New Player Comments and Questions

[Kelang]

I am quite new to Hold em but enjoy the game greatly (and enjoy reading about it almost as much). I have the good fortune to live minutes away from a card room in SoCal. So far I am playing 3/6 holdem.

I've noticed a few things through the haze of being a beginnger.
- 3/6 games are super loose with lots of callers
- it seems that playing tight/ aggressive stictly by the book doesn't really maximize
- in some games, bluffing actually works (semi-bluffing) if you can spot the folders and weed the field; but mostly bluffing is a waste of time ...
- except for advertising. It actaully works! Play a few loose hands early to get action later. It sounds too simple to actually work.
- at low limit you have to get playable cards then get hit by the flop, or have high quality starters and junk-to-mediocre flops (or of course, good flops for you)
- learn to fold, a lot, and sometimes with good hands (I dread having to lay down my aces, but I have layed every other quality starting hand down absolutely sure that I was beat- nice thing about low limit, someone calls it down to confirm it for you).

At this point, I am on the plus side (~80BB). I can look back at my ten or so sessions and attribute most of my winnings to a small handful of quality wins (really good/great hand against a really good second hand) and some good draws where pot odds said call. Oh, and I got plain old dumb lucky a few times. That and keeping away from second rate starting hands.

What really steams me right now is making dumb mistakes, not losing to longshot draws. Losing money is one thing, throwing it away is stupid. (oh, I get annoyed when I fold marginal starters that the flop clobbers- JTo UTG).

I see this as a long road to being a really good player (gotta have goals). I am curious how expensive the education will be....

I would love any comments.

Thanks

[onegymrat]

[ QUOTE ]
I have the good fortune to live minutes away from a card room in SoCal.

[/ QUOTE ] Isn't it great?! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
[ QUOTE ]
- it seems that playing tight/ aggressive stictly by the book doesn't really maximize

[/ QUOTE ] If done correctly, you profit quite nicely
[ QUOTE ]
- in some games, bluffing actually works (semi-bluffing) if you can spot the folders and weed the field; but mostly bluffing is a waste of time ...

[/ QUOTE ] Since most low-limit games attract callers to the river frequently, bluffing is not as effective as mid/high limit games.
[ QUOTE ]
-- at low limit you have to get playable cards then get hit by the flop, or have high quality starters and junk-to-mediocre flops (or of course, good flops for you)

[/ QUOTE ] If every hand was played by all nine players to the river, would you rather have AKs or 86s? How about 2-2 or K-K? Unlike higher limit games, where at times half the hands don't see the river card, be prepared to get called down to the river. Since that is the case in 3-6 limit, you need to play good starting hands that can survive a showdown.
[ QUOTE ]
Oh, and I got plain old dumb lucky a few times.

[/ QUOTE ] I love being lucky, although you just can't count on it. [ QUOTE ]
I see this as a long road to being a really good player (gotta have goals). I am curious how expensive the education will be....

[/ QUOTE ]The road is not as long as you think, as long as you're on the right one.

Good Luck

[Kelang]

Thanks,
This was my first post and it is very nice to get some good feedback. I would prefer AKs and KK over their lower alternatives every time. But... if the game is passive enough it seems at least a reasonable play to lower opening standards a bit, epsecially from late position.

I have learned my lesson on mediocre starters from getting in "free" from the BB. Not so free after all.

I am glad to hear that the road need not be too long. I am not kidding myself, it will take time, practice, and critical self-evaluation (the last, in my mind being the more important in the early stages than some of the fancy stuff that I am reading).

My immediate real self-critique is that losing takes some edge off my aggressiveness. Aggressiveness seems to be very important and fear is very bad...

Anyway, thanks again for taking time to respond.

[onegymrat]

You seem like you're right on track. All winning players go through what you are going through, and you seem like you are in tuned to what you need to do. A few words of advice, from someone who's been through the rough times. Play well always, especially when you're down. The great ones don't tilt. Second, don't play more than you are comfortable with. Lastly, enjoy the game.

[LetsRock]

From the way your post reads, it seems that you've come to your conclusions "intuitively". Most of your points are pretty much what "all the books" say. If you haven't already, start building your library and your "education" will be much cheaper and quicker.

Congrats on you winning start; but don't get sucked into the notion that it is based 100% on your skill. I'm not dismissing the fact that you are probably a reasonably solid player - your "thoughts" indicate that you're approaching the game from the proper angle. It's possible that your solid play is combining with great cards and you haven't had one of those streaks yet where nothing you do works for an extended period. That's when the game gets tough and all of your patience will be tested and extreme disciplne will be required. I'd never wish one of these "streaks" on anyone, but they're part of the game so don't panick if you suddenly have a session (or 12!) where the universe decides to flip the odds on-end and the least possible outcomes start to become the "norm". Stick to your solid game plan and wait for the "long run" to kick back in.

Here's hoping you continue to make good decisions.