Where to start?

[salim271]

If you go broke (maybe you won't I have.) it might be a good idea not to redeposit. The freerolls are tough but the DD freeroll and Ferguson can teach you a lot especially in the later stages where it literally becomes a steal fest, you'll learn to pick your spots to steal your way to a big stack, its really fun actually. MTTs are decent training for SnGs but I would definitely check out some of the stuff on STTs on the site.

 

[PattyR]

once you hit your 65 posts ..requests entry into our CC freeroll club.

Their you can practice your skills on real money tournaments and maybe even get a jumpstart on your bankroll. gl on your future play

 

[forsakenone]

dude, you sayd you deposited 100 dollars and from what i understand they are on pokerstars. well why don't you play the 10c tournaments with 360 people in it? i have played hundreds of those, it really improved my game.

anyway, so many people giving you advice, trust me, different people learn different ways and they will try to teach you their way, problem is that we all go our own way.

little green book is a good start, i must agree. plus you can always search on you tube, just search for poker videos, you will find plenty of information, give yourself some time, don't try to learn it all at once. you learn by making mistakes and by losing.

 

[dantheman91]

Honestly, the 10k 9 player SNGs on Pokerstars have pretty good players. Of course you have the donks, but the small .25/$1 SNGs have those as well. So, if you want experience w/out risk to the BR try out the 10k play money SNGs on Pokerstars. Anything lower then that is pretty donk like.

 

[Pokertron3000]

If you have already deposited then I would use your real money, play money just isnt the same. Sit and goes are good because they can give you a good hour of playing experience but they can also make transition to cash games tougher for some players. Here is why I think you should try a few weeks of sngs-

Get use to the software on your site. Play some 9 man sngs.

Start watching other players and see what you can learn about their play, try and guess what hands people have while you watch, soon you can get all sorts of information and start getting some great info. Start thinking of the best way to counter each player.

Make notes on these players.

Play tight early unless you get a great hand while you learn. If you are going out first or second alot then your playing to many hands.

Start of by learning about what starting hands you should play IE AA is a great starting hand 7-2 not so great.

Try to learn about cards you need to improve your hand or "outs"

Get some games under your wing just experience poker for a while but you need to learn about Why position is important and how to use it, Sizing your bets correctly, and when to get aggresive.

This forum has soom good stuff post hands your unsure off, ask questions about concepts you are struggling with.

Use good bankroll management, its probally best you search up on that there are various different ideas on that, basically dont go broke quickly, good luck.

Sorry if this is incoherantt its late here and didnt plan on posting...

 

[kmixer]

Here is something that you must keep in mind and never ever forget it. The books you are reading are not geared towards how to win at play money games or even micro limits. They were written for the most part with higher stakes in mind. If you try to apply these book smarts to these games you will lose because people do not fold in these games and live for the dream flop/suckout.

If you are going to play a beginer strategy have a look at the first chapter of Daniel Negraneu's book on Low Ball poker.

I would also advise that you play only play money to learn more about what hands will get you to the river. Starting selection is such a huge part of any poker game and position is critical.

 

[ZZFLOP]

Whatever you do, stick to one thing, I started playing MTT's and the occasional STT, but I lost most what I won at the cash table.

There's a different set of skills required to play cash/MTT/STT, there are also nuances between 6 max, HU, full ring.

So my advice would be to play what suits you best and try to get as good as possible in that specific game.

glglglgl !

 

[perry]

Hey everyone, joined cardschat.com today and hoping to learn a TON from you all! So far it seems like there's a lot of information here, so I'm feeling pretty confident. ....................>>

Suggest you join the fulltiltpoker Academy and read some of the sessions and lessons. Lots of good stuff there.

Good Luck:tee:

 

[hayelet]

Poker Orifice: Yeah, I've read that it's important to play tight-aggressive in order to win in the long run. I've tried playing like that, but I think I over-think certain things. I lost 5$ in one hand because I called an all-in bet, where I was certain he was bluffing. He kept showing weakness throughout the play (I had AK suited, flopped top pair), he checked and called only until the river (which was a random low card, no draws, and he went all-in). Turned out he had three of a kind 3's at the flop. Really showed me that I just need to play only the best hands, seems like playing "by the charts" work better for the micros. I guess you're right about the real money suggestions, I've gotten so much great advice now that it wouldn't even make sense if it was in order to make money off me. I got the Little Green Book today, so I'm gonna be reading that a few times, then start playing SNG again (without applying the more advanced strategies) and probably will try tournaments later on. Do you have suggestions for online guides, I've found a lot but most just explain the basic rules of the game and some self-explanatory stuff.

joemac696969: Thanks, good luck to you too. I'll try to read some more and then start out with the micros again, I really don't like play money if I can be a break-even player with real money.

salim271: You mean Full Tilt, or cardschat? I'll definitely check out freerolls when I have 65 posts, might be a while though.

