How do you "study"?

[Spy]

When i've tried the "read it all, etc." approach it has never worked out for me. What happens, I find, is that I don't remember nearly as much as I expect to in the beginning. I do apply what I can remember successfully, but when it comes to going back and reading again, I can't do it. I just get bored because it all seems too familiar.

Reading one thing at a time is the winning approach, at least for me.

[Grizwold]

Read the whole book first. Don't try to fully comprehend everything w/ vigorous study the first time through. "Practice. Practice. Practice." You will be able to pick up some things quickly and other things may seem very complicated, but I would not suggest dwelling on such things your first time through. Read a book all the way through and try to apply as many concepts in to your game as you can. While playing you will realize what parts of a certain book you have not yet fully grasped, and you should go back and "study" or review those things. It's beneficial to learn what parts of your game can improve and what other parts you do fairly well at already. And reading through the whole book will help you understand each of the individual concepts better. I used to trouble myself over this question as well, "what is the best way to study poker?" It is easy to find out when you have an intermediate understanding of the game, and then play play play play a lot; you will easily find out what you need to study. Read the whole book first and play constantly. The answers to your questions will present themselves.

[Poker Plan]

[ QUOTE ]
First, as far as things like Poker Academy and other software goes, i've never used them. How helpful are they? Which are the best and are they worth the money?

Second, i've got a lot of friends who play poker, but none do so seriously. In other words, i'm not going to be able to learn a whole lot discussing poker with them right now. How do you recommend introducing advanced poker concepts to these types of players? I have to help them improve before I can benefit, but i'm not sure how to introduce the complexities of the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

With regards off-line simulators / trainers; there are two main choices:
Poker Academy
Wilsons Turbo Holdem (I think that's the name)

I use Poker Academy.

The main advantage of off-line simulators is that you play thorugh hands at YOUR pace. ie you can ten minutes over each decision if you want- this may help you when you are digesting new concepts- to think through the decision and help develop the mindset. The speed of the thought process can be developed after.


With regards your poker friends- I wouldn't hold out too much hope of getting them to take poker seriously- if they are happy just playing for fun- I dn't find that many people REALLY want to get into the game. Your best bet is to participate and contribute here at 2+2.

Ian

[Poker Plan]

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but when it comes to going back and reading again, I can't do it. I just get bored because it all seems too familiar.



[/ QUOTE ]

I'm afraid there's no way round this. If it hasn't gone in the first time (which is quite likely), you're going to have to revisit.

Ian

[kazana]

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but when it comes to going back and reading again, I can't do it. I just get bored because it all seems too familiar.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm afraid there's no way round this. If it hasn't gone in the first time (which is quite likely), you're going to have to revisit.

[/ QUOTE ]
QFT.

Let me give you an example (it's always kinda easier to understand with clear-cut examples):

Only recently, I felt a bit out of balance with bluffing (namely, I hardly ever bluffed).
Now, while it's not really necessary to bluff at the lower limits, it still can help you push up that BB/100 a tiny bit if you do it sensibly.
So, I went through that section of my poker books again, read it carefully, and tried first one, then two different approaches - just to see if it makes a difference. I also started reading threads I could find on 2p2 dealing with good bluffs or, more frequently, bluffs gone wrong.
Right now, I'm trying to apply those techniques for now, and after a few k hands I'm going to evaluate if it has "helped" my game or not.
If it did, good for me. If it didn't, ah well, kick it out of my repertoire again, knowing that I did learn quite a bit while trying it.

That's how I go about studying. I try to identify a spot where I need to improve (biggest leak first). Re-read that section in my books. Read relevant threads on 2p2. Apply 1 or 2 techniques and evaluate.

Rinse, repeat, ka-ching.

[pfapfap]

Viva le difference! Now that I think about it, I read a whole book but usually focus on a couple of things. I just like to know the overall picture. I find it more difficult for me to understand a concept if I don't know how it fits in the larger scheme, even if I don't fully understand it. For example, I recognize playing a tight game well helps with later aggression and bluffing, but I focused more on plugging the holes in my starting hand requirements before maneuvering much beyond that. Then, once secure that I could start a hand thinking about how other people played more than the cards I held, I moved on to pot manipulation on the flop. So I'm reading the whole thing but not trying to do it all at once.

I also mix up the books and types of books I read. I'll read up on concepts or plays I have no intention of utilizing yet, but in doing so I'm helped in my game just by starting to pay attention to what will eventually go into setting up these other plays.

[Spy]

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but when it comes to going back and reading again, I can't do it. I just get bored because it all seems too familiar.



[/ QUOTE ]

I'm afraid there's no way round this. If it hasn't gone in the first time (which is quite likely), you're going to have to revisit.

Ian

[/ QUOTE ]

I find that just by focusing on one thing at a time I avoid this, for the most part. I do have to reread this way, but to a much smaller degree.

If I were to read the whole book, sometimes I might feel like I didn't get everything out of it, but yet I wouldn't be able to finger what sections I needed to reread. Thus, it would be a lot of going back through stuff I did understand to find what I did not.

When I focus on one thing at a time, if I have to reread anything, it's that one thing I am focused on, and it's not so bad.

[SuperPanda22]

I tend to read through a book first, or at least a decent amount of it. I usually recall and apply certain things that stick out the most. After a while, I'll go back and re-read the book/sections. More often than not, I'll find something of interest that I didn't notice before.

[No Fizzle]

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Second, i've got a lot of friends who play poker, but none do so seriously. In other words, i'm not going to be able to learn a whole lot discussing poker with them right now. How do you recommend introducing advanced poker concepts to these types of players? I have to help them improve before I can benefit, but i'm not sure how to introduce the complexities of the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

You got it all wrong, mang! Improve yourself through study, online play, and the forums here. Then, invite your friends to your new, weekly home game...
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