How Do You Do At Online Poker?

[kompressaur]

i think its the romantacism(??) of it all. Theres me ive managed to get into a FREEROLL starting in 9hrs (got my name in early) $50 for top 18 top 5 go through to $1000 table. Its the gambler in everyone that likes to think theyll be up there challenging. My dad was a top card player and i like other card games. I might just give this some more of my attention.

See how easily ive been sucked in

[aliensyndm]

I'm not worried about it. I challenged gett1n to some poker heads up on MSN the other day and he declined saying I would beat him anyway. heheheh

[christianu]

Just a bit early Komp There should be one in an hour and 8 minutes with registration starting very soon. Ill prolly be in there so if your planning on playing Poker in an hour watch out for it in about 8 mins i reckon.

Ive been sucked in too Komp , i didnt go out about 4 nights ago because i just discovered all these games, said i was ill

[christianu]

On that subject you should get a DP game going again, or i should or whoever, the PP guys again? Just need a date and time again. Do you play poker soley for a lving now these days Alien then? Cant remember you specifying.

[aliensyndm]

That and some sports betting yeah

[GETT1NLOTS]

Originally Posted by aliensyndm

I'm not worried about it. I challenged gett1n to some poker heads up on MSN the other day and he declined saying I would beat him anyway. heheheh

- Truth is Alien you never fcuk off unless someone tells you to go away in a way you feel acceptable. I don't think you could beat me long term as you don't have enough 'game' but I respect you as a decent player and you're no 'fish' by any means.

I've read all of Aliens posts on this and they are very interesting opinions. I disagree on a couple of key points but I'll admit I'm a little drunk and I don't think I'll do any justice to my thoughts if I post up in this state.

For example - showing your hand when you don't need to is a skill in my opinion. Alien is plain wrong on this. You just have to know with who, and when to do it.

Secondly Alien had a different style to me in tournements. I have won and placed in many (posted up) and I play different early on to Ken. He plays much tighter than me and I think this is (long term) a poor strategy when playing in a large tourney early on, for low (ish) stakes.

Sorry - like I say I'll post up more tomorrow. (Bit drunk ).

[Beanie]

I'm another who is concentrating on the MTT's right now...they seem to hold my attention far more than single table games.

I think the key to poker is a healthy balance between advice/information and practicing. Having read some cracking articles, and after receiving advice on a mid-tournament strategy(which was a major problem for me - I was a bit too rigid in my approach), I got to practicing the things I'd read, and there has been a superb improvement in my results. As Alien has shown in this thread, good players are really helpful on poker forums, and aren't afraid to share as much info/tips as possible.

[aliensyndm]

A nohz scrap anytime you say gett1n !!

Showing your hand on the internet - why ? You could make a case for it in live games yeah. But not on the net I don't think. In live games you've got a whole load more to judge your play on and whether you think showing is gonna help you. Internet you've no idea really.

In the early stages of a tournament, when blinds are tiny people have different styles. You can call with more shite hands at this stage, hoping to flop something and take someone out yeah. Some people play tight as to avoid elimination. Controlled aggression against these people can work.
Others play loose in the hope of building a large stack at the risk of busting out. Either way you gotta keep your stack in check with the blind structure.
Whatever your style when blinds get bigger you gotta loosen up and make sure your chips keep up.

Gett1n I've won plenty tournament online, including many multi-tables. I don't ever post them up though. I've no need to brag about them. By chance some people from PL were there when I won one, but there's countless others they weren't.

You don't think I have the "game" ? Is that a challenge is it ? I play for a living don't forget, I know what I am doing. Whilst I mentioned before about egos, I find it a little insulting that someone who runs a company is telling me they can play poker better than me ! I generally don't go round telling telling business men that I could run their company better than they could.
If you ask someone their profession, and they tell you they are a gun fighter.
You gotta assume as they are still around that they are half-decent at it no ?

[GETT1NLOTS]

Showing your hand on the internet - why ? You could make a case for it in live games yeah. But not on the net I don't think. In live games you've got a whole load more to judge your play on and whether you think showing is gonna help you. Internet you've no idea really.

Plenty of reasons - have a think. I've just played with your mind and this will effect your thinking next time you play me. OH YES IT WILL. Deny it all you like. Showing your cards against a player like you has the same effect. Remember saying my all in was 'shit' pre flop early in a tourney when I had KK? Mark that in your book did you? Get what I mean?...........