PattyR: Thanks, you too!

Mr McCluskey: A lot of good advice, thanks! I've tried paying attention to other players, some of the first games I played I noticed I was able to steal the blinds constantly, others people would call all the time. I've read about position as well, offers a lot of strategic advantages for sure, though reads are hard with so many random calls. I also need to learn to calculate the outs and odds quicker, or just memorize it.

kmixer: Yeah, I've noticed that. Other than starting hands, I know the strategy is pretty much useless. Still, I feel it'll only help me in the long run to get an idea of how the game work at higher stakes and tournaments, since I don't plan on playing micros forever. I might check out Daniel Negreanu's book, though I got the Little Green Book already and shipping costs are expensive!

ZZFLOP: Thanks, I think I'll stick to SNG for now and try tournaments later on. I'll learn about the strategies of each type of game before I play in them.

perry: I already joined, problem is I already deposited with PokerStars. I guess I could cash-out and join Full Tilt, but I've heard it's a lot more competitive. It's too bad I can't access most of their videos now, and seems like you can end up losing a lot of money completing their challenges, if you need them before you can start playing winning poker!

 

[suit2please]

Lost $5 in one hand? How much is your bankroll? I would have to guess you are playing too high of stakes unless you deposited a lot or had tripled up on the 2NL tables. If playing cash I would stick to 2NL as a beginner.

Seriously practice good BRM its not that people don't want you winning more money, its there so you never go broke. Some people seem to think by going up in stakes they will win more because their are less "donks" but if you can't beat the worst players at the lowest limits what would make you think you can beat the "better" players at the next level.

*Im a SnG player and I now really hate playing in the $1 9 person SnGs, but I worked my way though them and think that everybody should work their way up as you learn a lot.

 

[hayelet]

My bankroll was 100$, so I figured a 5% buyin was okay. It was actually a low stakes game, I was just an idiot and desperate to make up for the money I lost. Which is why I'm not gonna play for a while, I need to learn the game MUCH better before I make more mistakes like the way I played that hand. I need to stop trying to put too much into reads and just go by the odds. I've tried both the lowest limits (00.2/00.4 I think) and the slightly higher ones (00.5/0.10), and actually didn't find any difference between the players. I won a lot at first, then lost even more because I kept wanting to win it all back. I'm usually not that emotional, I think I was just angry because I felt like I was playing better than the guys I lost a lot to all of a sudden, and they just got lucky (excuses huh!). I agree that I should learn to play against them though, I don't want to risk losing more money than I can afford. Thanks.

 

[bazerk]

Suggest you join the FulltiltPoker Academy and read some of the sessions and lessons. Lots of good stuff there.
Good Luck:tee:

...
perry: I already joined, problem is I already deposited with PokerStars. I guess I could cash-out and join Full Tilt, but I've heard it's a lot more competitive. It's too bad I can't access most of their videos now, and seems like you can end up losing a lot of money completing their challenges, if you need them before you can start playing winning poker!

Welcome hayelet!

You've already taken a step into the right direction by joining a poker forum, esp CC (I'm a registered member @ several but only lurk there on occasion, CC is the only one I participate in).

If you haven't had an opp to yet, I suggest checking out the info located under the Strategy Articles tab in addition to the threads in the Golden Archive:

https://www.cardschat.com/poker-strategy.php

https://www.cardschat.com/f49/

There's been quite a bit of advice provided in this thread; it's good you're able to differentiate between what methods will work with your learning style.

If I understand your above response correctly, you're already a member @ FT? Even if you haven't deposited, you're able to access a limited # of the FT Academy lessons. What might work is to preview the various topics that you're interested in & then search for threads on that/those topic(s) here @ CC (the 'Search' option is located next to the 'Log Out' option).

Since it appears the 'Play Money' tables aren't working for you (I haven't used this method so I don't have any pro or con perceptions about this route) perhaps choosing a poker concept that you want to practice on & then registering in a freeroll @ FT or PS or another site to practice the concept might work? For example, I'm working on becoming more adept @ stealing blinds so that is a concept I will practice in the freeroll environment...it does not cost me anything to enter & my goal is not to be ITM, make the Final Table, or take the tournament down so if I get KOed it does not matter...my objective is to learn &/or improve a specific concept to develop into a habit that I can carry into buy-in games (& freerolls are constantly available so there multiple 'training' opps).

https://www.cardschat.com/forum/learning-poker-57/learning-technique-168240/

GL.

