Ask Spoony About Poker, Life, and Anything Else

As the title says. I'll try to spin all of my answers into being poker advice-related.

"how can i win money at poker"

nou

How can m2m win money at poker?

You love being asked questions, my friend.

I'll try kicking this thread off: How do you keep yourself from becoming bored with poker? Do you ever want to shoot yourself after playing too much poker?

Good question BooG.

How often do you play?

What are some things you do to get ready before a session?

What does your exercise schedule/diet look like?

A lot of people on the forums know you have more than your fair share of troubles with irl issues, how do you keep those from affecting you during your session?

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

"how can i win money at poker"

People have often brought up whether you need X intelligence to make it to Y level in poker. I think a much bigger indicator of potential success, at least up to ~$100-150/hr is a person's ability to follow directions and approach the learning process in anything resembling a good way. I think that's the single thing that keeps most BC posters from ever making 6 figures at poker.

Originally Posted by kiwiMark

How can m2m win money at poker?

I think m2m's biggest leak is that he's Canadian. Another important leak is he chats too much while grinding. Okay I'm just guessing at that, but I'm a good guesser.

Originally Posted by BooG690

How do you keep yourself from becoming bored with poker? Do you ever want to shoot yourself after playing too much poker?

Research has shown that boredom with a subject and involvement in the learning process are inversely proportional. So, I'm always trying to learn something. Picking apart the games of regulars I play with is fun too.

I don't get to play enough right now to approach "too much poker". I'm usually wanting to shoot myself for other reasons, though.

Originally Posted by dranger7070

Good question BooG.

How often do you play?

What are some things you do to get ready before a session?

What does your exercise schedule/diet look like?

A lot of people on the forums know you have more than your fair share of troubles with irl issues, how do you keep those from affecting you during your session?

Every chance I get, which isn't nearly as much as I'd like. Usually 2-3 small sessions a day, probably an average of 1000-1200 hands per session.

Usually one or more of the following: Take a minute to consider my level of focus, take a shower, use the bathroom, meditate, grab food and beverage, idk normal stuff.

Crap and total crap. It's going to catch up with me one day.

Good question. My best guess is that I spent so much time training mental skills before this or poker came along that I'm able to mostly handle it, or at least better identify situations where I'm not going to be able to handle it so I don't play. I've had two total breakdowns in the past year and a half where I didn't do much besides take care of Michelle-related stuff and sleep for a week or so. They both happened around the time things got really bad and she was put in the hospital, etc. There were a few other times where I came close but pulled myself out of it, including this last time she was in the hospital (she got out yesterday).

Michelle OK?

If someone doesn't have as much time to study as others do, can the someone still become a decent player?

If you wrote a book about poker what would be the Table of Contents?

Why does M2M say "Eh" and "aboot" and how can we cure him of this?

what happened to your website? i only just found it when it disappeared.

how important do you consider studying poker, in relation to playing? obviously it differs between 600nl regs and me due to skill levels, it just seems so easy to play way more than i should compared to studying, playing like an inattentive robot and eroding what little edge i (might) have in my games.

do you see poker as your livelihood for much of the foreseeable future or is it just a transitional thing while you do school/whatever

Originally Posted by spoonitnow

I think m2m's biggest leak is that he's Canadian. Another important leak is he chats too much while grinding. Okay I'm just guessing at that, but I'm a good guesser.

Ooh, do me, do me.


More questions to come soon.

Originally Posted by Sasquach991

Michelle OK?

If someone doesn't have as much time to study as others do, can the someone still become a decent player?

If you wrote a book about poker what would be the Table of Contents?

Why does M2M say "Eh" and "aboot" and how can we cure him of this?

Relatively.

You can't get good at anything without putting in a certain amount of quality practice. If you were so limited that you were unable to do this for poker, then no you couldn't. It's like anything else.

I'll answer a different question instead. Off of the top of my head, topics in order of how I would coach a standard BC 10nl'er if I knew they would work hard: Psychological Training, Introduction to EV and Equity, Basic EV calculations, Introduction to Value Betting, Common Themes in Value Betting, Introduction to [Semi-]Bluffing, Common Themes when [Semi-]Bluffing, The False Dichotomy of Value Betting vs Bluffing, Planning Hands, Introduction to Ranges, Card Removal and Patterns, Introduction to Hand Reading, Identifying Strong Weak and Balanced Ranges, Common Themes in Exploitative Play, Common Themes in Balanced Play, Advanced Introduction to Ranges, ISF's Theorem, Simple ISF's Theorem Applications, Intermediate ISF's Theorem Applications.

