Newbie with a couple questions

[spoonitnow]

Hey everyone. I'm a relative newbie to poker, but after reading through a lot of the articles and posts on this website, I decided what the hell I'd give it a try. I'm going to try starting out at the $0.05/$0.10 no limit tables on PokerStars with a $60 bankroll just to see how things go. I know that the max buy-in on those tables is $10, and that I'm supposed to start with a larger bankroll, but cash is a little tight this month (I've even rode my bike to work for a couple weeks to save money for my first deposit), and I'm itching for entertainment after my Playstation died a couple weeks ago.

I know I need to be careful about what hands I start with, and what position I'm in, and what odds I'm getting/giving on draws. Even though I've played at PokerStars on the play money tables, I want to try to learn and try to do this right... I feel kinda bad about not starting with an appropriate bankroll, but I've also got the feeling that I won't learn much at the $0.01/$0.02 tables either.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to ask is, do I have the right outlook on things so far? All comments and advice are VERY welcome =)

[Staresy]

Welcome to FTR Spoonit!

First off,

I'm going to try starting out at the $0.05/$0.10 no limit tables on PokerStars with a $60 bankroll just to see how things go.

I would stick to the penny tables at the start, particularly given your limited BR and your inability to re-load at present. I can understand that you want to dive right in etc, but if you do want "just to see how things go" you could well end up seeing your $60 roll disappear in next-to-no-time. Read thru 'Rilla's BR Management post.
Then, try playing either Ring or SnG tournaments and decide which structure you like best and, crucially, what you make the most money at. Once you have decided, stick to one structure and really try and nail it.
Other than that, read up on here as much as possible, then re-read it and make sure u understand what is being said and how it is applied to the games u play.
Post ur HH's and questions here and get feedback, but be prepared for some brutally honest assessments.
Whatever happens, play properly (i.e. the way u are taught on here!!) and make the right decisions. Whatever you do, DO NOT start playing silly hands just because Capt. Dumbass in seat one has just won two monster pots w/ 74 off suit and the like.

[TLR]

A few things:

I'm itching for entertainment after my Playstation died a couple weeks ago

You have to ask yourself why are you playing online poker - if it is just for the entertainment value - killing a few hours instead of playstation, and you do not really care about losing the money, then you should not care about bankroll management, but you should expect to lose your money.

However if you play to win money then you should pay more attention to bankroll management. I would suggest you start at the 0.01/0.02 - beat those consistently and build your bankroll before you move up a level.

It also sounds like $60 is a substential amount to you, and playing in an amount that you are too scared to lose is a recepe for disaster.

Another option with your bankroll is to play the 1+0.2 or 1.5+0.25 Sngs at stars.

Keep reading this forum and post any hand that you had doubts on how you play - it is a great way to learn.

Another nice way to learn is review your hand history after the game - go over your hands and analyze your play.

welcome to FTR and best of luck.

[Irisheyes]

I don't think you should start off with the $10 tables.

Play the $2 tables and build up your $60 to about $150 before you move to $10 NL. From what I've heard it shouldn't take too long.

Check out Leelins third post in this thread and just follow his advice. I'd say you'll make up $150 pretty quickly and you reduce your risk of loosing your initial deposit.

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=20301

Actually just noticed, in this thread edudlive says he was making 78 BB/100 at .01/.01 At anywhere near this rate you'll be bankrolled for $10 NL in no time.

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=20178

[spoonitnow]

I want to clarify what I meant about the Playstation dying -- I didn't really mean I want to play online poker just for the entertainment value (which I know is what it sounded like). For a number of years I played tournament chess, and it's a semi-expensive hobby to have with very little $$ to gain unless you do very well and improve very quickly. It's not that I'm stretched for money, I just have a fairly dry savings account that I'm trying to build up in case crap happens next semester when I start classes again (took this fall off of school for other reasons). If I keep playing chess tournaments regularly, I'm really going to be depleting the money I'm saving up, and I'm also starting to lose interest in tournament chess all together.

"Why do I want to play poker?" -- I saw TLR mention it, and I saw it talked about in another article. I want to play poker for a few reasons (curiosity being one), but most importantly I love learning new stuff and competing. Of course there's the money factor, but winning money playing poker isn't more important to me than learning and improving. That doesn't really make sense I guess, since you learn and improve so that you can make more money, but the primary motivation for me is just to get better.

So, I'm going to start at the $0.01/$0.02 no limit tables as Staresy suggested (and yeah, I know you're right that it would be irresponsible to play $0.05/$0.10 at this point). If I run into any hands I'm not sure about or that I have questions about, I'll be sure to post =)

Also, another question. What kind of records should I keep of my playing sessions? I'm thinking of just a basic spreadsheet with the date, time (when I started and how long I played), blinds, number of hands played, and net gain/loss.

And thanks for the advice! =)

[EasyT]

Welcome Spoonitnow!!

You're in the right spot, and all the advice above is solid.

To add: You can download a program called PokerTracker, and use it awhile for free. It will keep track of every detail and let you easily find hand histories which you can post here for comment (if you want comments, don't post more than 2 hands in a thread!). Eventually, if you stick with it and win some money, you'll want to pay to register it.

