LC: Post #5,000 - Ask me whatever

[Paul B.]

I couldn't really think of anything specific to write about so I'll just rant about myself and stuff I think about.

I'm 22 (23 in a week) and I've been "pro" for over a year now, but poker has been my primary source of income for around three years. Jobs I've had in the past: real estate agent, transcriber for the movie "Super Size Me," copy editor/writer for my school newspaper. I have a BA in Economics.

Here are my results from when I used to play SNGs (not entirely accurate due to TM not recognizing some buy-ins):



And yes, I do realize spacegravy is on pace to top my entire SNG career in one month. I have money against him [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img].

Anyway, I now play MSNL (came a long way from .5/1 Limit) and I've had a lot of success, so I'll give you guys three simple tips on how to improve as a player:

(1) Be humble. I see so many guys who think they're the best and claim they're just running bad (e.g. FGators). There's always room for improvement, even for the best players in the world. There is no shame in hiring a coach.

(2) Be willing to learn and work hard. Study the game and take initiative. Don't be one of those guys who makes zero effort and posts questions that can easily be answered by Google or the search function (p.s. please don't spoonfeed these people). There is a plethora of information in the archives that can make you millions -- take advantage of it.

(3) Focus less on grinding and more on improving your win rate. Make sure you table select (properly!). Try to understand the purpose of every action and the math behind them. Think about your opponent's hand and what he thinks your hand is.

If you do these things, you will be a huge winner. I realize some of that stuff is really general, so I'm willing to answer questions on more specific stuff for the next day or two. I don't really like to share secret stuff I've learned on my own, so make the most of it.