Originally Posted by rpm

what happened to your website? i only just found it when it disappeared.

how important do you consider studying poker, in relation to playing? obviously it differs between 600nl regs and me due to skill levels, it just seems so easy to play way more than i should compared to studying, playing like an inattentive robot and eroding what little edge i (might) have in my games.

do you see poker as your livelihood for much of the foreseeable future or is it just a transitional thing while you do school/whatever

I took it down out of frustration with trying to help people who don't want to be helped. It's something like the third time I've done that. I have the contents saved somewhere. It's about 50% me playing with Google seeing what I could rank for, 40% me typing out things I'm thinking about to help better clarify my thoughts, and 10% standard poker topics that have been ran into the ground over and over.

I'll make up a rule. I think if you're not making the kind of money you want, you should spend about 25%-50% of your total poker time studying. If you are making the kind of money you want, that could probably be closer to 5-10%. But one hour of focused practice or analysis is better than five hours of half-assing it.

My situation is complicated. Right now in terms of flexibility, poker is the only way I can see to hold everything together. Ideally it would just be a way to finish putting myself through school, like it was originally.

Originally Posted by kiwiMark

Ooh, do me, do me.

I think your biggest leak is that you don't respect the game. What I mean is that it's not very high on your list of priorities, like say your school work. It's probably because you didn't grow up really poor or whatever so your drive is probably more towards something like making your family proud or socializing than being financially independent at a young age. Keep in mind I'm not judging, just an observation.

You should just make a thread called "Ask Spoon About Your Biggest Leak."

Originally Posted by spoonitnow

I think your biggest leak is that you don't respect the game. What I mean is that it's not very high on your list of priorities, like say your school work.

sounds grossly familiar.

I'll answer a different question instead. Off of the top of my head, topics in order of how I would coach a standard BC 10nl'er if I knew they would work hard: Psychological Training, Introduction to EV and Equity, Basic EV calculations, Introduction to Value Betting, Common Themes in Value Betting, Introduction to [Semi-]Bluffing, Common Themes when [Semi-]Bluffing, The False Dichotomy of Value Betting vs Bluffing, Planning Hands, Introduction to Ranges, Card Removal and Patterns, Introduction to Hand Reading, Identifying Strong Weak and Balanced Ranges, Common Themes in Exploitative Play, Common Themes in Balanced Play, Advanced Introduction to Ranges, ISF's Theorem, Simple ISF's Theorem Applications, Intermediate ISF's Theorem Applications.

roughly how many hours of coaching would this course entail? i mean just to explain the content, assuming the student puts in enough time out of hours in learning and understanding it?

bout tree-fiddy

How many hours per day do you think you spend helping others with understanding poker?

Do you believe you would be playing higher stakes had you focused that time/energy on your game?

Way to try and ruin the BC, bitter-stax :P

Originally Posted by kiwiMark

Way to try and ruin the BC, bitter-stax :P

lol

What do you enjoy most about playing poker?

What do you enjoy most about teaching poker?

What stakes do you generally play it? Why? Do you want to move up?

Is your enjoyment in playing maximised at those stakes or just your financial return given your bankroll? Is there a difference?

Originally Posted by kiwiMark

Way to try and ruin the BC, bitter-stax :P

Those are legitimate questions.. I have no qualms over Spoon helping people, as he's the person I give most credit to getting me started out right.

What do you think motivates you to give up so much of your time to help other people better themselves?

Putting aside the obvious importance of learning away from the tables: At the tables what do you think the most damaging leaks of a microstakes player are? What about a 50nl-100nl reg? Do you think they have any in common?

Do you think that Sisyphus would ultimately have found contentment in his eternal punishment of pushing the same rock up a mountain, knowing with all certainty that that was all there was to his existence?

How do you feel about Absurdism, and in particular the idea that while the pursuit of meaning in this life will fail, meaning (perhaps as a coping method) can be found in the pursuit?

Do you believe there is such a thing as society? If ultimately it were your choice, would you choose to be an active and productive member of society or live wholly sustained outside of it?

Why do birds suddenly appear everytime you are near?

Originally Posted by XxStacksxX

Those are legitimate questions.. I have no qualms over Spoon helping people, as he's the person I give most credit to getting me started out right.

You know I <3 you and only kid.

