Learning Poker

[kompressaur]

Ive spent a lot of time and money learning poker and it has been worth every penny as ive had it back 10 fold. ~Here's my results over 2 days last week



granted they weren;t the biggest cashes ive had but the consistancy really cheered me up. Cashing in 9 events in a row 8 of them being MTT's and i think i had 4 final tables in the mix. Its all down to just playing solid poker and removing the human aspects of the game. I don't play marginal hands and just look at playing my good hands hard and fast. If you do play poker then i recommend 3 things- (only if you want to be a winning player)

1) read books. I will make a list later of the books that have helped me but Zen & the art of poker has taken away a lot of the human aspect of the game for me and Rizen's books have made me see that what appears to be a good hand (10,10 & AQ) maybe isnt as good as i first thought and maybe playing them hard is far from being the right way.

2) Get Holdem Manager (or poker tracker, poker office etc) I cant play without holdem manager. I prefer it to poker office and its available for about $40 when you buy the low stakes version (it still works on high stakes mtt's but dont tell them i told you) you'll win your money back within the week.

3) Use a training site. I got a years membership for pokerxfactor and have watched most their videos. Again it's paid for itself many many times over.

I will coontinue this thread in time. I have a doctors appointment soon and need to get a beer or two in me for it. If you dont follow any of my 3 points above i think you'll be struggling to make money or else not be making as much or in such a quick time.

[ChonkyWonk]

One book that I'd highly recommend for cash game play would be David Sklansky's 'The Theory of Poker'. I had trouble adjusting to cash games after solely playing STT's and MTT's but after reading this book it completely changed the way I think about the game. Heavy reading in places but worth it.

[kompressaur]

i suppose the kids would say that the 'theory of poker is expliotable' chonky :/ it is a ness..necc...it has to be read but i don't know how much in this day and age 'old' books work. i do think they are just ....'exploitable'. nah thats internet forum talk and i have nothing to back up what i say. I just read books quickly and try to take their knowledge. saves 100,000 hands some knowledge. add it to what you know.

my poker 'career' is funny to me. i won a few mtt's and though i 'as there' little did i know. the more i read the more i learn and the more i see the gulf between good players and great players. thats ok though as 99% of the players i play at 5 & 10 $ mtt's are shit players. they have a chances hope in hell of winning. i prefer to go about my business making a final table a day etc

what i have learnt lately is ive won loads at poker and never been a losing player by playing tight. thats not all i do. i understand how to win an mtt or sng. i push not call. I play tight. the big thing to me though is the ....don't laugh....harrington 1&2 cash books and more so the 6 max cash game. suddenly im playing poker. For years ive just learnt mtt strategy and i am a winning player. no, thanks to Jezza, i realise i need to know how to play the flop. what to do on the turn etc. ive really looked at my 'cash' game stratgy of late and fcuk it's helped my mtt results 200%. i know where i am in a hand. i did the right thing pf now im doing the right thing post flop. the reason why i mention this is because ive done ok at poker for a couple of years just playing tight aggressive. Not just that but understanding calling and pushin ranges in an mtt. a monkey could make money at low stakes mtt's. i knew that but now the acyual playing of poker has totally enchanted me.

anyhow....anyone NOT winning money at poker? I'm looking for someone that plays mtt's. i'll get you winning in a week and i want folks to see your improvement.

any takers?

[kompressaur]

also if anyone plays on full tilt or pokerstars regular in mtt's and your interested in improving your game then let me know. i can run your FULL tournament history through pokerstars.com hand reader and we will all learn something on the way. let me know here..

[kompressaur]

aye thats it!!! lol what i am here to say. if you want to win mtt tournies then learn to play tight, learn to 3 bet well, learn push/shove ranges. Learn how to play TOURNAMENT POKER and then.....welll i feel like ive been playing with a lego house for 2 years. it was a big lego house. it had top pair nice kicker and i could just live in it never knowing what 3 betting was and my big ace jack house battered anyone that never had a brick. today i realised....that my lego house and all it's moves and fears was still REALLLY fun even though it had smashed to smithereens and i was trying to pick up the blinds just through 'flop control' My house was great. it fitted most things. only now did i see my house meant nothing bar to anyone that sees lego assebled into a house shape and go 'oh look there's a house'. it's not a house. it's battering with plumbers etc for the best deal for stopping trying to build a house and sometime just get out there and gamble a bit. sorry im losing my 'important' message. aye poker was just a lego house to me. Decision making etc was so mechanical. Now i see the way to win chips (and thus keep you a good stack) is to play poker. many may do as i am suggesting but it is really all about tournie strategy and finding a cash game balance. I just love the way that i can see what a bet could mean (form this particualr opponent) aye your all dead wood if you don't know what im trying to say. what do you want from poker? To win money to keep yourself and family or fcuking someone over when you call an all in with KJo and 30 big blinds.

its all about stack sizes. i no loneger worry about the tournie avg stack. I only care if i have-

1-10 Big blind - i wont raise, i wont call i will put my hand all with knowledge of my push and shove ranges at 10bb.

