Online Poker !?

[Taviii]

I am sure some of you play internet games, especially poker. Maybe there are people around here that even make a living out of it.

So what would you recommend for getting better, to the point of winning enough money online to make a living out of it ( websites, books etc ) ? or at least to make some side money while still having fun.

 

[MrS]

In any poker game, play with a pot limit, and give yourself a limit as to waht you can spend or not. Say you have 100$, I would have 40$ of that to play with, and stay safe with the rest, this way if you lose completely, you only ever lose 40$. If you win lots, you will be better for it.

 

[Skel]

I play poker for a living. Recently I quit my job and made a go of it full time and going back to school in the sparetime.

I recommend learning to play properly. Read anything by David Sklansky and read super system and super system 2. For forums read 2+2. Learn how to play pre flop first and then learn pot odds and implied odds. After that learn how to play post flop.

Take notes, use some type of tracking system like excel and use a online poker site that has a good rep like pokerstars or partypoker. Record all your winnings/losses and save your hand histories for review.

Play SNG's for a while until you can place in the money a good portion of the time. SNG's are good to learn how to play tight/aggressive and I literally played like 20 of them a day by multi tabeling.

Dont play micro limits because everyone on their plays like retards and its not very realistic to the 1/2 tables and up.

Of course you can always PM me with any questions.

 

[Taviii]

Alright, I got 50$ on partypoker and I'm kind of afraid to play with them so I play with play money ( 0.05/0.10 table with 10 people), and I must say I kind of suck. I used to play on pokerroom some time ago also with play money and it was easier, I used to get most of the money from the table.

I know there is a big difference between real and play money, but if I'm kind of weak at play money right know then I must be a little fish in an ocean full of sharks on real money tables.

Skel you seem really experienced, how much time did it take to learn? and how difficult was it?

Also if you guys have ebooks on poker let me know where I can get them or if you are wiling to send them via email.

 

[Skel]

Alright, I got 50$ on partypoker and I'm kind of afraid to play with them so I play with play money ( 0.05/0.10 table with 10 people), and I must say I kind of suck. I used to play on pokerroom some time ago also with play money and it was easier, I used to get most of the money from the table.

I know there is a big difference between real and play money, but if I'm kind of weak at play money right know then I must be a little fish in an ocean full of sharks on real money tables.

Skel you seem really experienced, how much time did it take to learn? and how difficult was it?

Also if you guys have ebooks on poker let me know where I can get them or if you are wiling to send them via email.

If you are really wanting to learn then just do what I said. Read the books I told you about twice and apply them to the poker table.

I have been playing poker for about 8 years now but i only recently made a profession of it. Its not permanent for me. Its way too stressful and emotional for me. Its great money but its a huge cash grind. I wind up playing 80 hours a week sometimes and its exhausting. Sometimes I dont even sleep because im so emotional about the losses or the wins that week.

Anyways I wouldnt get use to the play money. Partypoker is a trustworth site so you know and I think they even have like 1 dollar 3 dollar and 5 dollar sng's which usually pay the top 3 out of 8 or 9 people so its good to learn how to play. 50 bucks wont last long but good luck

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

I did the $50 (.50/1.00) limit games and they're only a MINOR upgrade from free tables. For those who are ENTERING into poker at .50/1.00, it's a lot to lose money. The calls are cheap, so people call and catch anything. I've done it from time to time, play balls out, bully people and walk.

Like Skel, my mentor plays online and @ the World Series and has sat with MANY of the top pros, including Chan, Helmuth, Sklansky, and Bronson. He plays the 30/60 and 20/40, uses about $1000 cash, and seeks to gain $500 and walks. He averages over $5000 per month as extra income, and has as of late averaged $10,000 per month. In limit, the cards will inevitably.

I have the Super System books, which will give you a HUGE edge or casual and social games, but leave you lacking online, where alot of sharks, and some suckers play. In the real world, I win quite a bit, mostly b/c people are very casual about it. Online, if you're casual, you'll get killed sooner, rather than latter.