Originally Posted by BooG690

You should just make a thread called "Ask Spoon About Your Biggest Leak."

The majority of good advice in 2nl/5nl/10nl stats threads that get put up could be summarized with the following three points:

1. Stop open-limping
2. Tighten up out of position
3. Loosen up in position (ie steal more)

Originally Posted by rpm

roughly how many hours of coaching would this course entail? i mean just to explain the content, assuming the student puts in enough time out of hours in learning and understanding it?

The hell if I know.

Originally Posted by XxStacksxX

How many hours per day do you think you spend helping others with understanding poker?

Do you believe you would be playing higher stakes had you focused that time/energy on your game?

Over the past 6 months, maybe 30 minutes/day on average.

Not really. The stakes I play aren't so much a function of that. Additionally, most of that time is spent working on my game. The random topics I come up with in IRC and so on aren't so random after all.

Originally Posted by kiwiMark

Way to try and ruin the BC, bitter-stax :P

Pretty standard.

I'll answer more questions later.

Good thread.

Why can't I join the IRC? It says I'm G-Lined.

Originally Posted by DanAronG

What do you enjoy most about playing poker?

What do you enjoy most about teaching poker?

What stakes do you generally play it? Why? Do you want to move up?

Is your enjoyment in playing maximised at those stakes or just your financial return given your bankroll? Is there a difference?

Making money.

I enjoy teaching in general. I've taught/coached a number of things from chess to wrestling to math. It's also one of the main ways I gain a deeper understanding of myself and what I'm doing.

For a few weeks I've been playing 25nl just because it's an easy $20/hour and I've been totally stressed the fuck out. My situation is pretty atypical. I'd rather be breaking into mid-stakes like I was a couple of years ago, but life doesn't allow for that atm.

I pretty much hate it but I don't have much of a choice right now unless I get staked, and I very much dislike playing on a stake for cash games.

Originally Posted by XxStacksxX

Those are legitimate questions.. I have no qualms over Spoon helping people, as he's the person I give most credit to getting me started out right.

Standard.

Originally Posted by Dex

What do you think motivates you to give up so much of your time to help other people better themselves?

Putting aside the obvious importance of learning away from the tables: At the tables what do you think the most damaging leaks of a microstakes player are? What about a 50nl-100nl reg? Do you think they have any in common?

Do you think that Sisyphus would ultimately have found contentment in his eternal punishment of pushing the same rock up a mountain, knowing with all certainty that that was all there was to his existence?

How do you feel about Absurdism, and in particular the idea that while the pursuit of meaning in this life will fail, meaning (perhaps as a coping method) can be found in the pursuit?

Do you believe there is such a thing as society? If ultimately it were your choice, would you choose to be an active and productive member of society or live wholly sustained outside of it?

Why do birds suddenly appear everytime you are near?

Because I'm retarded.

For microstakes they just have no fucking idea why they're doing what they're doing 90% of the time and don't think about what their opponents ranges are. If you're betting, and you don't know why you're betting, you're making a mistake. At small stakes, right now people seem more concerned with trying to "outplay" each other than trying to play well and that leads to so much spew it's hilarious.

If I remember it correctly, Sisyphus' punishment was selected specifically for him because of his level of cunning. For this I don't think he would ever find satisfaction or be content.

I assume that there is no point to our existence, though I couldn't prove that. More importantly I don't think it matters. Something having "a point" is so subjective that if there was a God and he or she came down and said okay the point of all of this is _______, then there would be people who had the opinion that _______ was stupid. However, on a similar topic I think that in all things worth doing, we gain more from the process than from the end result.

I think if you believe that society exists, than you're admitting that you're a part of it by definition, no matter what you choose to do. If you don't believe that society exists, then that's similar to not believing that relationships exist.

Because there are birds everywhere here.

Originally Posted by DJJunkPauds

Why can't I join the IRC? It says I'm G-Lined.

Your IP or one similar is banned from the network. I can't do anything about that, you'll need to contact the network admins for thundercity.net and see what's going on.

Originally Posted by spoonitnow

People have often brought up whether you need X intelligence to make it to Y level in poker. I think a much bigger indicator of potential success, at least up to ~$100-150/hr is a person's ability to follow directions and approach the learning process in anything resembling a good way. I think that's the single thing that keeps most BC posters from ever making 6 figures at poker.


I think m2m's biggest leak is that he's Canadian. Another important leak is he chats too much while grinding. Okay I'm just guessing at that, but I'm a good guesser.

indeed, hmmm...

