Questions in regard to lack of experience. Please Help.

[FletchJr.]

Some important questions stumbled across me while i was playing my normal lower limit Online games. What is the best way to gain experience. Not knowledge of starting hands or other thing's that are easily learned from the AP series of books, I'm talking about the experience which makes some of the best players. Knowing when to Raise out second(or even third) best hands, how to read the bluff's, knowing how and when to throw in that "pinch" of creative hand selection that slides from the norm.

Also one of my biggest problems in live action games, is my unwanted "serious" image. Because of lack of experience I'm not sure how to change this. My family has quite a history of poker, as my father and grandfather both have been playing for over 20 years. I then being the new Fletch in town already have a small reputation. Because my tight, aggresive game is apparent, people really take me as a serious player. I'm wondering if anyone know's some good tips to avoid this or at least reduce the image.

My final issue, another one about experience, is I have a real big problem with the ever so easy "Poker Face". Even though i try to keep my emotions far from the poker table (obviously talking about live action play here) I find it hard to avoid. Is there any tips out there that can speed up the process of rock emotions. I'm sure i must give off countless tells for the pro's to pick up on. My pigment is quite white(that's probably not the word scientists refer to :] ) and I get red in the face very easily. This can become a huge problem when check raising a tight player who you think is staling a pot heads up with you, I think if he sees this weaknest he is even more inclined to reraise rather then to fold.

Thanks in advance everyone for your helpfull posts.

ps. If your only solution to lack of experience is experience then please at least give me some idea's/theories of training my mind to not get emotionally involved in the hands.
Note: I also think that if i can solve my final and probably most serious problem, then my "serious" image problem will eventually fade away.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

A quick suggestion would be to work on the poker equivalent of a golfer's "pre-shot routine." Discipline your self to look at you cards once and move your arms, hands and head the same way before every action you take.

Also understand that your table mannerisms and how chatty you are with other players, are hard to fake. Be yourself. If you are a quiet type, trying to be outgoing will just add stress.

[Bob T.]

FletchJr

You are on one path to gaining experience by being here. I would recommend, play, think, play, post, and then play some more.

Because you are playing on line, you are gaining experience at a rate of 60 to 80 hands per hour. That adds up in a hurry. One thing that will help alot, is that at the end of a hand that was shown down, and especially when you are not in the next hand, replay the hand from the perspective of each of the players that were involved in the showdown, that will give you a grasp of their tactics and thinking.

The next excersize, is once you know something about your opponents, try and figure out how to counter their tactics, or take advantage of their mistakes. That should give you the clues to let you know when you can get a little out of line.

If you can make the game into an intellectual tactical excersize, instead of a contest for money, you might not be as involved in the hand, and maybe tougher to read. The other thing that you can try and do, is remember that you are playing a game, just as your opponents are. Have a little playfulness, and friendliness in your demeanor, even if your game is disciplined and intelligent.

Good Luck,
Play Well,

Bob T.

[bernie]

your 1st paragraph is all player dependent. knowing your players will help in all these decisions...maybe try watching how they play in more detail to see the spots when they open up....

image...

are you getting action on your hands? if so, who cares about your image if theyre still willing to pay you off. if theyre folding more when youre in the pot, you have a little problem.
the easy cure...add a few looser hands to come in with. not alot so that it's so drastic that it's obvious, but just a couple. come in raising with em too. if your image is that tight, it's also time to start stealing also. and stealing with lesser hands. then once they start calling you, tighten up again. you want the image of a dangerous player. one that they cant be sure what you may have. they might have a good idea, but that little bit of doubt may help them call....
the image of a 'nut' player doesnt really get you alot of bets. ive been there, it sucked. know many different ways to play certain hands and how, by the way youre playing them, they can put you on a wider range of hands. easy extreme example, say you only raise with AA KK or AK, in any position. if you raise preflop, theyd know pretty much what youd have. and definitely how to play the flop. but by raising more, they wont be able to put you on that. sounds obvious, but extend it into post flop play. a flop bet could mean, top/mid/bottom pair, 2 pair, set, draw, flopped nut....you dont have to bet every time with the bottom pair ro have them register this. just very sparingly will do the trick. see where im going with this? you probably already figured this out, but i wanted to cover the bases.


