Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

best way to improve my game

  • 24-06-2008 11:51pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭


    ok here's the story. im a student who has gotten very involved in poker over the last year and play on a regular basis. i play in local tourneys, online cash games and sometimes live cash. basically im frustrated at the fact that my poker earnings are so unstable. sometimes i go on good runs in tourneys and cash games and other nights i just spew away all my money.

    i feel im a capable player but have ALOT to learn. however i honestly dont get too much from this forum (not trying to take a dig). would i be better to give my opinon more often or to read articles on 2+2? i havent read a poker book yet but would there be a point now as i know the basics well? just wondering the best ways to improve ?

    THANKS


Comments

  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Read everything here.

    Also get Harrington on Hold Em 1 & 2. (Thank you RJ for that one, I started number 2 today.)

    That's a good start I think. Certainly what I have done/am doing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    Read everything here.

    Also get Harrington on Hold Em 1 & 2. (Thank you RJ for that one, I started number 2 today.)

    That's a good start I think. Certainly what I have done/am doing.


    thanks man, will make a start on those threads tomorrow!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,158 ✭✭✭BobSloane


    Probably coaching. I'd get coaching if it wasn't for my deadly personality traits of pride,laziness and fear of finding out for sure how much i actually suck


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    BobSloane wrote: »
    Probably coaching. I'd get coaching if it wasn't for my deadly personality traits of pride,laziness and fear of finding out for sure how much i actually suck

    not too sure about that. anyone else ever got coaching? how does it work?


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Some of the posters here give coaching. I know some of them are very good too. The arrangement is usually a private one so start a thread with a "Looking for coaching: PM please" title and you should get all the info you need.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    also just wondering what sub forums i should focus on on 2+2? i think i want to mostly play live tournaments with the odd bit of .50/1 online cash games. thanks.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    The PL/NL NLHE Small Stakes forum

    The Beginner's Questions forum.

    Also if you are interested the MTT Strat Forum.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,997 ✭✭✭Degag


    ok here's the story. im a student who has gotten very involved in poker over the last year and play on a regular basis. i play in local tourneys, online cash games and sometimes live cash. basically im frustrated at the fact that my poker earnings are so unstable. sometimes i go on good runs in tourneys and cash games and other nights i just spew away all my money.

    i feel im a capable player but have ALOT to learn. however i honestly dont get too much from this forum (not trying to take a dig). would i be better to give my opinon more often or to read articles on 2+2? i havent read a poker book yet but would there be a point now as i know the basics well? just wondering the best ways to improve ?

    THANKS

    Lol, i hope your sig isn't an indictment of what your game is like.... My advice is to play away at a level you are comfortable at and learn that way. Be prepared to lose at the beginning but it should give you a good basis for future earnings.

    I don't think there are many poker players on the planet who haven't lost a small bit of money to learn the game.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,201 ✭✭✭Macspower


    Key to consistant winnings I believe is BR management first and foremost...

    then read loads... join card runners.... get coaching if you think it might help... I did a lot of sessions with the jellyfish (hectorjelly) and it certainly helped me become a winning player ( still not a lucky one though).. I did mine in person but it's also available over the internet most using a program where they can see your cards etc...

    let us know what you decide and how it goes.... and GL


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,461 ✭✭✭RedJoker




  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭pocketdooz


    Alright mate,

    I'm not as experienced as some of the people on this forum but have been playing consistently for about 2 and 1/2 years now and over c.25,000 hands online and roughly 30 live tournaments I am ahead .... but in live cash games in the Fitz and the Emporium I am down. It is important to recognise where you win and where you lose on average (and try to identify why)

    Some things I would suggest are :

    (i) Buy Pokertracker and import all your hands from the online games. Find out if you are up or down and where you are winning (i.e. see if you are playing better at 6max or 10max ring games, Sit and Gos, MTTs etc.)
    Pokertracker will also allow you to find some holes in our game and post hands on boards or 2+2 that you have questions about.

    (ii) Keep an Excel spreadsheet of your winnings and losses in live games, including cash games in the casinos, home games and heads-up games with mates. Keep track of everything and do not fall victim to the trap of overemphasising your wins and dampening your losses. Be honest with it. Again - identify where you are winning and losing.

    (iii) Do not play while you are drinking or smoking.

