How often do you Study?

[Boris Yeltzen]

My routine is something like this:

1) Read SSH.
2) Think I'm a genius.
3) Play poker. Have a couple of winning sessions. Confirm that I'm a genius.
4) Lose my bankroll.
5) Throw a temper tantrum and "quit" poker FOREVER.
6) Piss and moan for a month.
7) Read SSH... etc etc etc.

[Ness3]

Study? Depends on what you mean by that. Poker books are okay to give you a foundation to build off from, but they are not going to make you a winning player.

The best way to become a better player is to play---A LOT. Then, think about hands from your session and either post them or talk about them with another knowledgeable player (preferably someone that plays better than you). Dig beneath the surface of each hand. Don't just say, "oh well I was gettin 3.1:1 with my over pair there, I had to call". How did you get in that situation against that particular player? Why did you choose that particular line? Could you have chosen a better one? Is this hand similar to other situations you have been in? How can you apply what you have learned form thi shand in the future?

[bernie]

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Study? Depends on what you mean by that. Poker books are okay to give you a foundation to build off from, but they are not going to make you a winning player.

The best way to become a better player is to play---A LOT. Then, think about hands from your session and either post them or talk about them with another knowledgeable player (preferably someone that plays better than you). Dig beneath the surface of each hand. Don't just say, "oh well I was gettin 3.1:1 with my over pair there, I had to call". How did you get in that situation against that particular player? Why did you choose that particular line? Could you have chosen a better one? Is this hand similar to other situations you have been in? How can you apply what you have learned form thi shand in the future?

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But that's too much work. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

b

[bernie]

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There is no match for actually playing. Books are okay, but unless you can apply the knowledge they are pointless. I like reading and posting on the forums. I also like watching the better players play. That helps me.

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It's true that study alone will not make you into a good poker player, but many times only play will not make you into one, either. Take, for example, a lot of the old players at B&M casinos. They've been playing for some 20-40 years of their lives, but many younger internet players run them over. Why is this? My guess is due to the structure of poker, one does not necessarily get better with more play. It requires that you examine your play and change it for the better.



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It's not just the internet players that run them over. Those typical players that have played 30+ years have never really studied or learned how to play. They've always sucked. They just happened to have had a job that supports their habit.

Alot of times when I hear a guy boasting about playing for 'x' number of years while trying to tablecoach someone, I really want to say to him, 'I wouldn't brag about that. You'd figure in that time you'd have learned how to play.'

b