Originally Posted by rpm

sounds grossly familiar.

It's a common theme. For further reading on the opposite, consult Machiavelli's idea of the "New Prince".

Originally Posted by spoonitnow

If I remember it correctly, Sisyphus' punishment was selected specifically for him because of his level of cunning. For this I don't think he would ever find satisfaction or be content.

I assume that there is no point to our existence, though I couldn't prove that. More importantly I don't think it matters. Something having "a point" is so subjective that if there was a God and he or she came down and said okay the point of all of this is _______, then there would be people who had the opinion that _______ was stupid. However, on a similar topic I think that in all things worth doing, we gain more from the process than from the end result.

I think if you believe that society exists, than you're admitting that you're a part of it by definition, no matter what you choose to do. If you don't believe that society exists, then that's similar to not believing that relationships exist.

Pretty awesome answers, thanks. In Albert Camus' treatise on Absurdism, The Myth Of Sisyphus, he concluded that without the burden of finding meaning in life, as with his fate settled there was nothing else to consider, Sisyphus would accept this and find meaning in the struggle. As Camus believed there was no point to life, acceptance of this and meaning found in the journey was the preferable option compared to the two others - suicide and God. I guess Camus seemed to think that having defied the devil once, hence his punishment, Sisyphus would just be a total pussy quitter the second time. Or maybe it's a slightly awkward metaphor for finding freedom in letting go. Perspective right? Camus is definitely recommended reading material.

All of which brings me to my next question - cat person or dog person?

Also, 3 books you think people should be obligated to read?

These questions are probably gonna be fairly loosely worded, so feel free to just give your thoughts on anything related.

As a maths guy, you obviously put a lot of emphasis on that side of poker, which comes through in the way you teach analysis. What about the mental side of poker- I'm sure we all find ourselves in situations where on some level we know we should fold but we make the bad call, etc. etc., or even ignoring that kind of obvious mental struggle, we all have times when we make arbitrary decisions because we're not focussed, and the like.

What kind of things do you do to improve on that part of your game? Here I mean more in terms of over a long period of time, rather than tips like having a shower before session (although if there're any more of these sorts of things you haven't mentioned, chuck 'em in).

You mentioned meditation- It's something I've had vague interest in for a few years, due largely to my brother being fairly into it, going to retreats, etc., but something that I've never properly pursued. However, watching Tommy Angelo's series on Deuces Cracked brought it back to the forefront of my mind, and I'm now trying to practice daily. Any advice, tips, other words of wisdom that you have on the subject, related or unrelated to poker?


Oh, and thanks for your response to my earlier question, it's probably a fair call to say that the drive isn't as pressing as it could be, due largely to the fact that it's the norm in the group of people that I interact with to live off of student loans, and so it doesn't bother me that I'm doing that, as much as it perhaps should.

Originally Posted by Dex

All of which brings me to my next question - cat person or dog person?

Also, 3 books you think people should be obligated to read?

I don't really like either, but I can stand being around them.

I'll answer a similar question since I can't really come up with an answer to the one you asked. Here are three non-poker books I think people who want to perform well in poker should read: The 50th Law by Robert Greene, The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin, and Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel.

Originally Posted by spoonitnow

I don't really like either, but I can stand being around them.

I'll answer a similar question since I can't really come up with an answer to the one you asked. Here are three non-poker books I think people who want to perform well in poker should read: The 50th Law by Robert Greene, The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin, and Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel.

Fucking love Waitzkin.

Originally Posted by kiwiMark

These questions are probably gonna be fairly loosely worded, so feel free to just give your thoughts on anything related.

As a maths guy, you obviously put a lot of emphasis on that side of poker, which comes through in the way you teach analysis. What about the mental side of poker- I'm sure we all find ourselves in situations where on some level we know we should fold but we make the bad call, etc. etc., or even ignoring that kind of obvious mental struggle, we all have times when we make arbitrary decisions because we're not focussed, and the like.

What kind of things do you do to improve on that part of your game? Here I mean more in terms of over a long period of time, rather than tips like having a shower before session (although if there're any more of these sorts of things you haven't mentioned, chuck 'em in).

You mentioned meditation- It's something I've had vague interest in for a few years, due largely to my brother being fairly into it, going to retreats, etc., but something that I've never properly pursued. However, watching Tommy Angelo's series on Deuces Cracked brought it back to the forefront of my mind, and I'm now trying to practice daily. Any advice, tips, other words of wisdom that you have on the subject, related or unrelated to poker?


