I've never played poker before, always thinking of it as gambling until I started watching Texas Holdem on TV. It became quickly obvious that the game has a range of tactical and strategic considerations like those found in sports wagering.
I immediately bought and read a few books and then signed up on a few iternet sites related to sportsbooks I trust - and quickly lost a few thousand dollars.
As I gained experience, I figured out that the problems weren't in my thinking but were in me and my approach to the game.
The books tell you only to play certain types of starting hands, but don't go into detail why this is a bad idea - and morons like me need detail. The books also don't spell out in detail why it's a bad idea to bet a lot of money on a river that has bad potential return for the wager spent. And the books don't tell you in detail a million other little points that you have to figure out.
I guess that the writers of those books know that the only way the readers will really learn is by experiencing those mistakes and understanding that you are your own worst enemy.
After I lost and learned, I went back and re-read the books - and gained a lot of insight and understanding from doing so - saying to myself time after time "so that's what the author meant". I just didn't understand before because I lacked the experience.
So, I went back to the tables armed with more knowledge and more experience - and lost again! But this time it took me a lot longer to lose - and I actually had a few winning periods.
Back to the books!
What am I doing wrong? Let's take a little time to analyze my play - because I'm usually (but not always) following the rules, and I'm usually (but not always) doing a good job of analyzing pot odds and the potential hands supported by the cards on the table - but I'm still losing!!!!
Light starts to dawn on Marblehead!
What if I follow all of the rules all of the time!
Call with only premium starting hands (depending on where the button is)
Analyze all of the possible hands after the flop, and the odds to get those hands vs the odds to get my winner.
Is the money in the pot and the pot odds worth the wager?
Fold if the odds aren't good.
- Point one - I hate to fold - so take my ego out of the equation and stick to the rules - fold when the odds don't make it look good for you to gain value from the wager.
- Point two - my attention starts to wander and my judgement suffers after about an hour and a half - so limit my playing time and take good solid 1/2 hour breaks afetr every 1.5 hours of playing time.
I went back to the tables armed with my new rules - and I won! I actually started to consistently win.
As I gain more experience, I become better at noting who to avoid and who to fleece and I win most days. I still get taken to the cleaners - but it's becoming a rare thing and only the better players can do it -
So the real trick to win at Texas Hold'em - at least for me, is patience - wait for the right hands and the best moment - and then pounce - the good players will know to avoid you and the suckers will walk right into the trap.
The one thing that I don't like about the discipline is that it takes a lot of the fun out of the game - but it sure do feel good when I win!
I immediately bought and read a few books and then signed up on a few iternet sites related to sportsbooks I trust - and quickly lost a few thousand dollars.
As I gained experience, I figured out that the problems weren't in my thinking but were in me and my approach to the game.
The books tell you only to play certain types of starting hands, but don't go into detail why this is a bad idea - and morons like me need detail. The books also don't spell out in detail why it's a bad idea to bet a lot of money on a river that has bad potential return for the wager spent. And the books don't tell you in detail a million other little points that you have to figure out.
I guess that the writers of those books know that the only way the readers will really learn is by experiencing those mistakes and understanding that you are your own worst enemy.
After I lost and learned, I went back and re-read the books - and gained a lot of insight and understanding from doing so - saying to myself time after time "so that's what the author meant". I just didn't understand before because I lacked the experience.
So, I went back to the tables armed with more knowledge and more experience - and lost again! But this time it took me a lot longer to lose - and I actually had a few winning periods.
Back to the books!
What am I doing wrong? Let's take a little time to analyze my play - because I'm usually (but not always) following the rules, and I'm usually (but not always) doing a good job of analyzing pot odds and the potential hands supported by the cards on the table - but I'm still losing!!!!
Light starts to dawn on Marblehead!
What if I follow all of the rules all of the time!
Call with only premium starting hands (depending on where the button is)
Analyze all of the possible hands after the flop, and the odds to get those hands vs the odds to get my winner.
Is the money in the pot and the pot odds worth the wager?
Fold if the odds aren't good.
- Point one - I hate to fold - so take my ego out of the equation and stick to the rules - fold when the odds don't make it look good for you to gain value from the wager.
- Point two - my attention starts to wander and my judgement suffers after about an hour and a half - so limit my playing time and take good solid 1/2 hour breaks afetr every 1.5 hours of playing time.
I went back to the tables armed with my new rules - and I won! I actually started to consistently win.
As I gain more experience, I become better at noting who to avoid and who to fleece and I win most days. I still get taken to the cleaners - but it's becoming a rare thing and only the better players can do it -
So the real trick to win at Texas Hold'em - at least for me, is patience - wait for the right hands and the best moment - and then pounce - the good players will know to avoid you and the suckers will walk right into the trap.
The one thing that I don't like about the discipline is that it takes a lot of the fun out of the game - but it sure do feel good when I win!
