My pooh-bah post: Keep thinking.

[Godfather80]

I have to be one of the least active players around these forums. Honestly, I don't play anywhere near the amount of hands in a year that many here play in a month. Personally, I enjoy thinking about the game as much as I enjoy playing it. I'm not going to write an informative article on one facet of no-limit because there are many better strategists to read.

I am instead going to share with you the one concept that allows me to both enjoy the game and be a winning player. That concept is: thinking. If you think (and think well), then winning and enjoyment will follow. The wealth of information available in this forum and in the archives would take decades to digest. I'm not suggesting that anybody should. But, what I am suggesting is to think a great deal about what you play, what you post, and why. Allow the forum to serve your needs by asking real questions to posters who seem to understand concepts better than you do. I have never been disappointed when I have asked people here for more specific advice about the most basic/idiotic things.

The key to understanding a lot of concepts in the game is not to read it or have others tell you why they are right and you are wrong. Unfortunately, you can passively read and talk all day and not actually learn a thing from it. You have to actively figure out many concepts by thinking about them (sometimes for a long time) before you really understand what and why they are. You may feel like an idiot asking certain questions, but have confidence. A wise man knows what he does not know and seeks to remedy that situation as best he can.

Anybody and everybody gets lucky, runs hot, gets unlucky, and runs cold. Many players get to a certain level in their thinking about the game where they begin to find it boring. Of course, the money is always great, but the game itself can stop being fun. This is where genuine thinking comes in. You can always play better if you want to. And you can always figure out where your leaks are if you study your game and think.

Poker Tracker and other tools are excellent measuring sticks for our play. But, as the excellent teacher/poster fimbulwinter once wrote, only you can truly know if you are understanding the game.

Vito

[Mal_Pais]

Thanks, I needed to read this. I just donked off 3 buyins in a 1 hour session. I've decided to think about my game versus play anymore today. After spending some time going over PT stats from my session, I'm only upset at myself for stacking off with AA when I got reraised on the flop.

Post more.

[cata1yst]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks, I needed to read this. I just donked off 3 buyins in a 1 hour session. I've decided to think about my game versus play anymore today. After spending some time going over PT stats from my session, I'm only upset at myself for stacking off with AA when I got reraised on the flop.

Post more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right on. I am also on a 4 day break, but will start up again on Wednesday. Browsing and adding input to the forum definitely makes you think more about your game and it allows you to help others.

[wslee00]

thinking is fine, but applying that knowledge that you are digesting will help you understand the material 100 times better than just merely thinking about it. Sometimes you don't have that "aha" moment until you are actually in the situation itself.

[Heine]

Great post.

I think this is one reason why I only play 3 tables at most. And that is after i've developed solid reads on 2-3 players at the table.


I think iStrongs videos are great for this reason. He does a lot of out loud thinking. Beginners should watch those over and over because it helps illustrate what a decent thought process should be.

[Casper05]

iStrongs videos?? what/where are they?

[Claunchy]

[ QUOTE ]
Great post.

I think this is one reason why I only play 3 tables at most. And that is after i've developed solid reads on 2-3 players at the table.


I think iStrongs videos are great for this reason. He does a lot of out loud thinking. Beginners should watch those over and over because it helps illustrate what a decent thought process should be.

[/ QUOTE ]
I've never seen istrong's videos, but I do watch cardrunners videos a lot, and I've found I play better if I talk to myself while I'm playing. It's kinda lame, but it keeps me from tilting and it forces me to actually have a reason for doing something.

[MyTurn2Raise]

awesome [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[Godfather80]

[ QUOTE ]
thinking is fine, but applying that knowledge that you are digesting will help you understand the material 100 times better than just merely thinking about it. Sometimes you don't have that "aha" moment until you are actually in the situation itself.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd be very careful with this line of thought. I've always felt suspicious of the "aha" moment. Here's why: poker is a game of long run and pattern recognition. The "aha" moment, by definition, is just that: a moment or individual experience.

The reason I mistrust the moment is that poker has a funny way of not letting us see the forrest (the true game) for the trees (individual hands). We have all been punished for good play and rewarded for bad in individual hand results. Sometimes we can be punished for good play and rewarded for bad for a few thousand hands. Such is the nature of our game.

That said, you can see why I approach these momentary experiential insights with trepidation. You truly may have found something in the moment. Or you may not have. Winning a pot because you do a certain thing and thusly proving that that certain thing being the right thing is a very dangerous way to think about the game.

It is fine to have "aha" moments. Back them up with rigorous thought, so that you don't fool yourself into confusing results with decisions.

[orange]

you should post more, i remember a while back you used to post alot.