    (iv) Concentrate - try and identify how your opponents play. How often do they raise pre-flop ? What do they limp with p.f. ? How often do they re-raise? How do they play QQ, KK, AA? Most € 1/2 players and home game players rarely mix up their game and after a few hours you can come up with an analysis of them. Stick to this analysis until proved otherwise

    If this is hard for you, just concentrate on the person to your right who will be betting into you. Then include the person to your immediate left who you will be betting into, then move on to include the person two to your right. This should be a good start.

    (iv) Bankroll mgt. is extremely important - there are 2 good articles in the sticky section on boards. One or two things I would say about br.mgt would be to play within your comfort zone. This is extremely important - when you sit down at a table and buy-in for 300 euro, this is no longer money, these are your equipment you need to do your job. Think about them like a carpenter with his nails. He doesn't count the cost of these nails - he just uses them to do his job.

    A good suggestion is that if you are playing € 1/2 NLHE, then the buyin is €200 and you need c. 25/30 buyins so your bankroll if € 1/2 NLHE is your game should be around €5000 / €6000 = your poker bankroll. If not, drop down levels and grind away online. This is essential as it will help you get through the variance of the game and will allow you play your best game without worrying about the face value of your chips in play.

    (v) When you are playing, do not consider yourself up or down for a session, letting this influence whether to stop or not. Before you start, set aside a number of hours to play (3 - 5 hours is my optimum), this is especially important online.

    If the game is very tough, or you are not playing well - LEAVE.

    If the game is very weak or you are playing your best game - STAY.

    But, do not stay or leave, just because you are up or down for the session. The game will always be there again tomorrow - if you have bought in for 200 and have 64 left (for example) and feel you are outmatched or tired etc. - don't start playing like an idiot to try and win the 200 back so you can leave (read that again!) - put that 64 back in your bankroll and play another day. It took me a long time to have this discipline but now I do this - I see a big change.

    (vi) Read a book or two. The obvious one for tournaments and it IS as good as the hype is Harrington on HoldEm, number 1 and 2. You can get both of them for € 40/50 for the two of them and they are well worth it. Another one I thought was great was The Theory of Poker by Sklansky and Tournament Poker by TJ Cloutier.

    For cash games - Super System 1 and 2 are worth a look. You could pick all of these up on ebay.com or amazon.com for around 100 euro, all in if you find a good deal. (dollar being as weak as it is it is better to buy through the US sites)

    If you PM me I can sort you out with a PDF version of some of these.

    Remember to enjoy the game - it is a game, don't forget. Unless it is your full-time job or you are playing at the very highest levels, do not become so serious about it that it becomes any fun anymore. But also, remember that it is far more fun to be a winning player than a losing player !


    I hope this helps, if you have any other suggestions for me they would be appreciated.

    The best of luck,


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,012 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    nice post


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,537 ✭✭✭Ste05


    so start a thread with a "Looking for coaching: PM please" title and you should get all the info you need.
    Just a little aside, not meaning to de-rail a good thread, but don't do this. Put it in your sig or PM the likes of Valor or HectorJelly on here, I'm not sure who else offers coaching, but TBH, I wouldn't bother with coaching yet, follow all the advice above and when you truly master the basics, then think about coaching...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭pocketdooz


    Bankroll Management Link - important

    http://www.texasholdem-poker.com/bankroll-management


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,097 ✭✭✭✭zuroph


    related; to those with decent bankrolls, did you lose much at the start before getting going?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,004 ✭✭✭pok3rplaya


    Play me HU and I'll learn ye


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    wow some great replies here. thanks for putting the time and effort in. didnt expect such positive feedback tbh! i think the main thing i need to do over the next few days is get through all the articles linked here as they look very interesting. i have to give special thanks to pocketdooz as i can see he put in a lot of effort to help me out. much appreciated and i can see that so much of your article affects me.
    pocketdooz wrote: »
    It is important to recognise where you win and where you lose on average (and try to identify why)

    i am quite sure my main losses come from live cash games which i know i shouldnt play because of my bankroll. its just whenever im knocked out of a tournament and see a cash table of 4-5 players that i know i can beat i think i have to sit down. i honestly cant remember the last time i left a live cash game happy. so an end to them. my main winnings come from winning local tourneys as there is always quite a large prizepool and ive been doing well in these lately. i think this along with online cash games is what i will focus on. for the past 2-3 months ive been playing .25/.50 and lately just have found it so straightforward and boring so i moved up to .50/1 which has proved thus far to be very different. it seems at .25/50 players are unwilling to get involved in big pots and can often be so easily pushed around whereas at .50/1 players seem to never want to fold a hand. they seem to think theres value in every hand no matter what they have. i just didnt think i could play my normal game so i have moved back down. any .50/1 regulars have any tips?
    pocketdooz wrote: »
    Some things I would suggest are :

