Advice f/ a MHNL'er Post #3

[waxie]

This post is so good it's scary.

I've been staying away from online play, but all of the concepts apply to SH tables as well. I think my key leak (until I started really understanding what I was reading on 2+2) was that I didn't know how to play post flop. Playing shorthanded has really forced me to learn how to play after the flop and I'm a much better player for it.

I've been playing .5/.10 with kids from my college on a regular basis. Most of them are extreme fish, but some of them have actually read a poker book or two. I think I have an edge on all of them, but some edges are bigger than others. Only reccently have I started looking for ways to play pots with the fish and stay away from hands with the kids who know what sort of know what they are doing.

I've found an interesting dynamic develops as well. After we've been playing for two hours or so, the table will go from 7-8 players to 3-4 players. The kids left will be much better players and the game will get harder.

I'm usually up a few bucks or more by the time we get shorthanded. Should I keep playing with the better players and improve or cut my losses? I think it might be worth it to sacrifice some edge to learn how to be a better player.

[FlyingStart]

I tried to datamine Stars after reading this post, but PT wouldn't import the handhistories. Am i doing something wrong, or do you have to play at certain sites to do this?

[Mackerel]

This is one of the best posts I've seen in this forum for a while. Thanks for taking the time. I've been too busy to lurk much lately, and I must've missed the other two posts you mentioned, I think I'll search for them.

[kitaristi0]

I'm gonna bump this, just in case someone missed it.

[Angavar]

Awesome post. Thanks heaps. Everyone should read this.

[Skuzzy]

[ QUOTE ]


I've found an interesting dynamic develops as well. After we've been playing for two hours or so, the table will go from 7-8 players to 3-4 players. The kids left will be much better players and the game will get harder.

I'm usually up a few bucks or more by the time we get shorthanded. Should I keep playing with the better players and improve or cut my losses? I think it might be worth it to sacrifice some edge to learn how to be a better player.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are certain truths in poker that are harder to integrate and believe than others. The money in poker comes from the bad players and flows to the good players, the good players know that they must isolate the weak and attack them to win. You seemed to 'get' this yet deny the truth of it for the sake of 'improving'. The real epiphany is when you realise that the 'improvement' comes from seeing the fish leave and leaving with them and their money. This is key to being profitable at poker. Improving so you can beat tougher games is a fools goal. You improve at cash game poker by not playing tougher games, the winner is and always will be the guy who makes the highest EV decisions, and not putting your bankroll in high risk situations is +EV

I used to stay in games to prove I was the best. But ring games are not the place for this - if you need to prove someting play tournaments.

Just a thought.

To OP: well played sir!

[Rotterdaum]

whitelime,

This is a very good feature, I hope you keep doing it!

To anybody,

Can you please instruct me how to datamine? When I join tables at Party, the hands aren't saved unless I sit down. How do you get around this?

[Tears for Fears]

You are an idiot

Period.

[Skuzzy]

get poker tracker - setup to import observed hands - they are stored in files in the party root directory normally c:\program fiiles\party poker\ and can be read with a text editor.

Without poker tracker or another anlaysis tool, data stays data and never reaches the dizzy heights of information.

[xorbie]

[ QUOTE ]
You are an idiot

Period.

[/ QUOTE ]

wtf...