Poker for dummies

MooseJam

HMV have a PC cdrom poker for dummies, would this be any good do you think
or how would the best way to learn be, are there any good books out there

I read the stickies

"WHERE DO I START?

To my mind to get started in poker there are a few simple and perhaps obvious things you need to do.
1. Read books, online articles, hand discussions etc. i.e. Educate yourself."

just thought someone might have a good book recommendation

Many thanks

keane2097

MooseJam wrote: »

HMV have a PC cdrom poker for dummies, would this be any good do you think
or how would the best way to learn be, are there any good books out there

I read the stickies

"WHERE DO I START?

To my mind to get started in poker there are a few simple and perhaps obvious things you need to do.
1. Read books, online articles, hand discussions etc. i.e. Educate yourself."

just thought someone might have a good book recommendation

Many thanks

If you go to Leggo Poker and do a search for the DRM free videos you'll get lots of great stuff at no charge...

There's a guy on 2+2 giving out free week long memberships as well actually, someone will probably have the details but I'll find them later if not...

5starpool

Some of the threads that are linked in the sticky at the top of this forum are good reads for beginners and cover many of the concepts involved in the game which should be mastered or at least understood by aspiring players.

Icarus152

Play,read,play,read,play,read etc. IMO

Welcome to the illness.

Gillybean72

MooseJam wrote: »

HMV have a PC cdrom poker for dummies, would this be any good do you think
or how would the best way to learn be, are there any good books out there

I read the stickies

"WHERE DO I START?

To my mind to get started in poker there are a few simple and perhaps obvious things you need to do.
1. Read books, online articles, hand discussions etc. i.e. Educate yourself."

just thought someone might have a good book recommendation

Many thanks

By running as far away as possible :P you really don't want to go down this road

Treehouse72

Don't bother with a "poker for dummies" style cd or book.

Number 1 thing to do: open up a play money table first. Get a feel for the rules, the pace of the game, using the slider and buttons, get used to recognising the clockwise flow of the game, notice the movement of the dealer button around the table, get used to the various seating positions you might be in, how you bet, fold raise etc. Spend a few hours doing this would be my recommendation. Sounds like a lot, but just watching random hands and flops being dealt will switch your brain onto the patterns in the game.

At that point, you are ready to ask: so what the hell am I supposed to be doing to actually win money?

Next, go to 2+2's beginners forum and start immersing yourself in the language of poker. Follow every link until your head is spinning with terminology:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/32/beginners-questions/

At this point you are still at the level of understanding the mechanics and vocabulary of the game. None of the stuff above teaches you how to win per se - it's really just how the game works. The next step is starting your journey on understanding theory and strategy. At this point, the 2+2 Micro forum is for you:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/69/micro-stakes-pl-nl/

Where do you start in this forum? Well, here's a current thread in the Beginners forum that actually lists a bunch of key fundamentals to begin with:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/32/beginners-questions/fundamentals-454180/

One poster lists this little lot (I've modified his list a a bit to suit a beginner):

Starting hands
Position
Betting and bet sizing
Made hands and draws
Counting Outs
Pot Odds
Pot Equity/Rule of 2 and Rule of 4
Implied Odds
Aggression
Value Betting
Bluffing
Semi-Bluffing
Effective Stack Size
Rule of 5 & 10
Basic hand ranges and hand reading

That little bunch is not a bad place to start - trawl the beginners & micro forums to get an idea what each of these terms means (don't miss the stickies at the top of each forum and take the above list of mine as a general guide not an exhaustive list by any means - I may have forgotten something after a long day losing money! For example, the final 5 - from bluffing to hand ranges - are a bit more advanced than beginner level). There's no short cut, though DRM free vids are a great idea as someone mentioned.

From there on, it's easy looooooooooooooooooooooooooooool. Welcome to hell...

H8GHOTI

Here's a link to some videos for beginners:
https://www.skypoker.com/secure/poker/sky_lobby?action=show_static&page=school_videos

Sky Poker channel 865 isn't bad starting off for learning the basics but you'll (hopefully:D) outgrow it after a while.

Deuces Cracked & Poker Savvy have free trials as well.

cooker3

Sky poker is awful. Don't listen to anyone on that channel.

Treehouse links are good. Read them and the stickies on this forum and it will give you a pretty grounding.

MooseJam

Good stuff guys , thanks for taking the time out to reply it's much appreciated, I'll get stuck in

H8GHOTI

cooker3 wrote: »

Sky poker is awful. Don't listen to anyone on that channel.

Not advanced by any stretch, I can't watch it anymore cause it tilts me.
But it's grand for a beginner. Just to see how the game works.
Hand hankings, blinds, flop/turn/river etc...........

Not for in-depth theory obv.