    (i) Buy Pokertracker and import all your hands from the online games. Find out if you are up or down and where you are winning (i.e. see if you are playing better at 6max or 10max ring games, Sit and Gos, MTTs etc.)
    Pokertracker will also allow you to find some holes in our game and post hands on boards or 2+2 that you have questions about.

    im guilty of having still not set up a poker account even though ive planned on doing so for a good while. instead i go into a local snooker club that lets you play irish eyes poker on a public account. i will set one up soon though!
    pocketdooz wrote: »
    (ii) Keep an Excel spreadsheet of your winnings and losses in live games, including cash games in the casinos, home games and heads-up games with mates. Keep track of everything and do not fall victim to the trap of overemphasising your wins and dampening your losses. Be honest with it. Again - identify where you are winning and losing.

    this is something i did for a while but for some reason stopped. will start that from today.
    pocketdooz wrote: »
    (iv) Bankroll mgt. is extremely important - there are 2 good articles in the sticky section on boards. One or two things I would say about br.mgt would be to play within your comfort zone.

    this might not go down well with the poker community but i really give little consideration to br management mainly because i dont have my own poker account. basically i have a certain amount in the bank and just take out what i need for the night's tournament or take out 100 or so for the internet poker. i dont seperate what is "poker money" and otherwise. obviously i have to give this more consideration but if you play mainly live tourneys should it affect your bankroll? i play every tourney from a range of 10 euro in to 100. would not go over this though.
    pocketdooz wrote: »
    (v) When you are playing, do not consider yourself up or down for a session, letting this influence whether to stop or not. Before you start, set aside a number of hours to play (3 - 5 hours is my optimum), this is especially important online.

    If the game is very tough, or you are not playing well - LEAVE.

    If the game is very weak or you are playing your best game - STAY.

    But, do not stay or leave, just because you are up or down for the session. The game will always be there again tomorrow - if you have bought in for 200 and have 64 left (for example) and feel you are outmatched or tired etc. - don't start playing like an idiot to try and win the 200 back so you can leave (read that again!) - put that 64 back in your bankroll and play another day. It took me a long time to have this discipline but now I do this - I see a big change.

    i think this is great advice and relates to live cash game poker for me mostly. nearly everytime i have played i go down a certain amount and feel i have to win some back before i can leave. i seem to always think the risk of losing my last 100 to win 50 and break even is worth it. obviously you can see i need to stay away from these cash games. i do the same online i think but i dont notice it as much. probably just due to the difference in amounts of money i have in both situations.


    pocketdooz wrote: »
    Remember to enjoy the game - it is a game, don't forget. Unless it is your full-time job or you are playing at the very highest levels, do not become so serious about it that it becomes any fun anymore. But also, remember that it is far more fun to be a winning player than a losing player !


    I hope this helps, if you have any other suggestions for me they would be appreciated.

    The best of luck,

    great post mate. thanks alot.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    Tackle69 wrote: »
    My advice is to play away at a level you are comfortable at and learn that way. Be prepared to lose at the beginning but it should give you a good basis for future earnings.

    i think the reason i have been getting somewhat frustrated lately playing poker is because i already went through a long enough stage of losing and lately i have been doing quite well. i find some sessions i play very good and usually have a fair idea where i am in certain situations. however, in the past few weeks, there have been just as many sessions where im unsure of what im doing and i just end up making stupid moves and donking all my chips away. maybe im playing too much or not enough lol? i think for now the best thing is for me to get through all the recommedned articles from kayroo and redjoker.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭The Al Lad


    This will make you a better player

    Justformenginger.jpg


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,615 ✭✭✭Mr.Plough




  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 685 ✭✭✭Get In There


    This thread is great. One for the bookmark. Will read it properly.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,537 ✭✭✭Ste05


    Mr.Plough wrote: »
    This is a link to IMO the greatest Poker mind in the World at the minute who puts pen to paper. Read all of these, some of them are hard going but if you can understand even 25% of what's written you'll have a huge advantage on most players.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,656 ✭✭✭dannydiamond


    Ste05 wrote: »
    This is a link to IMO the greatest Poker mind in the World at the minute who puts pen to paper. Read all of these, some of them are hard going but if you can understand even 25% of what's written you'll have a huge advantage on most players.


    I completely agree,this guy really is the business and what's so refreshing is that he genuinely wants to impart his knowledge to anyone who's willing to listen and he doesn't seem to have a big ego problem like most of the high stakes regs.