Limit is a different type, and within Limit, even tournament versus regular online play is different. The mentality online would be to learn to play and make extra money; there's nothing to win, and eventually, somebody with Limit will get great cards and play them out.

Defer to skel on this, definately buy the books, but it helps to play the games that are more realistic. Cheap limit games are high calling games, where you basically have to show down the best cards, and drive the pots up to profit over the blinds. It's still fun, and cheap.


A-Unit

 

[SELF-MASTERY]

I dont play for a living, but I can constantly make the money in 10+1 sngs. The trick to SNG's is learning when to capitalize off of you tight and aggressive image. If I were going to play seriously and for a living I would learn how to play cash games. I use to shun limit, but it doesn't break your heart like NL.

some education--- cardrunners . com

 

[aftershock]

I'd read "Small Stakes Holdem" by Ed Miller if you want to play limit holdem, which is what I'd recommend getting a grounding on, although I rarely play limit holdem these days.

Play 25c/50c and be prepared to lose a couple of hundred before you start to win consistently.

 

[SELF-MASTERY]

lose a couple of hundred on 25c/50c no wAY.

 

[Taviii]

Ok so I started playing yesterday and I lost 20$ at BlackJack, few minutes later a lost another 20 in a single hand at a poker table. With 10 bucks remaining I started playing a little more conservative and tried to read the other players and concentrate more on the game. It worked! I have now 75$

Also I'm reading "Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players" by Sklansky and Malmuth.

All the time I played at a 10c/25c NL Hold'em table with 10 people (tried a 6 person table for a few minutes and didn't have a chance between those sharks). Is that good for a novice like me or for learning's sake should I play on a limit table? Keep in mind that the money is also important to me, I really don't want to lose it.

 

[Skel]

As far as money is concerned, limit is the most lucrative. Just keep in mind playing at different limits will be a totally different game. I play 75/150 and its a lot of monkey poker. People will raise and re raise no matter what they have just to scare people into folding. Its a great tactic but players like me can take advantage of this.

Never buy into a game where you cant buy in for the max aount. This means stick to your limits even if it is micro limits. I wont go into details now about why because im way to tired but just trust me on this Its always better to have more money than the other person at the table. I sometimes will sit at a 1/2 table with 20k, of course it depends on the site you play because some sites will let you buy in for certain amounts while others have a minimum/max and some dont.

Any limits are good to just learn what hands to play in what positions. Thats the most important step when starting out. Like I said in my first post, learn to play pre flop first and that includes what hands to play and what hands not to play.

My teacher/mentor told me once you cant become a good poker player unless you go broke multiple times. For the most part I find it to be true. YOu have to expect to lose money in order to make money in the long run.

Last night, actually I havent really been to sleep yet but I am on a huge downswing. I lost around 18 grand last night in about 6 hours. Very frustrating especially when you get your aces cracked by crap hands over and over.

Anyhow as far as limit poker goes, learn to play all forms of poker. Learn limit and no limit holdem. Learn to play 5 card and especially learn to play omaha hi/low. Omaha High/low will force you to learn how pot odds and implied odds work.

Learn to play your opponents and not the cards. I have a spreadsheet of notes on the different players that frequent the limits I play. I know what they raise with, what they fold on, if they are aggressive or passive and I seek them out on the tables. I never chase cards unless the pott odds justify it and I never play out of position. Just something to think about.

Its also important to keep a bankroll of a certain denomination on your account and dont withdraw over a certain amount of funds vs the limits you play. There will always be downsings and hot streaks. Thats how poker is. YOu cant get frustrated when you lose money even if its for a month straight. As I said poker goes in streaks. Its also important not to stop playing if you are winning because you have the possibility of winning more. Hot streaks give you more confidence and players can feel it even in online poker.

You should learn to read your opponents. Many people would think you can not do this sitting behind the computer but you really can. For instance you can notice a few things. Ever notice when that player takes like half a minute to figure out if he wants to call your raise or fold? 9 out of 10 times he is folding but just saving face because he made a bad play and knows he lost money and it could have been avoided. You know hes folding before he even folds. This is all covered in books so I wont go into it, just making a point about playing the players and not the cards.

