Really starting to hate this game |
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Posted Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:02 am GMT by Acquisitioner
Anyone have time for a story... ?
So I'm fairly new to this game called Texas Hold 'Em. Growing up I played poker with Dad and the brothers, and a couple of years ago I started watching Hold 'Em on TV. So I signed up at an online poker site, and killed the play money tables.
One day I decided to play for real coin. Bought a couple of books, got my head wrapped around the idea of pot odds and hand selection, and laid down $20 to play at the .05/.10 tables. In about 4 weeks I made about $100 and started thinking I was pretty good. Good enough to move up to .25/.50.
Big mistake, apparently, because it turns out I suck. At least when I'm playing against anyone who knows an ace from a hole in the ground. I know what the difference is between the two games, I just don't know what to do about it.
You see, in the lowest limit games, you play against a lot of people who don't know when to fold. So, you play nut hands, let them bet in to you, and collect the pots. Child's play. If you bet and they call, they have a hand, and you toss your pair of deuces.
Move one level up and the level of aggression increases. Guys raise with middle pairs, checkraise with the nuts, bet the river with King high, etc. Seems every time I fold, I have the better hand, and every time I call, I'm beat. I got bitch slapped again tonight so hard my next kid will be born dizzy.
Why do I get the feeling this is a common story? I don't want to stay at the kiddie table, because I want to improve my game. And it's not about the money. I just love the action and want to be decent at it.
Any advice is appreciated. I've been humbled, my friends, and I seek the truth.
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Posted Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:27 am GMT by kingetje
i think the .25/.50 limits are a bit too big for when you have $100 in your bankroll. perhaps you should try the .10/.20 limits if they are available?
Posted Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:19 pm GMT by MasterShake
In my opinion you shouldn't have more than 5-10% of your bankroll in play at a cash game at one time.
Posted Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:23 pm GMT by ORGrinder
you could give some cheapo sng's a go. cash play and trny play aren't exactly the same... but it would give you some better experiance than the super cheap cash games at least. plus you'd be limiting what you could lose in any one game (i.e. your buy in). many sites have dollar, two dollar, etc., SNG's. might be a good place for ya to get some experiance in??
Posted Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:00 pm GMT by MrDarling
Yep, you jumped too high. go slowly.
Once you jump up a level you start value your money too much to gamble with it.
the $.10/$.25 is a good in between. Your BR is just big enough to play in that level and the level there is usually as low as in the lower level.
You need to play a many month until to fully grasp real Poker moves. I can say that because I still don't grasp most of them while I'm on the table. I easily understand most of them while sitting here and reading about it..
Posted Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:40 pm GMT by Acquisitioner
Thanks guys. That's good advice.
I can honestly say the higher stakes involved are not factoring into my decisions. The frustrating part is that I can't get a read on my opponents, which is a problem I never ran into on the lower tables. The style seems to be much more aggressive, and my game isn't advanced enough yet to counter that. Yet, if I keep playing the same .10/.20 game, I'll have success but I won't gain the experience that comes with playing against a better caliber of player.
Back to the books, I guess. 
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