Oh, and thanks for your response to my earlier question, it's probably a fair call to say that the drive isn't as pressing as it could be, due largely to the fact that it's the norm in the group of people that I interact with to live off of student loans, and so it doesn't bother me that I'm doing that, as much as it perhaps should.

I'd just like to note that I only try to put emphasis on the most basic level of math needed to understand what's going on in basic scenarios and to have the ability to analyze spots that require math (like pot odds, etc.)

I think a good place to start, like we talked about in IRC, is the systematic cultivation of willpower. Find something that's physically easy to do, but mentally tough to do (and preferably something you don't want to do), and practice doing it. That takes care of a large portion of tilt and focus issues at the table.

Meditation is really important. There are different kinds of meditation though, and a lot of activities can become meditation, especially those kinds of things I'm talking about in the paragraph above.

It's not a good thing or a bad thing, it's just there. If there was a chair in a room in the way, and you wanted to move it, you'd just scoot the thing over. It's not a good chair or a bad chair, it's just there. Same thing.

How you keep from ever going on tilt during your long sessions? If you get it in with the best several times during one session and lose does it not get to you? And how did you come to be so insensitive to the beats at the table?

What should one look for when selecting a table? Also, where is the ideal spot to sit down - to the left or to the right of deep-stacked players & short stacks?

Originally Posted by deucesomething

What should one look for when selecting a table? Also, where is the ideal spot to sit down - to the left or to the right of deep-stacked players & short stacks?

The table itself doesn't make much of a shit, it's really the seat that usually matters. Things you can take advantage of in the players to your left and right. For example, people who fold their blinds 90%+ of the time are great to have on your left. People who fold to 3-bets 90%+ of the time are great to have on your right.

All things being equal, you'd rather be to the left of a deep-stacked player than to the right. With that having been said, it's difficult to play well pre-flop if there's a good 30bb or less player on your immediately left in blind stealing scenarios.

Originally Posted by Schya

How you keep from ever going on tilt during your long sessions? If you get it in with the best several times during one session and lose does it not get to you? And how did you come to be so insensitive to the beats at the table?

You can't play your best 100% of the time, and so you're going to tilt sometimes no matter what you do. What you CAN do is make it so you tilt less often, and make the times you tilt not as bad.

I've not tilted in a very long time from a beat or cooler, and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. I just don't care because it's not important. You probably care so much because you don't understand poker and/or EV. You're simply not SUPPOSED to always win when you get it in ahead. If you're playing 100nl with $100 stacks and there is some guy pushing every single hand preflop and you get it in with AA, you're SUPPOSED to lose that about 15% of the time (about 1 time out of 6).

So what probably happens is you get it in and you think to yourself something like YES I WON A STACK and then get crushed emotionally when you lose instead of thinking YES I JUST MADE A PLAY THAT'S WORTH ABOUT $70 ON AVERAGE and not even watching the rest of the cards come because you give so little of a shit about the outcome and have other tables to act on.

As far as how I became so insensitive to beats, it's more of the same thing. It's like asking how I became so insensitive to it raining whereas you might get pissed off if it's raining. I have no reason to care, so I don't care. Surely you have more important things to worry about.

describe me using 3 adjectives.

if there was only one tip you could give to a new player, what would it be?
just ONE! i know you have many more to give, but for the sake of the question you only have 15secs to tell someone your greatest tip....shoot!

and something other then "never open limp" cause I already read that one, lol

oh and one more, have you ever considered coaching? Cause I want to find one bad

Originally Posted by reDZill4

describe me using 3 adjectives.

Regulative, Red, Pro.

Originally Posted by Santo2True

if there was only one tip you could give to a new player, what would it be?
just ONE! i know you have many more to give, but for the sake of the question you only have 15secs to tell someone your greatest tip....shoot!

and something other then "never open limp" cause I already read that one, lol

oh and one more, have you ever considered coaching? Cause I want to find one bad

Approach this like you would a school subject that you really wanted to make an A+ in. Poker will change your life if you respect the game and give it the effort it deserves.

I've coached a number of players, but I'm not interested in doing it anymore right now. Feel free to come to IRC and talk poker with the people there, including myself.

Great tip! glad to know you think that is the most importat aswell..

Excuse my newbness but what is IRC?

