Basic thought stuff for beginners..

[fletchdad]

This is a post for real beginners... (Or not?)

Poker is a very multi-faceted game. There are so many things to observe and take into consideration, some in every hand. It takes time to learn to know your own best approach.

But this is one of many things that helped me a lot.

Anything you do..... Anything!! Ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" And then (IMPORTANT....lol) answer yourself. Every time.......

That's it......

If you fold, ask your self "Why am I folding?". For example, if you are in the BB, and EP raised and MP reraised, and BTN called, and you have Q3o.... uhhh the answer is clear (I hope). You are folding cause you are almost certainly the biggest losing hand right now.... You answer yourself "I am folding cause my hand is shit in this situation and calling is a big -ev play".

Why ask yourself such a silly question before just insta-folding? To get in the habit of ALWAYS asking yourself "Why am I doing this?" Because...... Sometimes people dont insta-fold here, and that is simply bad..... Asking yourself "why" makes you a bit more alert. And you need to be alert.

Also, ask yourself "why" if you call or raise. And then answer. If you say "Uhhhh, I dont know, I am just calling/raising to do something" (You'd be surprised how many do not know why they REALLY do something), uhh you need to address this. If you say "I am calling cause I have 2-2 / Q 10s / Axo / or some other nice-looking trash, so why should I fold?" (of course, this always depends, and, ok, 22 does rock now and then... lol), or you say "I am raising cause I am agro I just raises cause"... .... OK, I know ..... Still..... If your answer is kinda not really grounded....

But if you say "I have AQs and I will raise here cause villain will call with worse and raise with better, so I can keep worse hands in but fold to a better hand".... Do you see the difference?

You need to always know why you are doing anything. You need to make this a conscious thing.

By asking yourself "Why am I doing this", you can see if your answer is:
A: Sensible,
B: Nonsensible,
C: You don't know.

You must make decisions all the time, and sometimes quickly. Getting in the habit of asking the correct questions can help you make those decisions in a timely manner......
.....................................................

Then, ask your self "Why is my opponent doing what he is doing?" And, after the game, review your play and remember your questions and answers.....

But, that is a different post.....

 

[black and]

Interesting tips. But I think everything is much simpler. The main thing for a beginner is just to be patient and not play with junk. In addition, I am convinced that it is very important for a beginner to build a bankroll by playing in freerolls. In this case, he will be more prudent and careful and this in turn will contribute to compliance with bankroll management.

 

[JordanH]

Great advice fletchdad! Thanks.

 

[AlexStar1981]

All your words are undoubtedly correct and appropriate. I think the same way myself, but sometimes there are times when you, like a mouse hypnotized by a boa constrictor, press a call, knowing that you have to press a fold. And then, when everything has already happened, it lets you go and you realize that you just played like a fish (((

 

[TeUnit]

"Anything you do..... Anything!! Ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" And then (IMPORTANT....lol) answer yourself. Every time....... "

I think this is a really good point, its keeps you from making mistakes, it helps you learn, and it even prevents tilty play.

 

[azforlife]

Agreed but go all the way, this is very basic PF decision & qx isn't always a fold but anyways, my rule of thumb is to at least think one street ahead, as in am I calling next street as well, for starters? ya know?

 

[fundiver199]

For me the most important aspect is to think ahead, if there is still action to come. If we bet, we obviously need to know, what we want to acheive, and even if we check or call, we need to think about, what might happen, and how we are going to react to this. Like if we check, do we expect this to induce a lot of bluffs, and do we intend to snap off those bluffs or maybe take a price on our draw? And in the latter case, how are we planning on getting paid, if we complete our draw? In these situations we should think ahead and plan the hand almost like a chess master.

If we take a decisive and final action like folding or even calling on the river closing action, it typically dont need a lot of reasoning. We fold, because we dont think, its profitable to continue, or we call, because we think, we have the best hand often enough. Thats pretty much all, there is to it, and its more about hand reading and putting our opponent on a range than having a reason. Hopefully we dont call on the river, because of irrational reasons like "I know I am beat, but my hand is to pretty to fold", or "I want to see, what he have"

 

[Elena Kellemeshova]

Basic thought stuff for beginners.

For me the most important aspect is to think ahead, if there is still action to come. If we bet, we obviously need to know, what we want to acheive, and even if we check or call, we need to think about, what might happen, and how we are going to react to this. Like if we check, do we expect this to induce a lot of bluffs, and do we intend to snap off those bluffs or maybe take a price on our draw? And in the latter case, how are we planning on getting paid, if we complete our draw? In these situations we should think ahead and plan the hand almost like a chess master.

If we take a decisive and final action like folding or even calling on the river closing action, it typically dont need a lot of reasoning. We fold, because we dont think, its profitable to continue, or we call, because we think, we have the best hand often enough. Thats pretty much all, there is to it, and its more about hand reading and putting our opponent on a range than having a reason. Hopefully we dont call on the river, because of irrational reasons like "I know I am beat, but my hand is to pretty to fold", or "I want to see, what he have"

Hi I consider I poker is Russian roulette Just as lucky

 

[scubed]

This post is a good reminder to "think!" So many times I get in a hurry and forget to ask myself "why I am doing something."

 

[ROYALROAD]

If you are a beginner, you will understand various things while playing tightly.
Please play tightly.

 

[jay_nemi]

Solid advice - thanks for this reminder. Every action should be done with some reason in mind.