In the early stages of a tournament, when blinds are tiny people have different styles. You can call with more shite hands at this stage, hoping to flop something and take someone out yeah. Some people play tight as to avoid elimination. Controlled aggression against these people can work.
Others play loose in the hope of building a large stack at the risk of busting out. Either way you gotta keep your stack in check with the blind structure.
Whatever your style when blinds get bigger you gotta loosen up and make sure your chips keep up.

Agreed but this isn't what you said earlier on. You advocated a one dimensional approach to early doors strat in a MTT. I disagreed. You now seem to be conceding there are lots of plays as long as A,B,C are considered (which is what I advocate).

You don't think I have the "game" ? Is that a challenge is it ? I play for a living don't forget, I know what I am doing. Whilst I mentioned before about egos, I find it a little insulting that someone who runs a company is telling me they can play poker better than me ! I generally don't go round telling telling business men that I could run their company better than they could. If you ask someone their profession, and they tell you they are a gun fighter. You gotta assume as they are still around that they are half-decent at it no ?

- Yeah you can play Alien. You know the pot odds. I don't respect your play simply because you play for a living though. What do you make? I dunno? I could play for a living too you see. I know the pot odds too. The fact is that I am good at other things too. Maybe for me the options aren't mutually exclusive - but for you they are? :think

Don't let this turn into an argument Alien. I said you were a good player. I just don't think you're that GREAT from what I've seen. I could name two players who really put me to the test but I won't name names. They have a game that confuses me and seem to have sussed a good style against me. Simply put (no offense) you're not one of them.

[aliensyndm]

I still think when blinds are at 10/20 all in pre-flop with KK aint the brightest move anyone is gonna make. Some numpty might call you with AK and he's got a 1 in 4 chance of knocking you out.

I could play for a living too you see. I know the pot odds too.

gett1n there's alot more to it than knowing pot odds. Why do you think it is most people who gamble are long term losers. What percentage of people know pot odds ? Quite alot probably. There's more to it than this. Alot more.
I'm sorry but until you actually do it, saying I could play for a living etc holds no sway with me. It's an easy thing to say knowing there's X amount of money coming in regardless of whether you win or lose.
How many times you think I've heard people say oh I make money long term etc etc. Yet they have jobs. I've met a few "successful" gamblers in my time and for every decent one there's 1000000000 wannabes and know it alls - usually the skint people with jobs.

Being successful at poker does not hinge on whether I confuse you or not gett1n. I'm not particularly bothered if I do confuse you or not. It's makes no difference to how much I make at the end of the day.
If you wanna tell me you are a great player etc, ... quit your job, take up playing full time and get back to me.

Run a company ? Fucking piece of piss. I could do it no bother at all. I know how to order people about. See how stupid that sounds ?

[GETT1NLOTS]

Run a company ? Fucking piece of piss. I could do it no bother at all. I know how to order people about. See how stupid that sounds ?

Ok - turning into more of a banter thread than a Poker thread but....

I play poker and make money and have done for the last three years (some of which you've seen). You haven't ran any company as far as I know so my opinion carries a bit more weight than yours seeing as I have practical experience of what you do to earn cash and you don't have any experience of what I do to earn cash. There is, semantics, word play, etc. aside - a huge difference.

Also Alien (without mentioning exact salary) I would have to earn 6 figures every year to play poker for a living.

As you will concede the higher stakes you play the harder it gets (no crap players at these stakes you see casual reader). I have no interest what you earn to be honest. You might earn £25,000 a year on $1/$2 cash tables. I would have to earn 5 times that (at least) just to live. You wont disagree with me that to earn that you are playing higher stakes tables and better players.

In other words. If I could earn what you probably do - at the stakes you do -and play the fish you play daily - and earn 5 times more to live - I would do it.

Like I say Alien - no offense mate as your advice to the beginner is excellent and a good starter. However like me you have the tendency to proffer advice like a fact and in poker there are good plays and bad plays. But in between is where it gets grey and on some of those issues we disagree.

[aliensyndm]

We had better be careful this doesn't turn into alot of shite thread so I'll try and keep my repsonse reasonably civil so that you feel no reply is necessary so we can continue to talk about poker rather than have me prove you are talking shite - oops sorry I can't help it

Playing poker and making money at it when you have a job is totally different to playing it for money as a job. I've played blackjack for quite a few years and made money at that. Could I do it as a job ? Wholllllle different thing.
My "job" was fruit machines but I could still earn a bit here on there at blackjack. Being able to make money at something and actually doing it for a living are different things.


