Why post help to others?

If the goal of each person is to win as much money as possible playing stud, why respond to other people's post with strategy suggestions and ideas about a hand if such help can only improve your opponent's playing ability? What is the motivation to help others improve, but improve possibly at your expense? Why do people respond to posts? Are people just posting false information or are they really trying to help? And if they are really trying to help, doesn't this put a little dent into your profit if another person improves at your expense? Isn't it better to be secretive? And hide your secrets? Are the people replying more interested in increasing poker knowledge and theorey than they are in increasing their profit in their game? Food for thought.

[Alchemist]

I think I play very rarely against the people who also post here and I don't think there are many lurkers who I might play against either. My replies to peoples' posts helps me because it makes me think about hands more than I might at the table. Plus it gives the opportunity to for others more knowledgeable than myself to correct me or offer a different perspective on a hand.

[Dan Rutter]

Increasing your poker knowledge will eventually lead to more profit in your game. If you go over hands with other individuals, yours, and theirs you will both mutually benefit in many cases. You will learn from them what their thoughts are on the game, and the play of hands, and they will learn the same from you. This is a great way to become educated in poker.

Also if people do respond to others hands they are more likely to receive help on hands they have questions on that they played. I do not post on here often, and if I do I am more often posting a hand that I played then hands others played. I receive less help on my hands then someone like Beermoney, Mike E. or Andy B. and others receive. They are posting on this forum a lot, not just on their hands but other people's hands as well. So they get the benefit of going over a lot of hands, and discussing them, as well as getting more help from a variety of responses about hands they played.

There may be some truth that you may be giving up a little bit from the information you give out. But I think that unless you are at a very advanced level of play you will receive more profit from talking about hands, then you will lose from being secretive. Even at a very advanced level of play talking about hands and helping others is probably still advised. I myself am trying to post more on hands that I am not involved in.

There are some excellent posters is this group. Roland for example has some superb things to say in his intelligent postings. His analysis, for example, is well thought out and quite helpful. But I wonder why you would share so much of your great wealth of knowledge, when it may also cost you later. Your student today may be your bankrupter tomorrow.

[grb137]

[ QUOTE ]
If the goal of each person is to win as much money as possible playing stud, why respond to other people's post with strategy suggestions and ideas about a hand if such help can only improve your opponent's playing ability? What is the motivation to help others improve, but improve possibly at your expense? Why do people respond to posts? Are people just posting false information or are they really trying to help? And if they are really trying to help, doesn't this put a little dent into your profit if another person improves at your expense? Isn't it better to be secretive? And hide your secrets? Are the people replying more interested in increasing poker knowledge and theorey than they are in increasing their profit in their game? Food for thought.

[/ QUOTE ]

I give misleading and incorrect advice, to ensure a steady flow of income for the future

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

seriously, i rarely play the people on this board, so who cares. its fun.

[jon_1van]

[ QUOTE ]
There are some excellent posters is this group. Roland for example has some superb things to say in his intelligent postings. His analysis, for example, is well thought out and quite helpful. But I wonder why you would share so much of your great wealth of knowledge, when it may also cost you later. Your student today may be your bankrupter tomorrow.

[/ QUOTE ]

True, I may be helping people who will eventually be my opponents. But I don't play for a living. For now I enjoy thinking about playing and playing itself...so whats the harm.

[Andy B]

My posting over the years has done more to help my game than it ever will to help anyone else's.

I don't play against many of the participants here at all, and I don't play that much stud these days anyway. This helps me keep my game somewhat sharp without having to go through the drudgery of actually playing. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I may yet write a book, and I think my my participation here will ensure that I sell at least twenty copies if I do.

I enjoy this, and poker has never really been about making money for me anyway.

[DeadMoneyOC]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't play that much stud these days anyway

[/ QUOTE ]

Holdem?

[ QUOTE ]
I may yet write
a book, and I think my my participation here will ensure that I sell at least twenty copies if I do.


[/ QUOTE ]

Best. Quote. Ever.

Perhaps the main reasons that people help others in poker by writing books or posting iis either for fame and recognition or to make sure that there are enough players that are able to play in their game. By helping make people semi competent in your game you ensure that they will continue to play and thus there be an expanding pool of players that will be there when you want to play. You perpetuate your game by helping others play it well Enough. You might give them enough pointers, but possibly not all pointer. They may turn into a slighly profitible player but they stuill won;t be at your level. And then the stud game will continue. Teaching and posting to perpetuate your livlihood. Perhaps this is a big reason that the better players are willing to help instruct the beginners.

[Nick_Foxx]

I think in general, the people on here just like poker so much that when we're not playing hands, we just like talking about them.

[peritonlogon]

I think I've said this before at one of the formums here.

Most poker players don't own poker books
Most people who own poker books don't read them
Most people who read poker books don't study them
Many people who study poker books don't apply the knowledge well.
Therefore poker books help poker and poker players (as well as a few more things).

Also one good reason to post is the same reason students have to writes essays in college.
You learn more by thinking about, reflecting on and composing your ideas on a subject than you do reading about a subject. This is also one of the reasons why scholarship requires publishing and learning math well requires doing problems and proofs (even though the problems have been solved and the propositions already proved).

I think that's a real good point and makes sense. They just love poker.

[Roland]

Iamastud,

You should try posting a hand. I assure you it’s fun.

[Andy B]

Typical Friday night at Canterbury Park:

1 $2/4 stud table
1 $4/8 stud table
1 $4/8 Omaha/8 table
28 hold'em tables, $2/4 through $30/60

This is a hold'em town, and I don't see that changing any time soon. $6/12 stud/8 has gone off a few times recently, which I find encouraging. Just wish I remembered how to play. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Andy B]

No, I think that people write books to make money from writing the books. Personally, if I wrote a stud book, it wouldn't keep people in my game, because stud isn't really my game anymore. I do play in the Friday night $4/8 game now and again, and I don't think that any of those players really need any books to keep them in action--losing a grand or three a year doesn't impact their lifestyles much.