    Definately read all of these articles Mighty Ducks and re-read them every month or so while on your learning curve,and i'm sure you'll get more from them each time..GL


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 291 ✭✭babymaker6


    great post pocketdooz wp


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,537 ✭✭✭Ste05


    babymaker6 wrote: »
    great post pocketdooz wp
    Actually it is completely spot on. Very nice pocketdooz....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,537 ✭✭✭Ste05


    this might not go down well with the poker community but i really give little consideration to br management mainly because i dont have my own poker account.
    Don't worry about what the poker community thinks, but seriously BR management is the #1 skill that seperates winning players from losing players. It doesn't matter how good you are without BR management you are guaranteed to go broke. Without BR management it's basically the same as getting a tip from Farmer Joe from down the street about a Horse racing tomorrow at Kempton and putting all your money on him. You might get lucky and win big or you might go broke. If this is tempting fire away, if not listen to what people tell you about BR management. Not many people starting off (or even those who have been playing for years) understand just how important BR management is. Just wait until you've blown a few 4 or 5 figure BR' s to understand what I'm talking about.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 730 ✭✭✭aodea


    a useful thread very useful proud of ya boys i was thinking that boards was becoming usless. i really rate the articles in bluff.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭pocketdooz


    zuroph wrote: »
    related; to those with decent bankrolls, did you lose much at the start before getting going?

    My bankroll is still modest enough but . . .

    would be interested in hearing from some of the other posters here - Theresonlyone, Ste, BCB etc.etc. - to answer this question


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,097 ✭✭✭✭zuroph


    pocketdooz wrote: »
    My bankroll is still modest enough but . . .

    would be interested in hearing from some of the other posters here - Theresonlyone, Ste, BCB etc.etc. - to answer this question
    still no replies. im guessin no1 talks money around here! :( just wondering, cos before iv thought about taking it seriously pokertracker has spat back a number at me that shocked me a bit.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    thanks for the link mr plough - some very interesting reads there thus far.

    Ste05 wrote: »
    Don't worry about what the poker community thinks, but seriously BR management is the #1 skill that seperates winning players from losing players. It doesn't matter how good you are without BR management you are guaranteed to go broke. Without BR management it's basically the same as getting a tip from Farmer Joe from down the street about a Horse racing tomorrow at Kempton and putting all your money on him. You might get lucky and win big or you might go broke. If this is tempting fire away, if not listen to what people tell you about BR management. Not many people starting off (or even those who have been playing for years) understand just how important BR management is. Just wait until you've blown a few 4 or 5 figure BR' s to understand what I'm talking about.

    i can see how important it is to have good BR management when you're playing online but what about a player who focuses mainly on live tournaments? like i said i play a large range of tournaments (none bigger than weekly 100 euro FO though) so should i just say each week i will spend no more than 3-400 on poker tournaments no matter how my results go or is there a better way? would appreciate some help with this.

    cheers to all the replies. some great advice and links!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭pocketdooz


    Mighty Ducks, glad you got something from the reply I wrote before.

    From your responses I can see that one of the first things you should do if you are serious about increasing your bankroll while playing online cash games is setup your own online account and leave Irish Eyes alone. If you PM me I can run through a few options with you as it's not allowed to quote rakeback deals / bonuses etc. here. Especially at these lower levels (50nl . . . i.e. 0.25c / 0.50c) you can add significantly to your bankroll simply through availing of the 100% match offers given out by certain poker rooms and then shopping around after that for another one and so on.

    With regard to your point that you will only play tournaments live and not cash games, it's possible that one of your weaknesses about playing live is in fact your bankroll. Playing out of your depth encourages bad / scared play. What I mean is if you take € 300 out of your weekly wage to play poker, then that is exactly what it is on the table - €300, two days work, a weekend away, one weeks mortgage payment etc.etc. If you operate efficient bankroll management, then it ceases to be this - it becomes a simple matter of chips. Then you have a better chance of playing your best game. It becomes 'One Buy-In', of which you have thirty. I hope that's a clear explanation ?

    Aside from that, if you plan to play tournaments live and this is your game of choice, fair play. You said you are getting good results doing this and that's great. You must have a solid game. With regard to your question below

    "i said i play a large range of tournaments (none bigger than weekly 100 euro FO though) so should i just say each week i will spend no more than 3-400 on poker tournaments no matter how my results go or is there a better way?"

    spending 300 - 400 euro per week on poker tournaments no matter how your results go is a sure fire way of going broke, over and over again . . .