11-21 BB - I wont be raise folding. if ive got J10s in the cut off ill fold. thats tight but again its just table dynamics. i wont play anything i aint prepared to go all the way with.

21-30 BB - i will try to stop myself from 3 betting any late position raisers but i cant help myself. i find it a good way to get chips. i would reraise a cut off raiser all in with any suited connector from 65s up and probably many other hands. again it depends on my stack size comparable to the blinds. i call IN POSITION a lot of raises with hands like J10s and any pair at all as long as i am getting about 12/1 on my money 9for the set value. no point in calling some MP raise to 500bb when he only has 1k behind him (never 10/1+)

Just going back to the full tilt and pokerstars hand histories. I dont use either site (barr pokerstars on a sunday) I have some GREAT MTT tools here. if anyone has a late run in an mtt on either site and want to send me their hand history (we'll sort it) i would like to look at how your playing and offer advice. i aint great but i live in fear playing the wrong move that might get on internet telly. I'd love to have a look at your tournie and see how i would have played it.and maybe offer some of my pokerxfactor advice.

[kompressaur]

the j10s fold would probably happen with me nearer 20bb

[kompressaur]

*ps just a quick note from me about 3 betting. i played, and won womey from poker sites NEVER 3 betting. now dare i say it's the way i gather chips as a tournie moves on. if youve followed my advice and your vpr (dont ask just get) i about 13/6 then folks will respect you. all your non playing means something to people. you can easily reraise raisers with any pocket pair and ...well ive included suited connectors in my reraising range. picture it. you raise in the cut off with A8o hopin to pick the blinds and suddenly mr tight cnut hads come over the top. your folding 90% of your hands there. i might just have 98s but i aint hanging about to hit a flop. make sure you have 500+ tourney fees in your bankroll to enable you to reraise cnuts all in with 2nd pair on the flop.

poker is about 'learning tournaments' and learning 'cash'. if you know them both then your loving your poker. tournament strategy will 'keep you right' (and stop you from going wrong) and cash game will just make you enjoy it. don't be scared and follow your reads.

sorry i think im trying to mention to folks just how differant tournie poker is from cash poker. you DONT have to be good to win at tournie poker but if you have that and cash skills then i look forward to you turning me inside out at the tables.

[kompressaur]

NB books are now out of fashion and dan harrington is to blame but to me the 2 most importantt mtt books i have read are-

Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time Volume 1: Amazon.co.uk: Eric ""Rizen"" Lynch: Books

Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time Volume 1: Amazon.co.uk: Eric ""Rizen"" Lynch: Books

and

Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, Volume II: 2: Amazon.co.uk: Jon Turner, Eric Lynch, Jon Van Fleet: Books

Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, Volume II: 2: Amazon.co.uk: Jon Turner, Eric Lynch, Jon Van Fleet: Books

if you are eveen slightly inrterested in poker then buy these books to make you enjoy it more.

[kompressaur]

and i still want players that are not happy with their results to get in touch with me regarding their poker hand histories. as i say i wont be able to help you all but i'm kean.

[kompressaur]

i will just reiterate. if youve been studying poker for the past year and youve started to have some ok tournie results but your wondering how to 'cross over' to become a dirty cnut thats always there at the end of tournies then let me know. Tell me here and we'll get your last tournie up and we can see where you are going wrong and also where you might just well be going right. im takin all the trainin in. eventually i just want to share my knowledge on betting forums with folks.

[kompressaur]

a good thing i learnt was to think of the player you most hated playing with. and become him. He's raising your limps with position and he could do the ofdd check raise. His 3 bets take saway your blind raising thoughts. you dont want to play with him. he knows your every trick. heh come on this is low stakes. the only way to win is to either wait or aggressivly steal. me im prob all in any hand i have be it a raise or a call with 18bb. its not a formula and not one we could discuss. the best thing i know about poker is you ONLY have to play early doors when you have a good hand. Id fold top pair ok kicker 80% of the time depending on stack size and i'll be reraising a 500,000 pot with Q8d. its only 50$ what you have and 50% what your opponent doesnt have. you just have to have an idea of how you will play them chips with regards to stack size and reading hands on the flop. no now i am really boring me. Image what my 12yr old nephew gets :/

agian though id love hand histories. if your a full tilt or pokerstars player then let me look at your hand histories a little while.

[Jezza]

hey komp u still on stars mate?

[Swooperman]

Mars possibly

[pokerfaKe]

I wish I won sometimes. The best position I had was 314 in a free roll tournament on pokerstars. The first 48 qulified in a real money tournament. I know there are many things to learn...cause at the end I am always obliged to give all-in.