Experience in Hold Em\'
 

I have really been playing Hold Em' and other forms of poker seriously for one year in November. I have had great success in my opinion, but still have a lot more to learn.

How many years or how long does it take to become a great poker player?
(this is a very basic question) but I have asperations of doing great things and I have earned a LOT of respect of being a good player even among older adults and people my age I have played against. (I am 21)

I mean either you have it or you don't, but experience is huge.

***I have already seen thousands of hands, I pretty much have no life besides the girlfriend, work (where I read poker), sleeping, and poker

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

I don't really have an answer for you but I would think that the units of measurement would be hands played, not months put in.

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

The answer I am really looking for I guess is the fact that I haven't been playing poker for too long, but I have seen a lot of hands. When I am not playing live which is often (mostly tourneys and such, some small cash games) I usually play online in all kinds of poker.

Is there really a plateau you can hit, or what separates the great from the average I guess. I feel and from what other people say time makes a difference.

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

[ QUOTE ]
but I have asperations of doing great things and I have earned a LOT of respect of being a good player even among older adults and people my age I have played against

[/ QUOTE ]
a lot of people have aspirations of becoming awesome, but reality usually has different ideas. And a lot of people are "home game heroes"

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

I live in a town of roughly 70,000 people. There is a group of people who always play in these tournaments who are much more older than me. I also play in smaller tournament areas where I get compliments on my play.

However, I don't have the money to move up to the higher levels.

I mean am I already ready to move to the bigger limits with someone to stake me?

I mean I am trying to ask a perfectly reasonable question, I am not talkin going pro or anything, but is there a certain point where you hit a plateau?

How many years have you all played where you dominated? (yes you can't win all the time, but you can do well all the time)

I know i have a lot to learn.

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

There is no definite answer to "how long" it takes to become great. Some players are naturally good. Some can read everything/study for years and never get it. others study and become great.

Now to answer your question about yourself, none of us can say how good you are etc withoput numbers, like pokertracker stats. But even if you did post these, I still don't think you'll find anyone to stake you for high level games.

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

If your good enough to play in high limit games, you don't need to be staked.

BR management is also a good poker player skill.

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

[ QUOTE ]
If your good enough to play in high limit games, you don't need to be staked.

BR management is also a good poker player skill.

[/ QUOTE ]

agree
variation/volatility blablabla

if you're real good at poker you'll have plenty of money to play. if you'rwe good, why get staked and risk debt/difficluty. just keep earning, buy nice things, and move up your stakes as you feel ready.

folks w/no money, and thinking they warrant getting staked aren't ready (as a very general statement) you are probably included here.
good luck

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

I probably also agree, I mean I am young so I don't have a career but I also have been seriously playing for less than a year.

Yea, my money management skills leave something to be desired about.

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

Mike Sexton always says..."Poker...takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master!" Personally, I believe there is no greater gift of learning in poker than experience! I have played for nearly 20 years now and I learn something new about this game every single day. Here's a suggestion I think you might find helpful...Set some goals for yourself, like winning a single table tourney, an online tourney, a home game, the WSOP finals...whatever, just set a goal and work toward that single goal...when you reach it...set another one. Look at Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chen, 10 bracelets apiece...Do ya think they don't have a goal set for #11...I bet they do! Most importantly...just have fun!

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

I have found that what I get out of anything is a ratio of what I put in. When I started out in HE the learning was fast and frequent. That was only because neither I nor the people I played against knew much more than the collective knowledge that was shared around the table.

As I gained experience (not hands played as many players never move off of first base in their play but serious thought about what was going on) the 'Aha's' became fewer but more serious and more focused, therefore more deadly.

This last week was another movement of the moon and stars occured for me, but it is even a more focused thought comprising a single situation that needs a specific game type and player type to be effective, not a whole game concept. If I explained it in the beginners forum I would get laughed off because it's a concept that a beginner would have a very difficult time undertsanding and applying because their knowledge level is very basic. They are still struggling with what hands to play preflop from what position. Poker is like TOP, a few hours to read, a few years to understand and apply even half of it correctly if you try hard.

If you cede the people you play against have enough smarts to earn enough $$ to throw away, and they know something you don't, it will go a long way to helping you play better.

How resistant you are to what you see and experience in the sessions you play determines how fast and how deep your knowledge and understanding will go. Once you accept the idea that you aren't better than everybody you play, and try to learn from that vantage, knowledge and $$ will start flowing your way. gl

Re: Experience in Hold Em\'
 

[ QUOTE ]

Yea, my money management skills leave something to be desired about.

[/ QUOTE ]

This and the fact that you describe a lot of experience as "thousands" of hands make me think that you should really read this forum for a while and soak up the ideas before you even dream of sitting in a decent sized game.
-James