Anyways time for some sleep

 

[FreeStyleZ]

I started playing a year ago and can tell you that my advice is to visit www.twoplustwo.com and read "winning low limit hold'em" by lee jones as well as "harrington on hold'em" by dan harrington. These are good reads. Theres definitely no subsitute for experience though. It's like pick up, you can read and read and read, but until you just get in there and start practicing you will only know the concepts and theories.

Also, I posted about a site like a few days ago that you coulda gotten a free $50, dunno if you can now that you've made an account already but you should look into it. The website was www.free50onpp.com

 

[SeldomSeen]

Re:

I would read Harrington on Holdem vol 1-2. If you go to amazon you'll see the ratings and both are highly rated for good reason. If you're really serious about your game download poker-academy($29) and practice against the bots. The bots adapt to your play calling, you can setup tournaments, SNG, cash games etc. Its the best poker simulation software available.

Be realistic though. Playing for a living is tough. You need some income coming in (part time job...) for when you hit your bad streaks.

 

[Phoenix_of_the_ashes]

How does the money thing work? Do I give them my account number? Is it safe?

 

[FreeStyleZ]

No, just the same information you'd give when opening an email account basically.

 

[Phoenix_of_the_ashes]

So how does it work then?

 

[SELF-MASTERY]

Tavii are you a PRO yet???

 

[Taviii]

Hey mate!

Nah not yet, but I'm getting there

I have some exams this week and the next one and I had to let it a little loose with the poker, so I cant really play much, just an occasional tournament.

Actually thinking about it I have a full summer ahead to make my game better

How is everyone else doing with their game?

 

[ryan killa]

Well, I play 3/6 fixed limit 6max right now, and while I can beat the game, the rake makes playing it EXTREMELY frustrating. Rake takes 1/2 my winnings, so I am at a loss of what to do. The rake from 5/10 and lower takes at least 1/2 of your winnings(roughly), if you are actually winning, which very few players are. I have a decent amount of money in the bank, but I don't know if I have the heart to put that money towards a shot at 10/20, where the rake is MUCH less of a factor.

Interestingly, on a side note, on pokerstars, the FPPs I've been collecting for the last month(including one tournament where I won 600 dollars worth of them), will allow me to buy a Canon EOS camera, which I plan on selling on EBAY. Looks like it will fetch somewhere around 700US, so that's not bad either...it's like a mini form of rakeback(not THAT big a deal, but hey, it's nice to add to the bankroll, especially at the beginning).

Bottom line man, if you are serious, 10/20 is the minimum limit you will want to start out at. Rake is not taken seriously enough at the lower limits. If you plan on building a bankroll from something like 100 dollars, you are probably wasting your time. Actually, you should play these limits to practice starting out, but you are in a tough situation..you almost have to take a shot at a bigger game....you will probably not be able to increase your bankroll much to the point of making any meaningful money at such low lomits. Today's online poker is different than years ago. There are less fish than today. Online poker is obviously stilll beatable, there will always be fish, but you just can't build a bankroll from nothing anymore...tougher competition and the killer rake at low limits won't let you...(I have only been playing for 5 months now, but much of what I've said is from reading countless online forums, and a dose of common sense).

If you got any questions, PM me if you like. Poker is not easy man, trust me...

 

[SELF-MASTERY]

Ryan:

Why fixed limit? It's so boring. Most of the 2+2 guys claim that NL gives the expert player a much bigger edge than fixed limit does, which results in more profit. I'm a NL player and I wouldn't dare sit in a 10/20 game because it's the first level of sharkdom in NL. I'm trying to build a bankroll in order to play the mid-level NL games 4 tables at a time. I'm actually thinking about dropping down a few levels and playing 8 tables of 1/2 or 2/4 NL. I'm using SNG's to build my roll and cardrunners/ 2+2/ sklansky books to improve my game.

I hope all of you guys are running good on the tables. Hopefully we won't take each others money.