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My 1000th Post -The Importance of Preparation
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17-02-2009 3:38pm#1
Firstly, I would like to say that Preparation in Poker is vital. When I first started off playing poker I made a ton of errors. I am going to tell you how I made some key errors so you don’t make the same mistakes when you start off playing online.
I started off playing freerolls and after a few months I decided to set up a real money account, this was the start of many mistakes that I’m sure lots of online poker players made through online poker.
On the 13/06/05, I posted a thread on here asking for the best poker site.
And here it is - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=267432
Without any thought I set up a Paddypower account and that was it, I was playing poker online. Why is this a mistake you may ask. Well for a number of reasons.
You are probably thinking I am going to say I set up a real money account too early. Well no, this was not a mistake. I feel after a month or so of playing freerolls you will understand the basics of Poker and if you play too much freerolls you will get bad habits. You will get a perception that you are playing good poker when in truth you are playing a poor game to beat the freerolls. This will make you deluded to think you are a good player when infact you are playing a game that will not beat good players. The only way to learn how to play proper poker is to play a real money account.
So what did I do wrong? The most important thing to do is read as much about poker before you start. I never looked at all the numerous different sites online. Each site is different and you need a site that will suit the games you want to play. There are various sites online which tell you what games are played, the best bonuses and the best loyalty bonus accounts.
As I had never read anything, I didn’t even know sites offered a sign up bonus and I didn’t know what a loyalty bonus was. I just lodged money into my account and off I went. For the next three years I was playing online constantly never having a bonus or never having a rake back account. This was a vital mistake, looking back, it probably cost me about 40K in rake back. A sum that would have me nicely rolled at the moment.
Here is a good site to find the best loyalty bonus deals - http://www.vipupdated.com/signup/Ste05
The next vital mistake was having no bankroll management. I went on the account and decided to play whatever stake I felt like at that particular moment. I might chance my arm at 5/10 then drop back to 50/1 this is the most vital mistake any poker player can make. I know you are gambling every time you play poker, but by doing this you are bringing a big gamble/luck element to your game that isn’t necessary.
You need to know what level you should be playing to suit your bankroll.
This also applies to tournaments. A lot of poker players see a great valued tournament. They buy-in and it takes a large percentage of your bankroll away. You need to have bankroll management for tournament also. I would see a tournament with 50K guaranteed and the guarantee wouldn’t be close to breaking. Yes, this was a great tournament but at the time I wouldn’t have been rolled to enter it.
The next mistake was not reading much info about online poker on boards, poker sites and books.
I read a few threads but not many. I thought I was ready for online poker but as I said earlier I was playing a weak game to beat the freerolls. It is vital, to read as much as you can about online poker before you start. There are also, some great books out there on online poker and a book I regret that I didn’t read before starting out is ‘The Theory of Poker’ by David Sklansky.
Even, after all these fundamental mistakes I still managed to do quiet well of poker. However, if I had everything set out correctly I would have done extremely well at a time where online poker was weak. I was starting to run poor and decided to give online poker a break. Then Paddy Power introduced a new Casino link. I decided, to chance my arm at the Roulette wheel. This was my biggest regret to date, and before I knew it my poker bankroll was gone. I decided to take a break, try and get a roll together before I could get back online.
On the 25/07/2008 – I posted this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055342169
I felt I needed to put all my mistakes behind me and focus on the future.
I was determined to do everything right this time and I spend a full month preparing to get back online playing the game I love again.
This thread proved very useful and I got some interesting tips on what I should and should not be doing.
The first thing I did was draw out a set of rules that I could not break. However, as it was said in the thread I should change them to Aspirations. This is very true, I found it difficult to stick with the rules as I started off. One of my rules was never fall victim to the trap of overemphasising your wins and dampening your loses. Now, every poker player knows this is next to impossible to stick to. I would play a session, make a few hundred and go outside for a fag and feel on top of the world thinking I’m playing a load of donkeys, this is so easy. Then, the next hour I would go out feeling miserable and feeling sorry for myself. It’s just easier said than done!
Having said that, I feel having rules/aspirations makes you feel more in control which in turn reduces the tilt factor. I have the rules printed, laminated and stuck on the wall so I can read over them as I play poker.
I also have inspiring poker quotes stuck up around the office. This keeps me focused and also seems to reduce my tilt factor.
I then decided to read up about Holdem manager thoroughly and decided it would be a good additon. As it turned out it has been the greatest thing I have purchased to date. For all online players it is a must-get. I would be truly lost without it at the moment.
I also needed the correct set-up. I cleaned out the spare room and turned it into an office strictly for poker.
I then posted the below thread to find the best monitor/monitors to suit playing between 4-12 tables.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055332586
I searched and searched to find the best monitor and I came up with this one.
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=347592
All I needed to do now was find a shop that had it. I rang numerous shops around Ireland and eventually found a PC World in Co. Down that had them. So off I went and got two of them. They are perfect for my room and are a great buy for anyone looking for a good-sized monitor.
I then thought to myself what else did I need? I decided to go all out and get a new mouse that suited my rapid clicks
and a new keyboard. I then decided to go to the local stationary shop and get a new big poker folder to keep all my printed documents and to keep a business account on all my poker transaction history. I made out sections for online cash, online tournaments, live cash and live tournaments. This I feel was a great idea as now I feel in total control of what I do and all my silly mistakes are all put behind me.
I then searched for a site that suited my game that also offered me a good loyalty bonus deal and sign up bonus. I joined Uncover and finally after a month of solid preparation I was ready to play online poker again.
I started off playing 50/1 as it was the stake that suited my bankroll.
After just 1 week I had made $4393. Which was 43 buyins which was well above my expectation and is fantastic by any standard.
I am now on the Uncover Academy where I keep a blog http://uncoverpokerblog.com/ and I am enjoying every minute of online poker.
Overall, I feel without having the proper approach and preparation to online poker, every online poker player will strike a hurdle that they cannott surpass and in turn won’t succeed in playing online. So do yourself a favour and prepare before you start. Good luck at the tables.
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Nice thread DT. I didn't think you were capable of so many big words
. Man i made the same mistakes when i first started out i just wish i read something like this at the start. PS. well done on winning in Lawlors last night. I couldn't get at your big stack :cool: 0 -
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Really good read, congrats on all the success, are you doing this Full Time now??
How many hours/tables are you playing a week?? And how many did you put in for the first week, (very impressive BTW...)Good read, how many hours/hands are you managing to get in on a weekly basis?
I play between 6-12 tables. My times vary, on average only about 5 hours a day at the mo. My first week i put in around 9 hours a day.0 -
Gone are the days of me staking you in tourneys on stars. I think you will have to stake me from now on. lol.
I remember a Pm from you thanking me for the stake. I thought you were a genuine top bloke from then on.
It is great to see you run well. I wish you all the best for this year and many more.
I wish i had the brains to kop on and use some BR Management myself
Good luck.
Ahh the good old stalking days where great fun. Thanks for the best wishes 0 -
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im looking to get a nice set-up so as i am as you say well prepared 
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