Teaching a Completely New Player How to Play

[kurosh]

I tried searching but I couldn't find anything so please link if you know where previous posts on this have been. My gf wants to learn how to play poker. She barely knows the hand rankings. This is what I've done and am planning to do.

- I gave her SSH and told her to study it religiously. I told her if she has any questions to ask me.
- I'm going to help her open a neteller account and a party account w/ rakeback
- I'm going to start her out at .5/1 and give her $300
- I don't know if I should get her PT and a HUD display yet. I think it might just confuse her for now.
- I'm going to start her out 2-tabling. I will watch her play either in person or using a program to let me see her screen and tell her when she's making mistakes.

A big problem is that she is risk-averse. She doesn't want to lose money. She said something about if she starts to lose, she will quit because she doesn't want to lose money. I've tried explaining the luck and variance to her but she won't listen.

Anything I'm missing? Any suggestions?

[tribefan9]

If she is risk averse, have her start out at a site with microlimits. I would imagine the .02/.04 games on Stars are pretty juicy.

[mdeck]

If she's just getting started, she's not going to be able to fully understand and apply the concepts introduced in SSHE. Buy her Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em or another book designed for beginners and have her master the concepts mentioned there before having her read SSHE.

Also, I second the have her play PS .02/.04. When I introduced some of my friends to online poker (they play a lot live but suck balls), they were worried about losing significant amounts, and Stars seemed to be the right skill level and stakes for someone who still values dollar values highly.

[MarkD]

Kurosh,

If she has never played poker the give her GSIH first. It is a much easier book to digest. It starts from the very beginning and discusses stuff we take for granted (like reading the board and your own hand).

With your aid she can progress to SSH in short order but SSH is too much for a pure beginner who doesn't understand simple gambling concepts. She will also learn to accept the fluctuations of our game (or she will decide she can't handle them and quit).

Also, if she is really risk adverse then simply start her at a limit that is so small that she does not have to worry about it. Or, get her a bonus and help her clear it so that she doesn't lose the bonus while playing. Then she is essentially playing with money that isn't hers anyways and she will be less risk adverse.

[El Ishmael]

She won't lose money if you play heads-up 200/400.

[spaminator101]

id start her out with Gary carsons book on limit holdem

[NotMitch]

[ QUOTE ]
A big problem is that she is risk-averse. She doesn't want to lose money. She said something about if she starts to lose, she will quit because she doesn't want to lose money. I've tried explaining the luck and variance to her but she won't listen.

Anything I'm missing? Any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

She does not seem like someone who would enjoy poker.

[Reef]

I'd start her out lower, say .05/.10 with a $30 roll. I imagine it will take a loooong time for her to move up, even if she grasps the concepts and is crushing the limit.

[benfranklin]

SSH is not a beginner's book. Any of the others mentioned here are better. I'd recomment Lee Jones, then GSIH.

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know if I should get her PT and a HUD display yet. I think it might just confuse her for now.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not until she is playing at least break-even consistently.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to start her out 2-tabling.

[/ QUOTE ]

No way. See answer above.

[ QUOTE ]
tell her when she's making mistakes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Big mistake. Let her play on her own for a while, and encourage her to ask questions. Once she is more confident, start going over hand histories and discuss hands, both good and bad.


[ QUOTE ]
A big problem is that she is risk-averse.

[/ QUOTE ]

Start her out at the penny tables at Stars or wherever. Do not let her play play-money tables. Tons of bad habits and bad examples there. If very risk averse, you might consider something like Turbo TexasHoldem or a similar program until she develops a familiarity with the mechanics and confidence in her play.

[Master5hake]

My GF had an interest in playing some poker, and I let her start playing using Poker Academy Pro -

she has learned a lot of concepts just by using the program, as it comes with that 'advice bot', she too is extremely risk averse - and didn't like to ever raise, but just by playing, and listening to the bot she's picked up basic concepts of bluffing and semi-bluffing on ragged boards etc - and being able to win pots even if she has nothing/draw - something that I don't think she would have embraced were it not for the experience she got playing on Poker Academy - the 'play' money is enough for her to stay motivated and focused, as she is competitive, but since she is playing bots, she is getting a more realistic experience rather than playing other people on play money tables, many of whom don't take the play money seriously at all -

I think all novice players would benefit more from this type of experience rather than having someone sit over their shoulder when they first start out - as variance dictates, sometimes the 'correct' plays do not pay off in the shortrun, and while people are just starting out, the short run is all they know, so if you tell a beginner to three bet a flop on a hand they end up losing (esp with real money) they will resent that and start taking your advice with a grain of salt - they need to cut their teeth with nothing more than a basic undertanding of poker for awhile before you can start mentoring them with some of the finer concepts

[bdypdx]

[ QUOTE ]
My gf wants to learn how to play poker. She barely knows the hand rankings.

A big problem is that she is risk-averse. She doesn't want to lose money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does *she* want to learn to play for any reason other than that *you* do?

[ QUOTE ]
Anything I'm missing? Any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

Doesn't sound like she's cut out for poker.

I'd suggest having some low stress, social home games to see if she actually likes it.

