Re: Starting out online
 

I would play 2-5 table SnG's at the lowest possible buy-in. Cash games are a good way to lose your small bankroll in a very short time and STT need a specific strategy to cash in them consistently. Look at it this way: If you play a .01/.02 cash game and buy-in for $2, you might spend around $10 in only an hour. 45 player SnG last 1.5-2 hours and cost only $1.20 or $1.25 - much more value for the money imo.

Re: Starting out online
 

OP, what did you use as a deposit option on Pokerstars? I'm trying to get back online and Epassporte SUCKS, it takes so long to open an account with them. Any suggestions anyone? thanks

Re: Starting out online
 

Now that my roll allows it I play only cash but built my roll from $50 to just over $700 in 3 months playing the 3.25 45 man 5 table sit n go on Stars. Play uber tight until blinds reach 50-100 then you can start to play poker.

I agree cash is better for me now but the risk reward ratio in these are awesome. I would have probably lost my initial deposit had I started playing cash. As compared to tourneys ring games are a different game altogether in terms of strategy.

Re: Starting out online
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would play 2-5 table SnG's at the lowest possible buy-in. Cash games are a good way to lose your small bankroll in a very short time and STT need a specific strategy to cash in them consistently. Look at it this way: If you play a .01/.02 cash game and buy-in for $2, you might spend around $10 in only an hour. 45 player SnG last 1.5-2 hours and cost only $1.20 or $1.25 - much more value for the money imo.

[/ QUOTE ]

.2/.5 - I did great. Then I moved down a step after reading about BR management
.1/.2 - Lost a ton of $$ (crazy ass players that I didn't know what to do with)

Then I moved to $3.40 single-table SnGs... and have been winning consistently for 3 months. It's because I have a strategy that helps me place in the money.

I look forward to the day when my BR is big enough that I can lose a lot of $$ learning cash games better...

Re: Starting out online
 

[ QUOTE ]
OP, what did you use as a deposit option on Pokerstars? I'm trying to get back online and Epassporte SUCKS, it takes so long to open an account with them. Any suggestions anyone? thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

E-passporte seems to be the best way to make small deposits for an American player, though the steps and time you have to go through to get it started are indeed annoying.

The other option is sending the money Western Union. I think the minimum is $100, but it certainly won't take the two weeks required to get up and running with an E-passporte account.

Re: Starting out online
 

I started playing dollar sngs on stars recently, having played mostly cash games before that. Putting players on hands seems to be impossible. For example, I dealt KK, raise, get I caller, flop comes A 10 9, I bet he calls, turn is a 6, I bet he calls, river is a 2, I'm spooked so I check and he checks... what do you think he had?

Re: Starting out online
 

I would say that cash games are the best training ground for learning to play poker as a general rule. If you have a decent bankroll and you are willing to lose a little to learn the game, this is the way to go. The variance in SnGs will leave you wondering if you really know the game at all. The fact that your odds equal your equity in cash games will help you assess more quickly if what you are doing is playing winning poker. Plus you get to learn the ins-and-outs of preflop and postflop play (if you want to concentrate on preflop play, you can shortstack).

Basically, it is like this, good cash-game players don't have much issue beating SnGs, but good SnG players have much more difficulty beating cash games. So go to the proper training grounds if you want to learn poker. If you just want to earn money with a rather simple form of poker with a pretty well-defined mathematical strategy, go for SnGs.

Re: Starting out online
 

Thanks for all the feedback guys - 1st chance I've had to get back to the thread in a few days...
Will have a read, soak up the advice and let u know where I head next and how I get on...

Re: Starting out online
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would play 2-5 table SnG's at the lowest possible buy-in. Cash games are a good way to lose your small bankroll in a very short time and STT need a specific strategy to cash in them consistently. Look at it this way: If you play a .01/.02 cash game and buy-in for $2, you might spend around $10 in only an hour. 45 player SnG last 1.5-2 hours and cost only $1.20 or $1.25 - much more value for the money imo.

[/ QUOTE ]

.2/.5 - I did great. Then I moved down a step after reading about BR management
.1/.2 - Lost a ton of $$ (crazy ass players that I didn't know what to do with)

Then I moved to $3.40 single-table SnGs... and have been winning consistently for 3 months. It's because I have a strategy that helps me place in the money.

I look forward to the day when my BR is big enough that I can lose a lot of $$ learning cash games better...

[/ QUOTE ]

So what you're saying is you suck at poker and you can only win at donkaments?

SNGs are not real poker. Yes you can learn to beat them, but that has jack **** to do with how good a poker player you are. If you want to be a good POKER PLAYER, not a SNG DONK, you have to play the NL (or limit if you so choose) cash games.

Anybody that says otherwise is a tourney donk who doesn't know how to play real poker.

Re: Starting out online
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would play 2-5 table SnG's at the lowest possible buy-in. Cash games are a good way to lose your small bankroll in a very short time and STT need a specific strategy to cash in them consistently. Look at it this way: If you play a .01/.02 cash game and buy-in for $2, you might spend around $10 in only an hour. 45 player SnG last 1.5-2 hours and cost only $1.20 or $1.25 - much more value for the money imo.

[/ QUOTE ]

.2/.5 - I did great. Then I moved down a step after reading about BR management
.1/.2 - Lost a ton of $$ (crazy ass players that I didn't know what to do with)

Then I moved to $3.40 single-table SnGs... and have been winning consistently for 3 months. It's because I have a strategy that helps me place in the money.

I look forward to the day when my BR is big enough that I can lose a lot of $$ learning cash games better...

[/ QUOTE ]

So what you're saying is you suck at poker and you can only win at donkaments?

SNGs are not real poker. Yes you can learn to beat them, but that has jack **** to do with how good a poker player you are. If you want to be a good POKER PLAYER, not a SNG DONK, you have to play the NL (or limit if you so choose) cash games.

Anybody that says otherwise is a tourney donk who doesn't know how to play real poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL - I take it you can't beat the donks then.

It does make me laugh when idiots say this. Tourneys, be they SnG or MTT are a form of poker. Different skills required to cash games I agree but poker it is.

It is like saying draw poker is pure poker as opposed to Holdem or that Omaha is real poker and stud is not. Is limit more pure than no limit? Or the other way round? Is razz a proper game? What about HORSE?

There are so many different forms and formats of poker and tourneys are just one of them. Of course if you can't beat them I see why you would argue they are not poker.