pokerface:

im suprised that if you play online enough, with the way bad beats occur there, that youd be that overexcited when you get a great hand. once you get beat on just about every great hand, youll wait til they push the pot to you to get a little excited. my way of thinking is....say ive got AA, i know how im going to play it, but im not sure it's going to hold up. in fact, i may have to dump it on the flop. so i have a little voice in my head saying, 'well, let's see how this does.' remember, they dont push the pot til after showdown or everyone folds. flopping a nut str8 with a nut flush draw and getting beat on the river by a 4 outer a few times oughtta cure ya of the somersalts when you flop a great hand. just an example.

playing alot helps deaden your emotional take on the game. i dont know how often you play. but playing once a week live isnt going to deaden it that much really. i played 20-30 hrs a week in a cardroom. so ii got pretty unflattered at winning pots. knowing those chips could be gone if a bad run starts the next hand. some players never get deadened to it, but i think those players are also done growing as players. they dont make the effort to change it, or to be aware of it. one thing the internet does is make it to easy to groove in reactions to hands since no one can see you. there's no real consequence for not having any kind of poker face online. something to watch for...

someone made a great point about being more involved in the hand and gaining/processing info that it would use up some of this excited energy. i think it does. sometimes it's like watching a late night drama show unfold right there on the table.

the poker face isnt going to solve the tight image problem. they still know the range of hands you play and how you play them. use your hands to alter the plays.

hope this gives ya some ideas...

b

[FletchJr.]

Thank everyone again, I love the feedback.
KoM
"A quick suggestion would be to work on the poker equivalent of a golfer's "pre-shot routine." Discipline your self to look at you cards once and move your arms, hands and head the same way before every action you take."
although I believe this strategy has very low potential to manipulate the players to taking the action you would like them to take. I think this is a really great strategy for players who are still a little nervous at the live action card rooms.(including me) Thanks great advice.

BobT,
"replay the hand from the perspective of each of the players that were involved in the showdown, that will give you a grasp of their tactics and thinking. "<--- Love it
I think this is possibly one of the best pieces of info I've read on these forums. Although it may be common sense to most experienced players and many may do it naturally(now that i think about it I do it a little), I will now look at poker even more closely, What better way to learn your opponents train of thoughts by putting your self in his situations.
"Have a little playfulness, and friendliness in your demeanor"
Because of my age, being so young, I do get a little intiminated by the older players. By this I do not mean cards, but socially, I think your statement can only come with time, as I am a very friendly and out going person.

bernie.
Just a lot of good solid advice here, appreciate it.
"are you getting action on your hands? if so, who cares about your image if theyre still willing to pay you off."
Especially like this, very true.I can't really add anything to your opinion's here bernie cause i agree with pratically everything you've said 100%.
One thing though, your comment about Poker face is all about keeping clam with a strong hand. My post was about the opposite. Raising with a marginal hand(or often check-raising), to limit the field, or to win the pot right then.When I make these plays, I'm not getting as many folds as I would like, any extra advice? Even though this play is not used very often I belive it is too important to neglect.

In General, Thank you all for your posts, and I've enjoyed reading them and replying with my opinions.

[bernie]

"When I make these plays, I'm not getting as many folds as I would like, any extra advice? "

if theyre calling 2 bets cold behind you when they arent getting the odds to call, primp their seats. ya gotta love these cold callers...depending on pot size and their draw, this is a case where you want them to call making the mistake. folding would be the right play for them. when they call, theyre making you money...sure, theyll hit their hand sometimes, but they sure paid to do it though...

b