Planning to improve hand reading

[Father_Xmas]

G'day all
I've reached a learning plateau at a point that I'm sure alot of other players must find themselves stuck at. I am hoping to get some insight as to how to we should plan to move forwards from here.

I have a solid understanding of the basics but since lurking on these forums I realise the next step is improving my hand reading and table observation.

So how did you start out improving this skill? Knowing what you now know, what would you recommend to a newer player?

With so much going on at the table it can be information overload to try and take it all in. Are there perhaps just a couple of things we should learn to start observing at the table first to avoid being overwhelmed?

Ho Ho Ho
FC

[Harv72b]

I'll give this a shot, but there's soooo much & I think some if it is instictive.

First things first: especially as you just start out in poker, don't jump straight into multitabling. Play one table at a time for as long as you can stand it (when you find yourself browsing porn & typing up emails in between hands, that's as long as you can stand it), and then stick with just two for a similar period of time. Multitabling is good, once you've gleaned the skills necessary to be a consistent winning player at your limit...but it will slow or even halt your development as a poker player. I know that after 6 months of 3-tabling, I'm just starting to get to the point where I can take in everything that's happening at all of my tables.

Next, the one good piece of advice which can be taken from Phil Hellmuth's "Play Poker Like the Pros": when you're not involved in a hand, keep watching and try to put each player who is involved on hands. Exact hands, as much as possible. Assuming that you're already using PokerTracker, it would help to invest in PokerAce HUD--among other (very beneficial) things, this program will briefly display the hole cards of every player who went to showdown after the conclusion of each hand. Very nice for checking your work (and it will assist you in developing reads on which player will do what with what--for example, the loose/passives who'll call down with any pair or the aggro maniacs who'll throw out bluffs on any street, both of which you need to be able to recognize so you can adjust your play accordingly).

As I just touched on, observe what kind of plays your opponents make. Note which players semibluff raised the flop with a draw, which players always slowplay flopped trips or better, and which ones will always checkraise with flopped top pair vs. a PFR. It sounds simple, but believe me--a lot of the opponents you'll see in small stakes games will make the same plays over and over again, and if you learn to recognize them you can take advantage.

Dan Harrington mentions in his book "Harrington on Hold'Em" that a good way to develop reads is to start by focusing only on the players to your immediate right and left, the reasoning being that those players will likely have the biggest effect on how you play (or don't play) your hands. As you start to get a feel for their playing style, expand outward one seat at a time. This can help you to limit the amount of new information you're processing at any given time, while still improving your overall read on the table.

[Alexthegreat]

Play at smaller stakes than you normally do a couple times a week. Play more hands preflop. You will find yourself in marginal situations more often. Become good at getting out of said situations. Go back to your usual stakes.