 

[TheKAAHK]

Well, this will probably get lost in the sea of posts that is this topic, but I'll give my 2 cents anyways. Personally I think the best thing you could do to apply the basic and not so basic aspects of the game that you have alreadsy learned, is to find a person (either live or online) who you can bounce ideas and concepts off of. After reading the countless books and watching the countless videos available, it's easy to get lost in a sea of information and not know where to start applying it.

So, find a poker buddy. Somebody to discuss hands, and odds, and plays with. Somebody who can help you visualize things and put what you've learned into play. This had personally helped me go from marginally winning to consistently winning (somewhat ) player. Plus, it's great to have somebody to modivate you when you get discouraged.

Oh, one more thing that may help. Try to work on one aspect of your game at a time. It's far easier that juggling everything at once. One session, work on playing strictly odds/position. Next one try some stealing methods, ect. Might take a little while longer to recoup any losses incurred during said training sessions, but once you get comfortable with those methods it will pay back in spades. Good luck out there!

 

[Tangerine 53]

I'm usually not that emotional, I think I was just angry because I felt like I was playing better than the guys I lost a lot to all of a sudden, and they just got lucky (excuses huh!). I agree that I should learn to play against them though, I don't want to risk losing more money than I can afford. Thanks.[/quote]

Hayelet - welcome to the world of tilt! You may well have been playing better than the rest of the table - heck you could have been playing perfectly - and sometimes you take a bad beat and it can unravel. It sounds like you're doing the right thing in not entering a game beyond your bankroll so keep doing that. I would:

• Play one hand at a time. The last hand has gone and there isn't anything you can do to affect the result whether you won or lost.
• Learn from the hands you play whether you won or lost including learning about your opponents.
• Keep practising good Bankroll management - there are other threads on here that talk about that so I won't repeat them.
• Make the percentage plays rather than hoping for the best. Over time (unless you are really unlucky!) it will work out for you.
• If you are getting on tilt hit the 'sit out' button and take a small break to retune yourself. The table will still be there when you get back.
• Set yourself a 'stop loss' limit - e.g. walk away if you lose more than (say) 50% of your buy in. Some would also advocate a 'stop win' limit also.

I'm no expert and still learning myself so all these lessons I have to keep telling my self every time I play also! Good luck at the tables!

 

[hayelet]

bazerk: Thanks a bunch man! I'm really happy to be here for sure, so many helpful people already. It's really cool. I've checked out some more of the FT lessons, the SNG one and a few others. It's a great idea to find "inspiration" there and then look for it elsewhere, didn't think about that. I still need to finish Phil Gordon's book, been so busy with school lately. I'll bring it with me on the train to school from now on!

ThaKAAHK: That's a great idea, about the poker buddy thing! Too bad I don't really know anyone else who plays, even though online poker is supposed to be very popular in Scandinavia. I'll try to focus on one aspect at a time like you said, later when I have the general idea of the basics down.

Tangerine 53: That's a great post, a lot of useful info! Haha tell me about it, tilt sucks, I've found out the hard way. Down 30$ and not gonna touch Poker for a while, I really don't want to lose any more than I have to. I'll try to keep your guidelines in mind the next time I play.

rooney_mu: As you can see I'm no expert, but I'd recommend always trying to learn (like I'm doing) and just play the micro stakes very carefully, and learn bankroll management like others have said. I've lost a lot myself so I'm definitely not the one to tell you HOW to win, just repeating the advice that people have given in this thread already.

Thanks to everyone for all the kind and helpful replies, I'm really happy to have found this site. Though I don't have much to say most of the time, since I'm still trying to learn, I will keep reading here and hopefully be more active soon enough!

 

[MicroStakesManiac]

OK, you've gotten a tremendous amount of advice. Some quick thoughts:

A) Play Money --
I played it for 6 weeks before I played a cash game (I'm cheap and Stars of course gave me the $5). You will get comfortable with the interface and you'll learn some basics.

No, you won't learn how to beat cash games. But guess what -- every level requires you to learn how to play at that specific level. If you can't consistently, easily beat the level you're playing at, including play money, then you haven't demonstrated that you are ready for the next level. I couldn't beat 10/20 Play Money when I started. I had 700K PM when I started playing real cash.

GL.

 

[MicroStakesManiac]

This thread inspired me to post a blog article on Play Money called "When you’re new to Poker, should you play with Play Money?".

Check it out!
--MSM
http://microstakesmaniac.com/