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What is the EV of helping lesser poker players for free?
I have a group of poker friends on Skype, and some of those are better than me and IMO I'm better than some. So then I thought why do I help worse players than myself? I know in some cases they are my friends, but that's not really the point. People all over the internet post legit advice for absolutely no cost so players can improve without putting too much effort in, and in turn that makes games harder and the overall standard of poker players improves.
So what is the EV of helping players? Surely it's negative? Why don't we just keep the games as soft as possible to ensure maximum EV for ourselves? OR do you think it's only fair to share your knowledge?
I have my own thoughts on this and will post them after we've got a few opinions 
Discuss
Comments
Most (If not All) Poker Players have differing styles, some good poker advice that works for one may not work for all.
There are certain things we can teach players regarding simple ABC Poker basics which will help them improve, however, there are so many individual styles and methods that not one size fits all.
If we could teach every player to play every hand the exactly the same way, regardless of circumstance then the game would be very predictable and boring imo, which is why poker is so fascinating.
There will never be a right or wrong way to play a hand. The only "right way" to play poker is to have a good understanding of the basics, after that it's really very much down to the individuality of players, cards dealt & table dynamics.
What works for one may not work for another, every player will always be unique, some stronger or weaker than others, but always unique.
Fascinating subject is the mindset of a poker player.
/> Never read a poker book
/> Only talks strategy with 1 other poker player
/> Not involved in any Skype strategy groups
(#coolstorybro)
So yeah, as y'all might've guessed, I don't believe in all this sharing information stuff. But that's just my view.
If someone wants to improve then it will take a lot more than just recieving advice on how to play hands in a vacuum.
You can tell someone how to play nl4 and beat it for example, but it's doesn't mean they will implement it very well.
It also doesn't mean they would understand what they are doing and why.
Why do you raise to 20p ? "don't know Dohhhhhh said I should" )
Discussing poker is great and giving free advice is great, if someone wants to improve then they can only improve by studying hard and learning for themselfs.
Your not going to be good by just posting hands and going off the answers you get for example.
You then need to study the alternatives, understand them and more importanly understand why checking back the turn is so much better.
You never stop learning anyway )
Mike Matasow wants a word with you buddy, something about...
The kiddy games being down the street?
#gg
When i first started posistion was a different language to me but now its a very important part of my game,Plus im a big fan of 4 betting in pos and check raising.
My online game is ok but i feel i need to concentrate more when playing at home with the tv on and the good lady moaning lol so if any advice on this would help me improve more lol.
Some people help others just because they're nice people.
By helping to improve ''lesser or new players'', the chances are they will continue to play if they are able to win a few quid here and there using what they have learnt from all the available free advice.
If there was no help out there then we would end up with the great game of poker becoming a game for the ''elite'' and would damage the game...after all, we all play to try a make a few quid and keeping new players interested by giving out advice, not only helps them improve, but more experienced player too...overall it can only be good for the game..
+EV - If we teach players a better understanding of the game, but then they don't actually ever learn to progress to a very much higher level, we will still have an edge against ABC Poker ability.
Q - Is poker variance affected by other players skill level? ie...would we suffer less variance if more players improved to ABC Level?
Thoughts Anyone?
The only positive bit about it is by thinking about situations and particular hands it gets you thinking about how you play them and if thats optimal.
I think if poker was my only source of income (thankfully its not with my game lol) I wouldn't give help to others. Sorry if that sounds callous but to me it's a bit like a pro golfer giving another golfer a tip on the green i.e. watch that putt breaks more than you think.
Variance will not lessen by improving peoples games....it's part and parcel of the game..
P.S. there will also always be 'BadBeats' due to ''Variance''...and in tournies, like B/H's, then short stacks are gonna get called with anything half decent adding to the ''Variances'' of the game
I suppose it depends on which way you look at it, but imo it's probably much easier to put an ABC Player on a hand than it is to put a fish or station on a hand for instance.
You would be up against stronger hands in general, but we would gain the ability to narrow it down somewhat and thus make our decisions much easier.
Don't get me wrong - I wish every player was really bad at poker tbh - especially at a cash table, but in MTT's (Which I play the most) it is very difficult to get to know a players ability as we are probably never on the same table long enough or play each other often enough.