Second piece of advice: Do an FTR search for posts by "Aokrongly" and read everything you can find, because it's all excellent stuff. One of his recent posts replies includes a list of the hands he plays (All poket pairs, AK, AQ, &KQ...that might be all of 'em!). Steal and USE his chart (he won't mind ). Fold suited-connectors and and hands like AT, because these hands will get you in trouble as often as you might win with them.

Let us know how it goes!

EasyT.

[biondino]

Some of the most important things for a beginner to know (and tbh it seems like you're aware of all of this, but it doesn't hurt to repeat it) from my 8 month no-limit hold'em experience:

1. Poker is gambling. But it's a form of gambling in which a good player will have an edge over thousands of hands. But, because it's gambling, anything can happen at any time, no matter how improbable, and the best play in the world will result in losing a good proportion of the time. So don't ever think you deserve anything from the poker gods. From Phil Ivey down to the newest fish, the odds, the cards and the fortune will always be the same.

2. Poker is ALL about learning. If you don't like to learn, don't even think about playing the game. You should be learning, whether it's on a tiny instinctive level, or on a written down, played and replayed level, from every hand you play.

3. When you are starting to learn, make sure that WHAT you are learning is appropriate for the level of game you're playing. Loose aggressive play is neither going to win you money at micro-limits, nor is it going to teach you the basic, tight skills that you'll need as a foundation for your game. Don't try and out-psych people who've been playing a few days; don't read ilikeaces' description of how a checkraise won him some huge pot and then try it against a calling station. Equally, watch the other fish and learn from their mistakes - even if their mistakes de-stack you.

4. Probability is the supreme god of poker. NOTHING can be done correctly without an awareness of how probability affects your decision. Even if you're bluffing, or bullying a fish, or playing quad aces, you need to be aware of what effects probability has on your actions and those of your opponents. Make sure you really understand what probability means. If there is a one in a thousand chance of something happening, you need to realise that waht this means is that it definitely, inexorably, indubitably WILL happen. Remember at all times you are playing a long game, and every part of the probability bell curve will, at some point or other, be represented.

5. Learn to view your victories and defeats, your perfect play and your glaring errors, with the same disinterested, educational approach. Remain aware of WHY you're winning or losing each hand, and make tangible efforts to fix any leaks. Not even the best players play perfect poker, but they know damn well where their weakenesses lie.

6. If you find yourself psychologically upset, make sure that you take action to remedy it (which may well involve stepping away from the table for an indefinite amount of time). If you realise you are bored, tired, upset, distracted or hurried (and you haven't left the table), be equally aware of the effects each of these could have on your game and fight hard to prevent them from altering your A game.

7. Play within your bankroll. It's been said a million times, but apart from keeping you solvent and enabling you, with diligence and the passage of time, to progress, the first thing it'll teach you is the discipline which will be essential for every aspect of every stage of your poker career.

How's that? It's not everything, but it's a start.

[edudlive]

I don't think you should start off with the $10 tables.

Play the $2 tables and build up your $60 to about $150 before you move to $10 NL. From what I've heard it shouldn't take too long.

Check out Leelins third post in this thread and just follow his advice. I'd say you'll make up $150 pretty quickly and you reduce your risk of loosing your initial deposit.

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=20301

Actually just noticed, in this thread edudlive says he was making 78 BB/100 at .01/.01 At anywhere near this rate you'll be bankrolled for $10 NL in no time.

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=20178

I made 78BB/100 at the heads up 01/02 tables but yeah, turning $60 into $150 is a matter of 2-3 weeks (if that long!) for any decent player at those stakes

[Irisheyes]

I made 78BB/100 at the heads up 01/02 tables but yeah, turning $60 into $150 is a matter of 2-3 weeks (if that long!) for any decent player at those stakes

lol, and there was me kinda half thinking wtf!!?? 78BB!!!

[Miffed22001]

Hi
just to say good luck
The small limits tables will be both great and bad. You will get people making awful plays that will pay you off nicely but also some others making daft plays that will really make you wanna cry or quit or both.
Just remember that the skills may not come over night and that you will have to work hard to progress upwards (it may take time but it will happen) but hopefully you'll be making money in no time.
Just remember if it hasnt already been said, the idea is to make the right call each time, so dont worry if you win some then lose some, just make the right call and you'll be away in no time
good luck!

[spoonitnow]

I'm pretty sure it was a bad idea to call the first reraise on the flop, but I'm really proud that I folded after it was pretty obvious I was beat. It was really hard, but I knew I was beat.

