Newbie...I Got slapped hard....Luckily it was at .05/.10 at Stars

[JupiterChaz]

Hi all,
I finally started playing for "real money".I played play money for 2 weeks on stars and party....I won for free so I started a week ago.
I read tons of articles,2+2 asnd other sites. I read WLLH and SSHE(I looked more than absorbed and learned).
I lost 2 bucks at .02/.04 in 5 hours my first nite(I did keep track of each hand on notepaper)
Next nite I went to Stars 5-10 cents....Lost $5 (50BB)
so now my $25 was $17...
Way way too much play too many hands...Them books are dangerous...
Well I stumbled on a sticky on another site "Piersmajestyk Beat the game $ 1,000 monthly"(google it)

play only AA KK QQ jj TT AKs AKo Aqs AQO and that is about it...
Well I won upto $36 from $17 in the next 3 nights....I touched $36 and got stupid, played way too much and hit bad cards....
Down to $12 bucks from $36....WOW....
So I felt bad....next nite I tightened up got it back to $14...Last nite I played got back to $21...
So playing tight is the Key....I was stupid...glad I learned to play about 9 hands and some pairs...and folded on Flop...
It is a horserace....start with an advantage...another hand in a minute...sloooow down...." you either got them or you don't ...You either repect them or ya don't"
Luckily I tilted for pennies and learned to Play only a few staring hands....take notes and keep track of your hands on paper and review....
Just my findings for the week. Maybee it will help a newbie save $$$

[McNeese72]

A word of caution. I've been playing for a little over a year and I've still got a lot to learn. Don't for a second think you've got it all figured out already.

Doc

[JupiterChaz]

I know nothing that's fer sure...but playing only a few starting hands helped me get back on track...Pass on most hands is helpful advice...and keep records of how many hands you actually played and won on...I just take a sheet of ruled paper, make a column and write each dealt start hand, so roughly 64 hands per each side...only maybee 2 or 3 decent start hands in 26....
I was amazed how often AA KK QQ JJ TT AK AQ were the winners, flush draws ( Ex. A8 of spades or better)don't seem to win...a couple all nite out of 70 starting same suited cards, actually made the flush....
I only played 3-500 hands a nite....AA KK QQ JJ TT AK AQ, 99 88 77 66 55 44 33 22(drop if ya don't hit trips on the flop) were the hands that won about 40% of my wins...
Drop the hands If you don't flop a pair or trips...
Wait for the good ones...my limited 2500 hand experience...
I have lots to learn...LOTS!

[Mal_Pais]

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take notes and keep track of your hands on paper and review....


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No need for manually tracking your hands. 'Stars hand histories are saved to your machine.

[skillzilla]

it seems to me that your main focus is on preflop play , reread sshe

[dc_publius]

I think you're off to a good start. Play supertight and it will be hard to lose money. But you will need to learn postflop play and losen up eventually if you plan to move up.

[difiCa]

You should also focus on the post-flop play, even KK or AK could be just as losing hand as 72o if you don't know when to bet it, when to fold it to a raise, when to reraise, when to check it, and what to do if your opponent does this or that.

Learn to see the things on the flop that helped your hand (a pocket pair getting hit on a set, flopping a decent draw to a straight or a flush, your pocket pair being an overpair etc.), the things that dropped the value of your hand (straight possiblities and flush possiblities, seeing that you don't have a decent draw, cards forcing you to make a draw to very few outs for example when you hold KK and the flop brings an ace and other possible bad things that make your hand worse), and those things that don't really affect your hand unless otherwise indicated by the action on the hand (an one overcard coming with a drawless flop with a pocket pair etc.).

And you definetly should'nt always fold if it doesn't hit. If you're getting good enough odds to draw to something, you should'nt fold. Read Ed Miller's excellent post about this:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...&PHPSESSID=

Just learn to play post-flop in the good hands, and remember that not even AA is so strong that you don't have to fold it sometimes post-flop when there is just so small of a chance it is on the lead. I know it might sound absurd to fold AA but in poker, the best starting hand doesn't always win in the showdown.

And remember, don't quit if it doesn't go well at first, and if you have a bad run, never go to a bigger table than usually in hope of quick "jackpots". It sure can be frustrating to lose, especially in limit games where the downswings can last for a very long time but if you go to a larger table than usually, you will just lose more unless you get lucky, and luck won't last forever.

Also, moving to playing a smaller table should never be a shame, it just proves that you're a smart poker player, not a gambler. Gamblers just keep playing some limit badly until they are broke (which will happen unless the player gets better before), a smart poker player plays the limit most suitable for his bankroll well. But still, gamblers can win and smart players can lose, but in the long run a gambler will lose and a good player will win.

[RowlfTheDog]

Great link, thanks!

[SheridanCat]

First off, welcome to the forums.

My first suggestion would be for you to pick up a copy of Ed Miller's Getting Started In Hold'em and really read it. The information is presented in a clear way.

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Way way too much play too many hands...Them books are dangerous...


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The books, not properly understood, can be dangerous. They're great but you have to study them, not just look at them.

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Well I stumbled on a sticky on another site "Piersmajestyk Beat the game $ 1,000 monthly"(google it)


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I was unable to find this via Google.

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play only AA KK QQ jj TT AKs AKo Aqs AQO and that is about it...


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Well, those are certainly premium hands. However, if those are the only hands you ever play, you'll certainly be leaving a great deal of money on the table. Yes, you'll usually start out with the best hand, but you'll only be playing 5% of your starting hands - on average. Winning players will be playing somewhere around 20% of their starting hands.

While tight is usually right, you need to understand now just what hands to play but what hands can be played profitably in various situations. The book I recommend above along with SSHE will help you learn what those situations are.

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Well I won upto $36 from $17 in the next 3 nights, etc, etc.


[/ QUOTE ]

Forget your results right now. They're irrelevant. You need to concentrate on learning to play poker, not just winning. Yes, winning is good and important in the long run, but your results over a few days really mean nothing.

Seriously, read the micro-limit forums here and really study the books and you'll be in fine shape.

Regards,

T

[JupiterChaz]

Here is a link to the Piersmajestk article(it is from another forum but I found it one heck of an eyeopener for actually starting a newbie out)
“ How to beat online limit holdem.”
http://www.bet-the-pot.com/forum/poker-article1381.html

I even hit a Royal Heart straight flush with As and 10h start hand , flop was 8c Ah Kh, turn was Jh…hit the Qh on the river, so I was raising all the way(won a whole $1.35 but for once I KNEW I had the Nuts!)


I am going to stay at Pokerstars .05/.10 until I can say I “get it”(by doubling my $25 bankroll). My choke point is low…baby steps for a while, then the next limit will be .10/.20...
I have gone and watched .10/.20 players…even watched a guy play Limit $200/$400 real money and win $5,000 in ½ hour…

I now look for a 5/10 cent LIMIT table with 40% or more going to the flop, around $1 average pot. I start with $2 bucks(20BB), play only a few start hands, raise post flop with good flops. There are lots of Germans, French, even Chinese players in the 12 am to 8 am EST time zone. Some are Rocks, some are fools, some drop a hand when you enter a pot…I don’t look at some guy starting with $10 (100 BB) as a good player(watching them and note taking is more important)
I learned about right clicking on a player’s name to make a note(on Stars), I now write if they hold JJ with AK showing on the board and lose at the showdown(that gets costly for a player)
What they start a session with, dumb moves like reraising with nothing to back it up….I am just starting to watch my competitors moves(it has been less than a month with party and stars play money play and 1 week actual “real” play)..It is fun, and potentially profitable…Baby steps