Teaching Idiots

[DaExMan]

hey not sure where to post this.

I just got my friend started playing poker, and as we all were at one point he is really bad (and he doesn't know it). I'm trying to teach him the basics but he isn't the smartest tool in the shed if you know what i mean. When I try to correct a play of his he just agrees with me and does it again acouple minutes later.

I'm just thinking what kind of poker should I be teaching him?

I'm a fairly decent tourney and sng player, I still working on my cash game but I am still qualified to give advice for the levels he is going to play.

[Peleus]

Firstly, not everyone is going to be a good poker play. Simply put, you have to want to play and improve yourself, before anything a teacher does will make a bit of difference. If he likes playing those two suited cards because they look good, he is going to do it.

Apart from that try explaining the WHY behind it. A lot of people won't follow your advice if they don't believe in it, sometimes explaining why you're doing something, can let them get a hold of the concept, and help him apply it to other things.

[KamiKatze]

78s > AA.



If he doesn't want to improve, just let him bust.

[Rek]

Don't teach him, play him!

[excession]

|Some people won't just do what they're told - they need to 'see' it first. Make him get PT and play at micro-stakes awhile - 1c/2c will be fine. Then pull up all the times he plays 63s UTG and show him the red numbers. THEN he might start to get it..

[Nsight7]

I agree with the above.

Then again, it might likely always be like pulling teeth. After a year of me giving my wife advice she has only recently gotten beyond results-orientated thinking and starting listening. Of course she still does some boneheaded moves sometimes and still has trouble listening to my advice quite often. Like was said above, they have to want to improve and really to know they aren't playing well.

As for my wife, I keep trying to help because I love her. If I didn't, I doubt I would have lasted one week trying to help her improve her game.

[pzhon]

Teach him that the vast majority of poker players lose. Teach him to set a budget and to stay within it.

Basic strategy in poker is much more complicated than basic strategy in blackjack. Nevertheless, almost all blackjack players in casinos do not bother to learn basic strategy. The result is that people lose 2-3% of what they wager instead of about 0.5%. They could get an 80% discount by learning basic strategy, or using a $3 basic strategy card from the casino gift shop, but they can't be bothered. Poker seems much less mathematical, so they are even less inclined to learn.

If you find someone who does want to learn, here are quick tips which can help them to survive a lot longer:

[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Play tightly. In general, throw away hands as good as KT and A8.

[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Pot odds. Always look at the risk versus the reward.

[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Strength. Don't get too excited about a hand that can be beaten by one card. Top pair is usually a good hand.

[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Position. It's an advantage to go last. Play more hands when you have this advantage, and fewer when you don't.

[allyasia]

he will learn and remember it, when he lost a certain amount of money.
best way to learn is pay the tutions.
people cannot learn from free course
i bet your friend think he know more about poker then you do.

[PVR]

Get him to buy Poker Academy, when he can beat that, then teach him.

[Terremoto]

Let him know there is a wealth of info. in the stickies and faq's on this site, and read them. Then, buy him an early Christmas gift, like Getting Started in Hold'em.