PokerStars Game #2742608995: Hold'em No Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2005/10/06 - 20:47:35 (ET)
Table 'Lynx II' Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: CountryBob65 ($4.99 in chips)
Seat 3: CashTruck ($9.35 in chips)
Seat 4: spoonitnow ($6.30 in chips)
Seat 5: Autologic ($4.85 in chips)
CountryBob65: posts small blind $0.01
CashTruck: posts big blind $0.02
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to spoonitnow [Ah As]
spoonitnow: raises $0.02 to $0.04
Autologic: calls $0.04
CountryBob65: calls $0.03
CashTruck: calls $0.02
*** FLOP *** [Tc Kh Qh]
CountryBob65: checks
CashTruck: bets $0.02
spoonitnow: raises $0.28 to $0.30
Autologic: calls $0.30
CountryBob65: calls $0.30
CashTruck: raises $0.28 to $0.58
spoonitnow: calls $0.28
Autologic: raises $4.23 to $4.81 and is all-in
CountryBob65: folds
CashTruck: calls $4.23
spoonitnow: folds
*** TURN *** [Tc Kh Qh] [5d]
*** RIVER *** [Tc Kh Qh 5d] [4s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
CashTruck: shows [Jd 7d] (high card King)
Autologic: shows [Kc Ks] (three of a kind, Kings)
Autologic collected $10.16 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $10.66 | Rake $0.50
Board [Tc Kh Qh 5d 4s]
Seat 1: CountryBob65 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: CashTruck (big blind) showed [Jd 7d] and lost with high card King
Seat 4: spoonitnow folded on the Flop
Seat 5: Autologic (button) showed [Kc Ks] and won ($10.16) with three of a kind, Kings

[JeffreyGB]

Bet more preflop. Significantly more. I'd say 0.10 will probably still get you a decent amount of action.

Any hand you're raising preflop, raise at least 3x unless you have a specific reason not to.

Good job on the tough laydown.

[spoonitnow]

I actually was meaning to bet $0.10 but I misclicked and just hit the raise button instead

[Crotalusatrox]

Welcome to FTR Spoonit!

First off,

I'm going to try starting out at the $0.05/$0.10 no limit tables on PokerStars with a $60 bankroll just to see how things go.

I would stick to the penny tables at the start, particularly given your limited BR and your inability to re-load at present. I can understand that you want to dive right in etc, but if you do want "just to see how things go" you could well end up seeing your $60 roll disappear in next-to-no-time. Read thru 'Rilla's BR Management post.
Then, try playing either Ring or SnG tournaments and decide which structure you like best and, crucially, what you make the most money at. Once you have decided, stick to one structure and really try and nail it.
Other than that, read up on here as much as possible, then re-read it and make sure u understand what is being said and how it is applied to the games u play.
Post ur HH's and questions here and get feedback, but be prepared for some brutally honest assessments.
Whatever happens, play properly (i.e. the way u are taught on here!!) and make the right decisions. Whatever you do, DO NOT start playing silly hands just because Capt. Dumbass in seat one has just won two monster pots w/ 74 off suit and the like.

I agree totally with Staresy. I am in same boat as you Spoonitnow, except I started with a $50 BR. I was playing the 0.01/0.02 games, but decided to give the next step a whirl. My BR dwindled quickly to $24. I finally built back up to $54 today playing SnGs, and by selling the seat I won in a satelite tourney night before last. I am sticking to my original plan now and not bumping up to 0.05/0.10 till my BR hits $200+ though.

I also started out playing play money games and at first struggled at the 0.01/0.02 games. Even at those low stakes the play is *totally* different than the play money tables. Don't expect that that what worked in play money games is going to work in real money games, it doesn't.

I don't know whethere you do better in Ring, or SnG. I personally am finding that lately I am doing far better in tournament play than ring play, and have all but stoped playing ring games in favor of SnGs/MTT tourneys.

PS on the 0.01/0.02 tables I find a 3xbb raise generally gets called by everyone at the table if I am at a table with the kind of loose aggressive players I want. (Going into a 6 way pot with AA sucks, I got bad beat a lot that way) Only reliable way I found to dwindle the field when I hit the big hands pre-flop(AA, KK, QQ) is to bet at least the pot, with .10-.15 being minimum.

[spoonitnow]

Well, good news and good news, I think.

I played $0.01/$0.02 no limit ring games and won about $15 over the past few days, that's playing a couple hours each night. Then I tried a few of the $1+0.20 5-table SNGs, and broke pretty close to even.

I decided to do a little "shopping around" with online poker rooms, and I've decided to move some funds over to UltimateBet and try the $1+0.10 single table SNGs. I enjoy the tournament sort of thing a lot more than the ring games. Tonight is my first night of playing at UB, and I've got the next two days off work

I saw a PokerStars t-shirt in this guy's car at work, along with a few books laying in his backseat, so I asked him about it. He said he'd let me borrow some books. I read Caro's Secrets of Winning Poker (I think that's the name) and I'm going to start on HOH Volume 1 tomorrow

[JeffreyGB]

If you like tournament play, HOH v2 is the best book you'll read. Period.

[spoonitnow]

How did those $1.10s go, you fucking donk?

[JeffreyGB]

How did those $1.10s go, you fucking donk?

Jeeze, man! Let up on the newb-bashing!
...
Oh.

[spoonitnow]

How did those $1.10s go, you fucking donk?

Jeeze, man! Let up on the newb-bashing!
...
Oh.

lol

[HarleyGuy13]

Bump thought noobies might find this interesting!

[philly and the phanatics]

hahahahhahahahahaha yes harley you just made my week

[Carroters]

lol wat

[kfaess]

ahahah sick bump!

[philly and the phanatics]

sick minraise bro