You're saying for it to be worth your while you'd have to be making a 6 figure sum a year. I can't argue with that. It's alot easier to make that kinda cash in business than it is in poker. It depends where you motivation is really.
For me it's not money. I'm never gonna be rich playing poker. If I wanted to make money lots of money I would have chosen a different career path.
Whilst poker is all about money, money for me is not the motivator.
It's the lifestyle and the sense of freedom I get from it. It's also the satisfaction of being successful at something that the majority of people can't be.

You can't have the stakes both ways. As you say with much higher stakes there is usually an increase in player skill. Hence making cash becomes harder.
Lower stakes there are less skillfull players, but less money. It's still plenty enough for the "average" person though. Needing 6 figures a year just to live is pretty high maintenance. If you circumstances were different.....say no wife or mortgage etc do you think you could play the stakes I play and get by ? You'd probably say yeah you could. To be honest I would have my doubts. Like I say there's alot more to it than just knowing how to play good poker. It takes a certain type of person to be able to do it. It takes character. I don't wanna get all personal and let this degenerate into a slagging match but from my armchair freud opinion I am not sure if you character/mind set would be well suited to it. I could be wrong....actually nah I couldn't.

Perhaps I might type up about how I came to get into what I was doing etc etc and you might sympathise with what I am saying a little more.
Why aren't all these people with amazing tips and poker skills I meet minted ?
I've heard it so many times before, I could do that etc


About your last paragraph. I can only offer advice from my own experience and what works for me. Some things about poker are facts - pot odds etc , other things are a little more open to interpretation. I just give my version of it and how I see it.

I'm still far from an amazing poker player. I'm a much better internet player than I am live though.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Either way we should both try and get some poker activities on the go here at the daily punt and we can both make a valuable contribution - you can bring me refreshments whilst I play. Sorry

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Right i am going to avoid the little squabbling and add my two cents. Firstly, its great your getting involved Komp. Wish you all the best in it. Im going to do some replys to things off the top off my head before i go to bed so here goes.

Firstly - i dont agree with you Alien on the freerolls - Like you say, people play with different styles and are reckless due to it being free. This usually applies, from my experience in the first half hour or so with all the numptys going all in etc. The further down the tournament you get, the more serious it becomes and this is reflecting in other players play. They arent still going to be reckless just cause its free when they have spent the past 2 hours playing. I've started playing some MTT's recently and have been quite successful but i dont feel my game is up to scratch to be consistently doing well just yet, but i do hope to move to this shortly.

Now i agree with Aliens style of play - im quite a tight player and try to play with as little hands, but good hands as possible. Its all about patience - waiting for the right moment to strike. Sometimes i will get reckless, but this is mainly when i feel the luck is on my side where every hand seems to just go your way.

In regards to Mucking your hand - i do this most of the time, but when i bluff quite well and theres some arrogant twat ive just beat i like to show my cards to him. This i have found so far to work in my favour as it annoys the guy and then turns him to playing a reckless game where he tries raising me everytime i call just to get me back. Maybe you's dont agree with this, but its worked so far for me.

Right - quick read of the rest of the forum then off to bed.

[GETT1NLOTS]

Guys - don't take me and Alien seriously. We were chatting away quite happily on MSN whilst having this debate in here. I have just read it all again now I'm sober.

Can't see the point (in the light of day) for having that whole debate now? I think I was gunning for a debate whilst fueled by Friday nights vino?

I would still kick Aliens arse though.

[aliensyndm]

Kiko I think free rolls are good to play to learn the basics and get used to the interface but that it's a good idea that people play games where they stake some of their own cash, even if only 50p, as soon as possible.
When people have their own cash staked, however little, they will pay more attention and try to play better. Obviously you wanna be playing with people who are as bad as possible but you have to be realistic about it. Plus if you become a good player and able to win at a tough game, easy games are all the more easy.

Doesn't matter how good you are, being successful in multis is hard. It can take a long time to ever get anywhere near the prizes. It's nice when you win one as it's usually a beefcake prize but there can be long gaps of no prizes at all. Say there's 300 people in a multi tournament. Now if everyone is of equal strength, each person has a 0.33% chance of winning.
Now say you are three times as good as anyone there. You have a 1% chance of winning. You're still only gonna win it once every hundred tries.
The prizes in multis are nice but you can't realistically expect to win them with any great deal of consistency. I'd play multis along with single table tournaments, or cash games, rather than just playing multis predominantly.