Originally Posted by Santo2True

Great tip! glad to know you think that is the most importat aswell..

Excuse my newbness but what is IRC?

http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...-a-153854.html

Does it bug you when people call it math when they are really talking about arithmetic?

On a personal note...
I've been recently diagnosed with IFLPPRPS (Inability to Fold Low Pocket Pairs Regardless of Position Syndrome). The doctors say there's no cure, but what's your opinion?

I've taken to self-medicating myself by wearing an elastic band on my right wrist and snapping it hard if i don't make a set on the flop. This however doesn't stop me from open limping said pairs. I guess the first part of solving a problem is admitting you have one. My name is Mike and I'm an open limper. Phew feels a bit better already.

Isn't arithmetic just a branch of "math" anyway?

Originally Posted by van.dog

Does it bug you when people call it math when they are really talking about arithmetic?

On a personal note...
I've been recently diagnosed with IFLPPRPS (Inability to Fold Low Pocket Pairs Regardless of Position Syndrome). The doctors say there's no cure, but what's your opinion?

I've taken to self-medicating myself by wearing an elastic band on my right wrist and snapping it hard if i don't make a set on the flop. This however doesn't stop me from open limping said pairs. I guess the first part of solving a problem is admitting you have one. My name is Mike and I'm an open limper. Phew feels a bit better already.

No, arithmetic is a branch of mathematics. I don't get upset when people call it math instead of algebra either.

Small pocket pairs are probably the most over-rated starting hands. When they do hit the flop they hit the nuts, but other than that you rarely have much equity. Hands like 65s play much better than hands like 33. Along a similar line of thought, I feel like right now small and middle suited-connectors are the most under-rated starting hands.

It's like this. If you can't stop open limping, then how are you ever going to tackle less subtle leaks in your game, make tons of money, and live like a fucking king? Open limping in NLHE is just so terrible for you right now.

Thanks Spoon.

I'm going to try not to be a filthy open-limper any more. And I'm folding 33 like a mofo post flop when i don't hit.

Why is 56s better than 33?

Show me some of that math stuff.

Flops for 33 are going to be hot or cold, either you hit and you're fist pumping like a champ, or you miss and you fold. (This is if you're playing straightforward obv)

With 56s or whatever, you can hit a lot of flops in a myriad of ways, pairs + FD, pair + GSSD, pair + OESD, two pair, trips, back door draws, etc. You can hit a lot of flops marginally (back door flush draw for example), cbet it, get called then hit an actual FD on the turn, and keep up the aggression. You're not going to be able to fire many double barrels with 33 on QT59 two tone board.

Originally Posted by Sasquach991

Why is 56s better than 33?

Show me some of that math stuff.

Small-mid suited connectors usually play better than small-mid pocket pairs (there are some exceptions) because you can be more aggressive on more boards. For example, if you open in MP and a small stakes tagg regular who plays fairly straight-forward calls you in LP and the flop comes J72r, you c-bet and he calls, with something like 65s + bdfd you're going to have more profitable betting situations on the turn than if you have 33-66. Any card of your suit and any 8/4 gives you a ton of equity on the turn, and you're not doing too bad on any 9/6/5/3 either.

Originally Posted by dranger7070

Flops for 33 are going to be hot or cold, either you hit and you're fist pumping like a champ, or you miss and you fold. (This is if you're playing straightforward obv)

With 56s or whatever, you can hit a lot of flops in a myriad of ways, pairs + FD, pair + GSSD, pair + OESD, two pair, trips, back door draws, etc. You can hit a lot of flops marginally (back door flush draw for example), cbet it, get called then hit an actual FD on the turn, and keep up the aggression. You're not going to be able to fire many double barrels with 33 on QT59 two tone board.

There's a piece of software that has a 7-day trial called Flopzilla that will let you see how different hands (or ranges) hit the flop on average.

On a related topic, something else to think about is if someone is folding whole a lot post-flop, having a set isn't that much better than having a medium-strength draw.

Originally Posted by dranger7070

Flops for 33 are going to be hot or cold, either you hit and you're fist pumping like a champ, or you miss and you fold. (This is if you're playing straightforward obv)

With 56s or whatever, you can hit a lot of flops in a myriad of ways, pairs + FD, pair + GSSD, pair + OESD, two pair, trips, back door draws, etc. You can hit a lot of flops marginally (back door flush draw for example), cbet it, get called then hit an actual FD on the turn, and keep up the aggression. You're not going to be able to fire many double barrels with 33 on QT59 two tone board.

