Open introduction to the forum

Hi there, I have lurked both here and at RGP for about a year now while learning this game. I must say I am very impressed with these forums and would firstly like to say thank you to all those who have provided their thoughts for the benefit of people such as myself. I have a few topics I would like to start over a period, and would also like to start putting in my thoughts to existing topics and get some feedback on my thoughts.


I don't want to bore you with myself but I'll give a bit of background so you know who you are dealing with when I post.


I started playing 2 years ago after getting addicted to MASQUE WSOP game. I whooped this game, thought poker was easy and proceeded to tip-in a fair bit on a few wild trips to the nearest card room (700km's away). I figured out I was a fish but decided I would learn on my only available resource - the net. I played play money on a 2-week vacation non-stop, then cashed up on the net. Since then I have done nothing but play and study everything I could find on the net. I only want to play poker so i go to work at day, come home and build my BR. To date, I have not re-cooped the (thousands) losses, but I'm close. All I want to do is play this game so I figure I should learn as much as I can. I am in the process of building a bankroll to see if I got what it takes. Right now, I play 2/4 internet (closer to 4/8 in my currency / economy, which I see as an advantage). Now I am disciplined, keep accurate records and even a spreadsheet of opponents.


Without these forums I doubt I could have absorbed and applied so much knowledge so rapidly - I feel I got in cheap. I have only read one book, as I have issues with getting poker books to where I'm at. Though very soon I will buy them all over the net (very expensive) with my winnings.


Thanks for reading. Post to follow.


BTW, The book was "Zen And The Art Of Poker" and I highly recommend it.

The internet is a pretty bad place to get quality ..err.. reliably quality information. Any old shmuck can write whatever he wants, including expressing fantasy or opinion as fact. If you mindlessly believe whatever you read, don't read the internet.


You've got it quite backwards. You'd be MUCH better off reading and studying the quality books first, THEN you have something solid against which you can compare the "information" you read on the net.


Invest now. "Theory of Poker" would be a good start. I'm sure if you Email 2+2 they will find a way to get you the books.


- Louie

Thanks Louie, that does make sense. Personally I think it is a game where one must think for one's self. I try not to merely play how I read I should on some web-sites, but to think about things I read and try to make sense of them. I spose I just wanted to have played a lot of hands and have my own ideas before trying to implement someone elses.


For example, I have read two totally different approaches to lo-limit games. One is to play super-tight because it is show down poker, so you must be in with only premium hands. The other is to play slightly tighter than the field. I never even try the first, the latter makes so much more sense to me, firstly since there is so much dead money flying around and secondly most pots are won with big hands (str8s, flushes) in loose game so one must play cards that agree with this fact to get their fair share of dead money.


So I suppose it is a case of sifting through, thinking for yourself and using the information as a tool. If I read something that is bad and lose money, I suppose that too is a learning experience.


Theory of Poker is at the top of my list, but will cost about 50 BB at 2/4 my limit to get here :-P, but I will do it very soon and report back what I get from it.

man o man where do you live...hey do you not get parcel post there??gl theory of poker is a must, and although posters disagree, i think it is the book which is key to understanding poker...read read reread,play,think,laugh at yourself rather than lose yourself..gl//it's great ain't it...to be a poker addict...gl