    Again, I reiterate, that this following opinion is only if you are adamant about playing live tournaments.

    It's a good idea to start with a figure. Let's say start with €1000. Set aside this amount, indepentantly of any other money you have and indepentantly of your online poker bankroll. Now choose which tournaments you are going to play. Now start an Excel spreadsheet. Keep a record of all your expenses for these tournaments - costs of entry, registration fees, travel, tips etc. Be honest with yourself ! ;)

    Here are a list of all the freezeouts in town that are €50 or below to enter

    Fitzwilliam
    (ii) Tuesday night - 50 + 5 - Doublechance Freezeout

    Emporium
    (ii)Thursday night - 50 + 5 - Double Chance Freezeout
    (iv)Sunday night - 50 + 5 - Freezeout

    CHL's
    (i) Monday night - 25 + 5 - Double Chance Freezeout
    (iii) Wednesday night - 25 + 5 - Freezeout
    (iv) Thursday night - 50 + 5 - Double Chance Freezeout
    (vi) Saturday night - 50 + 5 - Freezeout

    Jackpot
    (i) Tuesday night - 50 + 5 - Deepstack Freezeout
    (ii) Wed night - 40 + 5 - Freezeout
    (iii) Thursday night - 20 + 3 - Freezeout

    There are some other tournaments that are under €50 but they are re-buys (namely CHLs on Sunday and the Fitz on Wednesdays and some others) but you said you only play freezeouts. Now, choose how many you will play per week. You mentioned 3 - so choose which ones. With a €1000 bankroll you will go busto if you play c.17 x €50 tournaments without cashing (extremely possible with the variance in these things). As Coillcam pointed out in another post

    "It's much more likely you'll be busto as the risk of ruin playing off a 20-25 Buyin MTT roll is quite high. Roughly cashing 1 in 6 means that you will cash approximately 4 times in 25 tourneys for example. Therefore from those 4 cashes you really need a seriously deep finish at least twice to cover all your buy-ins, never mind show profit"

    So you will need to be sure you have an edge at these games and they have enough players that will make it worth while cashing in them. As of July, Cool Hand Lukes Monday and Wednesday tournaments will be €500 guaranteed and the Thursday and Saturday one are €1000 guaranteed. I believe these guaranteed payouts will attract alot of runners. The Fitz always has a good amount of runners on a Tuesday night and the Emporium's Sunday night game is good value too (but a thinner field recently). The Jackpot tournaments are unpredictable, numbers-wise but they usually have a decent amount of runners on Wednesday night and Thursday night. In my opinion - the structure in CHLs is the best with 25 minute blinds and no antes.

    It's possible to play three freezeouts per week in town for €135 total. This will allow you last 8 weeks roughly without cashing before you go bust ! If you go bust after 8 weeks - maybe it's not your calling yet and you should grind away online at smaller buy-in tourneys and STT to improve your final table performance. If you are running amuk and your bankroll is growing exponentially then keep it going.

    I play three a week around town and am up considerably overall but I keep this seperate from my other BR and really use it as a social thing, to improve my game so I can move up and play bigger tourneys in the future, to have a night out without drinking etc.etc. - I don't really use it as an aim to win money - that's what online cash grinding is for !!

    I hope this post is helpful - it's my opinion and take what you like out of it and discard the rest. What I would be pretty sure about is that your initial question of just paying 3 - 400 euros into tourneys every week and seeing how things go is NOT the way to go - there's no way to evaluate your performance or see if you're beating these games. There is a theory in finance which basically states that we recognise monetary wins more than monetary losses and this happens in poker. You will remember (talk about !) your wins and cashes but your losses/buyins/registrations will slip out of your mind unless you keep a detailed record.

    I play around town in tourneys a good bit so hope to see you there.