YOu obv only posted this so you could say "myriad"

Originally Posted by Carroters

YOu obv only posted this so you could say "myriad"

plethor'er? I 'ardly know 'er!

Originally Posted by Carroters

YOu obv only posted this so you could say "myriad"

But of course.

your biggest strength as a poker player?

For a player who has little to no experience with online poker or taking poker seriously in general, what would you say is the best game to start out at and start learning/building a roll?

Originally Posted by scfc_andy15

your biggest strength as a poker player?

Probably my work ethic. Mostly because of how and where I was raised, what to me is being kind of lazy is working your ass off to a lot of other people. It's kind of funny in a way, but it's a skill just like anything else that you can practice and improve at and eventually become good at.

Originally Posted by dranger7070

For a player who has little to no experience with online poker or taking poker seriously in general, what would you say is the best game to start out at and start learning/building a roll?

It depends on what you want to do long-term. If you want to play cash, start at 2nl. If you want to play SNGs, start at whatever is a really low level for that. If you want to play MTTs, I'd suggest playing the $1.20 45-mans.

What's most important is that you start working on a game and stick to it without jumping around. Jumping around changing games every couple of weeks means you never get to the point in any single game where you are making decent money because you keep having to start over.

For you personally, I think you should play cash because you have some massive psychological issues that would be very much helped by being able to quit whenever you want to.

Yea, I was talking about one of my buddies irl. He's trying to crack into poker and I'm trying to point him in the right direction. I have him playing 9 man sngs right now, since those are his 'favorite' games to play. For long term, I think he'd want to do something else with his life other than be a grinder, so it would be a part time job at best for him.

You saying I have psychological issues that you think would be helped if I could quit whenever I want would help me out; I kind of disagree with that. I think it helps that I can't just quit whenever I hit a rough set of hands. It'll be better for me in the long run if I can get kicked in the dick a few times and just keep playing through it rather than quitting every time it gets rough. It'll suck for short term, but once I can actually get used to the variance involved in this game it'll be worth it. You said something similarly when we were talking about HU sngs, that if shit gets rough, I gotta just keep pluggin away because I know the correct plays and if I'm making them the results don't matter, etc.

Thanks for the replies.

Originally Posted by dranger7070

I kind of disagree with that.

Cool story bro.

The problem is you're not going to be doing the things you'll need to do to correct your mental issues any time soon, if ever.

What would some of those things be? And if I knew what they were, why do you think I wouldn't I go about trying to correct them?

What do you think is the coolest (though not necessarily useful) poker math thing you've come across?

Originally Posted by dranger7070

What would some of those things be? And if I knew what they were, why do you think I wouldn't I go about trying to correct them?

If I said you should start meditating every day, there's probably less-than a 1% chance you'd do it for a month straight right now. I don't think you'd do it because you've got a bit of a lazy streak in you, you don't seem like you'd be open to that sort of introspection, and I don't think you're at a point in your life yet where having fun is less important than working on long-term self-improvement type goals.

Keep in mind that I'm not judging your behavior, it's just sometimes you need a band aid when a cure isn't readily available.

Originally Posted by JKDS

What do you think is the coolest (though not necessarily useful) poker math thing you've come across?

If you look at how the set of broadway hands (any two cards T+ not including pocket pairs) hits a A22 or AA2 board then you start to see some pretty even fractions come out which is neat and can be useful.

As far as not being so useful, the possible combinations of pocket pairs follow a series of numbers called the triangular numbers (because those number make triangles if you stack up cans or whatever). It goes 0, 1, 3, 6, 10, 21, 28, etc. Basically you add 1, add 2, add 3, etc. If holdem had 7 suits instead of 4, there would be 28 ways to have AA. The chance of being dealt certain hands in draw games are also based heavily on the triangular numbers, but it's more complicated.

1. If I have played n tournaments with a ROI of x, then how do I calculate the probability of my real ROI being somewhere between x - a and x + b?
I guess it will have something to do with standard deviation which will be dependent on field size, payout structure, playing style etc. How can I quantify all this?

2. If my monthly expenses are x, then how big of a bankroll do I need before becoming a professional?

3. In ten years from now, what will poker be like? Will NLHE stay as the most popular game? Will there be enough bad players to earn living from or will the poker boom fade so that only decent players remain?

