really helpful as well.
When driving into a casino sometimes people listen to podcasts, but I find this doesn't work as chit chat isn't really the same vibe as critical thinking. So if anything I'll do self-talk, tell myself how I'm going to play, carry myself at the table etc.
Doing this really gets me in the zone, it's like being my own personal mindset coach
Give it a shot and let me know how it goes next time?
BTW, you can do self talk at the table too, but just do it quietly, whisper to yourself, that way people won't think you're crazy haha :bike:
Evan Jarvis
Legend
Platinum Level
Probably check and Fold if your opponent bets. All it takes is a spade to beat you, and if your opponent just has a pair which you beat they will probably check back and you'll win.
The only reason you would bet is if you wanted to make your opponent fold 2 pair or trips, but this is probably not worth the risk (especially near the bubble where cashing in is important!
)