Step into the tee box

[Arnfinn Madsen]

But is it realistic for an average player to find a good player willing to play them much for almost no money. Is it not better to accept that if you are going to get better it involves playing some -EV-tables/tournies?

[Jason Strasser (strassa2)]

Its fine to play better players for meaningful money, its just bad to take that to an extreme and go broke or make far less money than you could.

It's not as hard as you think to find good players to talk with you. Think about how many players are around that are better than you? Plenty, for all of us.

-Jason

[Arnfinn Madsen]

[ QUOTE ]
Its fine to play better players for meaningful money, its just bad to take that to an extreme and go broke or make far less money than you could.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I agree. I don't look for good players to take all my money, but I would say that at maybe 1/5 of the time I am playing, I am playing at a -EV-table. Since I play fulltime that amounts to about 120 table hours a month. That makes me confident that I will earn good money that month (even if I could have made more of course) and that I keep sharp and focused on getting better. I see the time spent and the money lost during those 120 table hours as good investment and would seriously advice everybody else to do the same.

[La Brujita]

I think this is an interesting post but my thought is you have to learn to walk before you run.

There are certain exceptional players like Jason (not being sarcastic) who just get the game quickly but we all progress at our own speed.

To me, the plain truth of the matter is you just grow tired to some extent of reading the same kind of posts after a while. This is not intending to be offensive, one of my first posts was a party rigged post.

The natural progression seems to me to be to start focusing on cash games and playing higher and higher. The truth is the win rates you can get in cash games online dwarfs online tourneys.

But then, at least in my case, you start to rediscover an interest in tourneys. They get the competitive juices flowing, and they are less stressful because you know you won't lose thousands of dollars that hour.

Anyway a rambling response.

Edit to add:

1. I don't think there is any shame in learning abc strategy first. Low limit players trying to play well seem to make the opposite mistake, too weak tight on bubble, too much slowplaying etc.

2. I will gamble with you on golf straight up for any reasonable amount. You sound like my kind of mark.

[Ansky]

POTY

[chuddo]

so...you are asking me to play headsup? sure thing.

[locutus2002]

Usually I find Strassa's posts to be cutting and illuninating.

This post is self congratulating, condescending, and vacuous. There is a redeeming note on heads up play being useful.

Your first point is: learn how to play good poker, but you admit to adjusting your game for weaker players. I doubt you play your best game when you multitable (if u do).

Your second point is: there are two 2+2 networks and we cant' be bothered to share in the open. Which is fine, but don't rub it in our face.

[Exitonly]

[ QUOTE ]
Usually I find Strassa's posts to be cutting and illuninating.

This post is self congratulating, condescending, and vacuous. There is a redeeming note on heads up play being useful.

Your first point is: learn how to play good poker, but you admit to adjusting your game for weaker players. I doubt you play your best game when you multitable (if u do).

Your second point is: there are two 2+2 networks and we cant' be bothered to share in the open. Which is fine, but don't rub it in our face.

[/ QUOTE ]

er.. i think the exact opposite... i've noticed that jason's posts are usually condescending and snippy, but this one was the opposite, he seemed friendly and offered some good advice.

[TomHimself]

i like jasons posts

[Sam T.]

If we stay with the analogy a bit longer, I'd point out that if Tiger Woods took Jason's golf adivce, he would try to play St. Andrews in the rain the same way he plays Augusta when it's 80-degrees and sunny. You have to adjust your game to the playing conditions, or else you are going to find yourself hitting your lob-wedge (perfect for Augusta) into a gale-force winds, and the ball is going to go backwards.

When you are in a low buy-in tournament, you make decisions that against strong players would be wrong. As Jason put it, "Part of being good is adjusting to your competition." The fact is that the donkeys I play against will call me down with TPNK, second pair, a gutshot, whatever, and if I don't allow them to do so, I'm leaving money on the table.

Now I'm not defending the folks who don't want to get better and move up, although if someone is happy playing a few $10 tournaments per week, I certainly won't tell them they're wrong. You can play golf a few times a month without planning to attend Q-School. The post sounds good at a certain level, but I just don't see how he came to the conclusion that, "people here are often too caught up with figuring out how to beat lowly idiots then actually making progress in their game."

And one final note:

[ QUOTE ]
You want to be the best at everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah, the optimism of youth! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Cheers, Jason, I've learned a ton from you.

Sam