    Good luck


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    great post again pocketdooz and some great advice that i will respond to tomorrow as im just heading out to play the largest buy-in tourney ive ever played in. hopefully all goes well. think i should have mentioned earlier im actually from Galway but thanks for the effort put into the dublin FO schedule and im sure it will benefit someone. as i said, i will reply to your post later!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 133 ✭✭Mighty Ducks22


    pocketdooz wrote: »
    It's possible to play three freezeouts per week in town for €135 total. This will allow you last 8 weeks roughly without cashing before you go bust ! If you go bust after 8 weeks - maybe it's not your calling yet and you should grind away online at smaller buy-in tourneys and STT to improve your final table performance. If you are running amuk and your bankroll is growing exponentially then keep it going.

    i have cooled down on the amount of tourneys i play and concentrate more now on doing my best every time i play. ive noticed a remarkable difference in my play & confidence at the table over the last 2-3 months and think im fastly getting a feel for all the different situations that arise in tournament poker. i feel i play my best when the table is short handed and approcahing the money as players are just scared to get involved. however it often annoys me how luck-based the final positioning can be. what i mean is that in the tourneys i usually play by the time we get to the final 3 its just shove shove shove because the blinds are usually so big and then its a matter of whoever picks up the best hand. i shouldnt really complain about this because i tend to have a phenomenal amount of lucky escapes at these stages in tourneys but i just wish there was more play involved when you reach the last few players.
    pocketdooz wrote: »
    I hope this post is helpful - it's my opinion and take what you like out of it and discard the rest. What I would be pretty sure about is that your initial question of just paying 3 - 400 euros into tourneys every week and seeing how things go is NOT the way to go - there's no way to evaluate your performance or see if you're beating these games. There is a theory in finance which basically states that we recognise monetary wins more than monetary losses and this happens in poker. You will remember (talk about !) your wins and cashes but your losses/buyins/registrations will slip out of your mind unless you keep a detailed record.

    couldnt agree more. its certainly nicer looking back over a big win than thinking about one of those nights where everything goes wrong and you walk out of the poker club empty pocketed.

    just a few quick questions that might spark some debate/covnersation for regular tourney players - how do you generally approach a standard tournament? lets say starting stack is 7500 with blinds starting at 25/50 and going through all the regular levels over a 25min period for each.

    is it important to get involved early on and try and build up a stack at this stage or is it better to be patient and pick off the right spots? the local tournaments i usually play i find are quite easy to accumulate chips in, whether it be early or later inthe tournament. however, i played a relatively big tournament lately that had some very competent players in it and i felt decision making here had to be very precise and spots had to be picked extremely well. all decisions i made i think were more marginal than concrete ones which was not good imo. it was probably due to lack of experience in big games and nerves but i realised every time i mucked or was shown a better hand i could have played the hand better.

    how important is table image and how would i best exploit mine?
    i think i am seen as a very aggressive player by those i play with regularly. i raise in position alot, raise limped pots, resteal etc. often my bluffs are called down by rag hands which frustrates me but i know there is a good side to being seen as such an aggressive player - when i do get hands i know i will get paid. now how should i adapt my style of play when i come to a table where i know no one and they dont know me. i can almost gurantee that after an hour most people at the table will have a mental note of me as being a serial raiser/uber-aggressive player. is this a bad image to have at a poker table? do you think it is easy to play against players like me? and how should i use this image to my advantage or should i try and create an image of a tight player, although this would be hard to do with my style of play.

    APPRECIATE ALL REPLIES!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,771 ✭✭✭TommyGunne


    zuroph wrote: »
    still no replies. im guessin no1 talks money around here! :( just wondering, cos before iv thought about taking it seriously pokertracker has spat back a number at me that shocked me a bit.

    I obv played poker when I was a kid with my mates or whatever but I wont count that. When I started playing live I ran sick hot and quickly span €50 into about €2500 in a summer playing €25 Pub F/Os. Didn't play for 6 months and life rake took my monies till I started playing again with circa €400. Grinded that to about €10000 playing live cash over the summer. Downswonged a bit. Stuck $500 online, blew the rest on life rake spun the $500 to $6000 in about 40k hands playing strictly bankrolled, downswonged to $5000, stuck $4500 in a bond, stepped down, grinded the $400 remaining to $5000, downswonged/tilted/played bad to $1100, reground to $5000, swonged down to $3200 and thats where I am now with numerous withdrawals not accounted for.

    There was never any time lag between putting money towards playing and making money. Then again I started with a good knowledge base cos my bro taught me pretty good before I started playing.

    These are pretty rough figures, and they don't include bonii or anything. I've had to make a hell of a lot of withdrawals from my BR over time cos I'm a busto student, and these aren't included, bar a few big ones.

    Basically I'm saying that you don't have to pay (monetarily) for your education if you start with a decent knowledge base.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,846 ✭✭✭Moneymaker


    I was going to make a thread like this but seeing this seeing how I am in a similar boat to the OP there's no need.

    Quality thread with some very useful and helpful stuff. Gj lads.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 822 ✭✭✭Tony_Montana


    Fantastic thread great read. ;)


Advertisement