Looking to improve

Small_Dog

Hello all,

I am a self taught poker player and started playing in Dec 09. I watch a lot of poker on TV and on my new favourite channel 865!

When I started I was on Full Tilt but got drawn in by the Bounty Hunter tourney they show on TV. Since cashing in my 2nd or 3rd go I got hooked on Sky Poker and haven't played elsewhere since. I have played a bit live but mostly online.

I feel I have a decent understanding of the game and different strategies, times to pull the trigger and picking the right spots.

I want to step it up another level now and wondered what peoples advice is.......?

Should I read books? Play more live tourneys? Just keep playing online?

What did the more experienced of you out there do?

Thanks in advance - Small Dog

ACESOVER8s

The interenet offers the opportunity to play thousands of hands in a short space of time, and i think that is where the most improvment will come from for you. If you want to try reading books then i believe they can be of value. Now if you know anything about torrents and downloading you may find that all the top books are out there in cyberspace, ready to be downloaded.... Not that i would ever endorse that !!

As you advance more i've heard good things about training sites like Cardrunners but they cost and are probably above your level at the moment.

Experiance of situations and identifying your mistakes will always be the key to improvment

Small_Dog

Thanks Aces.

I seem to be playing more and more lately. I have the buzz.

You're right about noticing your mistakes and learning form them. That is how i've learned up until now. In the early stages I found myself calling when I knew I was beat just to prove myself right. It took me quite a few ugly calls before I learned to trust myself and put down a hand I felt was beat.

You learn something new with every hand I just wondered what everyone else did when they first started out......

spornybol

I`m not the most experienced play player but i now they will will say if you think your ready going 2 next level then try it, but and I`m sure i am not the only one to point out, make sure you stay within your bank roll, and yes read some books but they can only give advise, real play wheather online or live is the best way to learn, so just feel comfortable with what your playing

goodylad21

I have been playing nearly 2 years now and like you have never read a book.

Must admit though i have watched alot of poker on TV and this is how i 1st learned the basics.

It took me a while to get used to the maths/percentage part of the game i.e knowing if you have the 

correct odds to call/ implied odds + the x4 x2 rule on the turn and river.

Next i tried to learn all forms of the game i.e MTT, STT & cash to try and give myself an all round game.

So if you have a good understanding of Position, Betting, Pot odds, Reads etc.. your 3/4 of the way 

there, but obviously the more poker you play the better you will become!!

Im only a half decent player and still learning myself but i find the betters players i play

against the easier it is to learn and pick up good habits.

GL at the tables        

Spike2120

I am not by a long shot a experienced poker player, more like one who still has a lot to learn, but I suppose any advice is good advice and well my advice would be to read a few books they do have some good insights.. To carry on improving like Aces said internet just give you the opportunity to play so many more hands it just gives you that experience so much faster. With the more hands being played you learn faster where things are going wrong by just mentally going through them big loses in your head work out where you were in a hand at the time the majority of the money went in, then learn what you can do differently.

As for moving up levels well best way to do this is to just move up with your Bankroll, so when you are fully rolled for the next level move up and see how it goes but if you become under rolled again then move back down work out what went wrong and then rebuild back up to then hopefully take that level down the next time.

Best of luck on the tables mate

Spike2120

Small_Dog

Thanks for the responses guys - all very interesting.

Boonicon

Hello mate,

Id recommend having a look at one of the poker training sites out there.  These have big catalogues of training videos covering a massive range of game types etc.  Unfortunatly they tend to charge, but I know there are quite a few free videos on stox poker, if nothing else they are intersting and give a good insight into how some very successful players handle certain spots.

However, I still think that playing more hands is the best way to learn. 

Good luck

Small_Dog

Cheers Boonicon I will check that out at some point.

I know how to work out pot odds post flop (x4 and x2 etc). How do you rate/work out odds for a hand pre flop? Obviously there are particular hole cards that are stronger than others and position + amount of players in the hand are important to any decision.