Originally Posted by Fielmann

1. If I have played n tournaments with a ROI of x, then how do I calculate the probability of my real ROI being somewhere between x - a and x + b?
I guess it will have something to do with standard deviation which will be dependent on field size, payout structure, playing style etc. How can I quantify all this?

2. If my monthly expenses are x, then how big of a bankroll do I need before becoming a professional?

3. In ten years from now, what will poker be like? Will NLHE stay as the most popular game? Will there be enough bad players to earn living from or will the poker boom fade so that only decent players remain?

1. I think you can get standard deviation of tournament winnings and whatnot from the tracking software, though I'm not certain (I know you can for cash games). From there you can probably just download a spreadsheet to do it for you from twoplustwo or something using Google. There are javascripts out there that will do this calculation for you as well.

2. It depends on whether you're supporting only yourself or others and what kind of money-making capability you'll have if you were one day unable to play poker, or unable to play poker profitably. I think somewhere around 15-20x is probably fine if you live alone or if you have a spouse that works with no kids. For each kid I'm going to pull out of my ass that you should add about 5x. Seems good?

3. There's no way to tell really. At some point we're going to have to start learning more games, but there will always be fish.

1. What is my biggest leak/flaw as a poker player?

2. Differecnes and adjustments to be made between 50NL and 100NL in your experience?

3. Being able to beat what level of NL cash separates the decent players from the ones that actually have really great potential to pwn poker? Like where do you see the most winning players moving up to become losing players in other words?

do you think I'm +EV at 400nl?

Originally Posted by Carroters

1. What is my biggest leak/flaw as a poker player?

2. Differecnes and adjustments to be made between 50NL and 100NL in your experience?

3. Being able to beat what level of NL cash separates the decent players from the ones that actually have really great potential to pwn poker? Like where do you see the most winning players moving up to become losing players in other words?

1. You're stupid. Actually I have no idea how you play and I don't know you very well so it's hard to answer this question.

2. Double the blinds? Not much.

3. Probably somewhere around the jump from 200nl to 400nl.

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

do you think I'm +EV at 400nl?

Yes but 200nl might be a higher hourly.

How did you get to where you want to be regarding your work ethics? What are some guidelines/advice you can give to help someone achieve better work ethics?

Originally Posted by L_Clan_Sup3rMaN

How did you get to where you want to be regarding your work ethics? What are some guidelines/advice you can give to help someone achieve better work ethics?

Work ethic is basically willpower + a plan. The plan part is pretty easy. The willpower part isn't so easy, but just practice. Make up shit you don't to do and do it anyway. While you do it, be aware of the fact that you don't want to do it but you're doing it anyway.

With the intelligence/skill of the average poker player increasing, which (cash)games are the most profitable in the long run?

I mean there are so many grinders nowadays.. Let's say a player wants to become a full time grinder eventually, starts at 10NL and works his way up trough 25,50,100,200NL etc. And is finally playing high stakes like 2/4 or even 5/10 and such. Where does your edge come from at those stakes? It just seems the level of skill of the regs there is so much a-like, that one's edge is basically how good they run that day. Or are there still fish that make it profitable?

Basically; when you wanna get better at poker at this moment, what games do you recommend? FR, 6M or HU.. ?

Took a bit longer than usual to explain myself, but excuse me, I'm Dutch.

Originally Posted by Bradley

With the intelligence/skill of the average poker player increasing, which (cash)games are the most profitable in the long run?

I mean there are so many grinders nowadays.. Let's say a player wants to become a full time grinder eventually, starts at 10NL and works his way up trough 25,50,100,200NL etc. And is finally playing high stakes like 2/4 or even 5/10 and such. Where does your edge come from at those stakes? It just seems the level of skill of the regs there is so much a-like, that one's edge is basically how good they run that day. Or are there still fish that make it profitable?

Basically; when you wanna get better at poker at this moment, what games do you recommend? FR, 6M or HU.. ?

Took a bit longer than usual to explain myself, but excuse me, I'm Dutch.

Whichever one you have the biggest $/hour edge in?

Whoever plays better than the others the most.

FR/6m aren't as inherently different as people seem to think. HU is though. Just work hard at any of them and you'll get good.

Also what in the hell does your signature mean?

Why have you booted/banned me from irc?

Originally Posted by Carroters

Why have you booted/banned me from irc?

"Because he's gone mad with power, like that Albert Schweitzer guy"

Originally Posted by Carroters

Why have you booted/banned me from irc?

Because you and surviva were hating on people much better than you at poker.