I started playing just for fun in August 2004 and it wasn't long before I was opening my Neteller account and making my first deposit. I started like most other players with little or no experience, playing low limit ring games but soon it progressed to higher limit games and sit-n-go's. <READMORE>I had read a bit about no limit hold'em and though I had a good grasp of the game but before too long I realized I was spinning my wheels and not making much progress. Was I having fun? For the most part but I wanted more out of it.
I was sort of muddling along for a while, winning some, losing more, and dropping a bit of money every month into my account. Though I did make a couple of withdrawals, in general it was a one-sided relationship with UB and Neteller, and NOT in my favor. While this was all going on, I met up with some players that were fun to play with, fun to talk to, and who were doing much better than I was at the tables.
Some of what I learned I already knew, and it was just reinforced, and some of the more interesting things I learned didn't have anything to do with poker at all. While poker is a game of lying, stealing, and reading people, I came to the conclusion that it can also be a "community" type event, and whether you are looking to have this be your career, something fun to do, or just a distraction, the people you play with are important.
Why are these people important you ask? Look at it like this. When you are playing, it is nice to have somebody to share your bad beats with, ask advice, brag when you make a big win, cry with when you get bubbled on the $100k tourney. I feel it also brings another dimension to the game, because what good is it to make the time investment in your game if you can't also have fun at the same time?
Ok, on to what I think I have learned these last several months and I am going to break it down into a couple of difference sections.
The Game
If you are a newcomer to the game, read up on it before you leave the play chip area, because otherwise you are just going to be giving your money away, and unless you are a gazillionaire, you don't really want to do that.
Start small and realize that you ARE new, and play within your limits. Figure out how much you are willing to spend on this "entertainment" per month, and keep to your budget.
Please PLEASE learn what makes a good hand and what is crap. I don't care if your K5 is suited, it isn't that great of a hand!
Learn why position is important and why one hand may be good in one position but blow in another.
If you don't know what pot odds or implied odds are, do a google search and learn, since they are kind of important.
You also don't want to play scared. Cautious is ok, but when you are playing scared, you are not going to be at your best. You have to remember that you will be risking chips/money every hand you play, and some you will win but others you won't, and that is part of the game.
Pay attention to what the other players are doing and how they are playing. Watch the bet size, speed, and patterns, and remember to take notes on the people you play with, because chances are, you will be playing with them again and will want this information.
Be careful with your notes and remember, just because you may have listed somebody as a loose player, they could have that KK or AA and that could just ruin your day.
Bad Beats, they happen, get used to it and get over it.
The Etiquette
If somebody makes a bad play or you take a bad beat, don't berate them, don't call them stupid, don't fly off the handle. Remember, everybody has to start somewhere and unless you won a WSOP bracelet the first game you played, STFU.
Be polite to the other players. You don't have to go out of your way but be nice none the less.
If somebody asks you an honest question, give them the answer if you know (goes back to being polite).
A side note to being polite. When I was still playing in the play chips, I wandered to some of the cash tables, watches for a while, asked a couple of questions and actually got answers that got me out of the play chip and into the money games. If these people wouldn't have taken the time to answer those questions, I probably wouldn't have wanted to play the game much longer.
Make friends where you can, because it will make the game more enjoyable, and it is always a good thing to have friends. I don't think you can have too many of them either.
Where I would like to go
While I dream of someday hitting the lottery and going to every WSOP event, I know that probably isn't going to happen, so oh well
I want to work a little more on reading people and respecting bets more often.
I want to have the guts to push back on a raise when I don't really think they have the best hand.
I want to learn that it is ok to fold AA when KQ8 is the flop and somebody you see to be a good player puts you all in.
I would like to learn a little more patience, because I am learning that you do have to pick your time and place to play.
I have been told by some friends that my game is getting better, and that I have potential and I have to respect their opinion, so I guess in general, I am wanting to see if I can take my game from Rank Amateur to just Amateur, and who knows where it will go from there.
</READMORE>
Canada
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Australia
Mexico
Denmark
Russian Federation
Sweden
Brazil
Germany
