Quote Originally Posted by dwarfman
I haven't made a long post for a while, so I'll write something down now.

This post is primarily aimed at beginners, but it wouldn't hurt for some of the veterans to read it.

So, you've just discovered Texas Hold'em, you start playing and you think it is fantastic, and you become addicted and want to get better at it. So then after some Googling you come across a site called FTR, and after some searching on the Barnes and Noble website, you see a few poker strategy books that you might want, so you order them.

But this is the mistake I see so many beginners make. They sign up for FTR and buy books, then they read the books and the FTR stickies. But they fail to actually absorb the information. For the advice given on FTR and in books, you must make the strategies you have read about sink in. A lot of beginners just (for example) skim over DavSimon's SnG strategy guide, and then they immediately thing they are the Ultimate King of SnGs, then they play 40 or 50 and lose a bunch of money. Then they think 'How the hell did that happen? I read a guide!'. Well I'll tell you why, it's because those people did not let any of the strategies from DavSimon's guide sink in, they did not absorb the strategies and consider how they can apply them to their own game. And that means they learn nothing, and they are still losing players.

So if you've just found FTR, I advise you to read the stickies on the games that apply to you, whether that be MTTs/SnGs etc. But most importantly, make sure the information you have read is really digested so you can really think how to apply it to your own game. As I said before, the mistake I see most often happen to beginners who want to learn more about poker is not really ABSORBING strategies they have read. You may want to re-read a strategy guide or a book if you must just to make sure you can really digest and understand the information (by the way, if you are really not sure what someone means by a point they have made in a guide on FTR, don't hesitate to ask them to explain it to you).

I hope this helps, and remember, apply yourself to your learning of poker!

This is my first post. Hi everyone. I have read the FTR site for a while now. I am a member of a few other forums. So I decided to join this as well.

I like this advice mate. I have been playing for around 6 months. I started on the micro-limits and over the last 6 months have moved up to the $2/4 and $3/6 Limit H-E ring games.

However as I rushed things. I think, I didn't spend the reqired time learning the proper techniques in order to play consistent poker. My results have been up and down. My bankroll has basically stayed the same since my first deposit.

To combat this. I have started a new strategy. I bought a couple of good Limit Hold-Em books and have been learning from them and various internet sites. I have also moved down to the $0.25/0.50 and $.50/1 limits.

In effect. I am re-learning the game. But this time, I am doing it properly and giving myself time to learn proper strategy.

Good Luck all ...