[TStoneMBD]

being risk-adversed should be a good thing, not a bad thing. i personally am risk-adversed but i understand how equity functions.

[jason_t]

Put her in the big game with neverwin. A lot of people rise to the occasion when faced with difficult challenges.

[mungpo]

Yes, exactly. I don't think anyone here enjoys losing money.

[kurosh]

[ QUOTE ]
Does *she* want to learn to play for any reason other than that *you* do?

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't ask but I'm pretty sure it's for the money.

Another idea that occurred to me is that I could teach her to play NL SNGs instead. The level of skill involved to beat lower limits is much easier and there's a lot less to learn. It's also more intuitive than limit.

[einbert]

I would reccomend "Hold Em Poker" as a good book to someone who basically has never played poker before.

SSH is too advanced for a first book, IMO. A reader should at least have some experience playing real LHE, being able to read the board, and knowing hand rankings before reading it.

[DMBFan23]

[ QUOTE ]
- I don't know if I should get her PT and a HUD display yet. I think it might just confuse her for now.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know if you should start her 2-tabling, playing .5/1, or reading SSH yet either.

get her a real beginner's book, like winning low limit holdem, or getting started in holdem. get her an accoutn at a site that has .25/.50 and let her build her way up. tell her about PT and SSH and 2+2 when the time comes, but you gotta let her ease into it

[cassette]

Get her to whore the CasinoOnNet, Intercasino, and WillHill bonuses first. Then when she is playing with "free" money she will be less risk adverse.

Playing one table at .05/.10 with the advice of Lee Jones seems like a good idea.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]


Another idea that occurred to me is that I could teach her to play NL SNGs instead. The level of skill involved to beat lower limits is much easier and there's a lot less to learn. It's also more intuitive than limit.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are not looking at this through the eyes of the beginner. Correct limit play is not intuitive; correct SnG play is even less intuitive.

Correct limit play is to throw away most of your cards preflop, and to play very aggressively after the flop. Neither of those things are intuitive to about 99% of newbies. Intuitive is to never raise your pocket aces, because you want a lot of callers giving you money. Intuitive is to bet 76s UTG, because it looks so pretty.

SnGs are even worse. All of the above applies to the early levels. Later, the game gets even further from intuitive. Say the game is down to 4 players, and you have a small to medium stack. If a big stack ahead of you pushes all in, you generally need to fold trash hands like TT or AKs. If you are first to act, you need to push all in with premium hands like 22 or A8o. This is not intuitive.

The fewer decisions a beginner has to make, the quicker she can learn how to make the correct ones she is making. In limit, there is no decision about the size of the bet. (Or the impact of that on pot odds, etc.) Keep it simple, and build on a solid base later.

[brettbrettr]

Heh, starting her out 2 tabling seems like a lot.

One table.
Lee Jones.

SSH doesn't seem to me to be a good idea. Teach her to not lose first. This really shouldn't take all that long. Then get into it.

[flair1239]

My program would be this. Open her an account on Paradise. Save the other sites for when she knows she is a winner and can truly benefit from the sign up bonuses (which will be a huge boost to her bankroll when the time is right).

Anyway, I would have her read Winning Low limit Holdem. I am not familiar with the new edition. But the 2nd one is IMO the best beginners book that there is. As far as keeping someone out of trouble and providing a decent framework in which to learn the game.

I would start her out with $50 on Paradise playing the .05/.10 game. The first month I would have her single table, and concentrate on reading the board and calculating pot odds.

After she can identify the best and likely best hands on each flop, and count her outs against the pot without much thought, and is showing signs of beating the game. Then you can introduce another table.

Give her three months of reading WLLH and working her way through .05/.10 and .10/.20, then introduce SSH when she hits .25/.50 (on Paradise the first signs of decent recreationaly players appear here).

A word of warning to you. In all likelyhood your GF does not really have a strong interest in putting in the effor required. I would guess that this girl is 20 years old or so. She is probably merely feigning interest in the game, because she recognises that it is a major part of your life.

In other words she is doing this to make you happy. Be more concerned with her having fun and don't put a lot of pressure on her. Keep repeating, just have fun and don't go all "Professor Science" on her.

[Klepton]

why don't you stop being a moron and teach your brother too?

[CanKid]

Kurosh,

I just began teaching my girlfriend online poker as well, I decided to keep the books out of the picture for awhile, I want her to have a strong foundation first before she's doing things for reasons she doesnt yet understand.

I have her playing 5c/10c lhe ring on UB, she plays two tables. She is very analytical and is constantly searching for "rules" to follow, like folding anything that has a 7 or lower preflop, [censored] like that.

I found the best way to teach her was to let her play with a minor amount of guidance, then once she starts seeing more common situations and becomes frustrated, we discuss it in depth. Things like AK after missing the flop, etc... pretty much all the annoying repeat posts we get on 2+2.

I don't plan to give her SSHE until she has worked her way up to at least .5/1$.

IMHO a constant error made in training new gamers who are totally fresh to the game, are overloading them with concepts that are just totally "miss" with them, even if they say they get it. I want to simulate a similiar learning experience that I went through for holdem, which was lots and lots of hands, and learning by her own f' ups.

Here's to our ladies... /images/graemlins/smirk.gif