Recreational Poker

[Georgia Peach]

Does the recreational (only plays while on vacation, 2-5 times a year) poker player still utilize the same guidelines as those used by the folks who play daily, weekly?


What I mean is, does the recreational player perhaps play a bit more loose, take a few more chances, etc. In other words, "gamble" at times when the proper play is to fold or call?

I'm talking about small stakes games only in a casino.

[bernie]

a recreational player is usually much looser in play...

he hasnt really studied the game. and it's part of his entertainment. theyre not really there to win, though they think they are. theyre there to have fun and blow off some time between the crap/roulette table.

when i see a guy that i know isnt a regular, and doesnt play much, i seem to smile a little more when he's on my table...

b

[Tommy R]

Why would a recreational player want to play any different to a professional. Their aim should be to play like a professional. Professionals play the way they do for 1 reson to maximise expectancy.

It does not matter if you play 1 time or 365 times a year. Maximising your expectancy each time you play maximises your expectancy in the long run.

What the orginial poster is talking about is increasing their variance by playing more hands. While it is true that this many lead to a greater profit in the short run, then playing tight, there is a greater probability of winding up with a bigger loss since expectancy has decreased.

I also agree with the second posted that recreational players are generally poor players and provide an easy target to seasoned professionals. They feel like they have to play 2 weeks worth of poker in 2 nights.

[Dynasty]

Why would a recreational player want to play any different to a professional.

Because they have different goals.

[Tommy R]

Perhaps we have our wires crossed. I play poker for only one reason, to win money. That is my goal to maximise my expectancy.

If you want to play poker for any other reason play as you like, but your expectancy will suffer and most likely you will have negative expectancy.

[bernie]

your putting yourself in their shoes as 'you' playing....not 'them'. youre saying 'if i were them i would play because...' that's not what theyre thinking.

understand that many see this as a form of entertainment along with other types of gambling. these are the same players who go out and play the crap table for the same reason. does a good BJ player sit on an 8 deck shoe with 7 players? no.....but why are the 7 players there? dont they know better? no...but that's not why theyre there. just because their goal may not be to win necesarily, doesnt mean that theyre addicts either....that's an awful black and white way of painting the picture that just isnt reality...

obviously dynasty and my goals in holdem is to make money, but the casual/recreational player isnt serious about really winning. they may have read one book, if that, but other than that....'

understanding why others play other than yourself can really help in playing against them.

as dynasty said, 'they have different goals'.

b

[AlanBostick]

Perhaps we have our wires crossed. I play poker for only one reason, to win money. That is my goal to maximise my expectancy.

I don't believe this is true. I think you believe it's true, but I think you're wrong.

If the only reason you play poker is to win money, you are making a terrible mistake. Except for some unique people in equally unique circumstances, there are easier, more lucrative, and more consistent ways of earning or making money than playing poker. The typical way of doing this is known as "getting a job." Many poker pros and would-be pros appear to overlook this possibility.

I expect there is a reason poker holds more appeal to you than other methods of getting hold of money. If you are like most players, poker gives you something that you don't get elsewhere. That something is different for different players. You will be a more powerful player if you understand what your own "something" is.

Some players wind up making money while losing track of their "something." I've met a few of them. While they are respectable players, they are also sad cases. They don't lead happy lives.

Some players get good doses of their "something" but don't happen to win money. Perhaps this is true of the majority of cardroom poker players. Are they bad players? Are they losing players? Maybe.

But consider this: A typical money-losing low-limit poker player loses money at about the same hourly rate that I myself lose money in movie theaters. I lose money every time I go to the movies -- every time! Yet I keep going back to the theater again and again. Does this make me a sucker, a live one?

I'm not a bridge player, but I have read a couple of books on bridge. One of my favorites is Victor Mollo's You Need Never Lose at Bridge. Mollo writes of bridge play in an anecdotal style using a cast of fictional characters, and his opening chapter is about how every one of his characters is a winning player -- not because they make their contracts and block those of their opponents, but because they get that special something out of the game that they play it for. Papa the Greek likes admiration for his brilliant plays. Karapet the Armenian revels in his terrible luck, and so he cannot lose without winning. Hideous Hog wants to play the hand and hates being the dummy; so *he* can win in the bidding, before the actual hand is played. Und so weiter.

On this Web forum we all presumably know something about how to make money at poker. If we understand what we really play for, we can strive towards both making money and winning, satisfying our poker jones.

And some of the truly great game players will know what their opponents play for and work towards it, so that everyone can leave the table a winner, even if only a few walk away with more money than they started.

[bernie]

"Why would a recreational player want to play any different to a professional. Their aim should be to play like a professional. "

because many see the 'pro' way of playing as boring. they like to play more hands. as one poster mentioned, putting a year's worth of poker into one night...

you also cant stay seasoned playing this sparsely. no one plays at a 'pro' level only playing 5 times a year.

if you play alot, take a few months off....dont even study the game...at all.

then go back and play. youll be out of practice. now imagine someone who doesnt study...how bad they may play..

they generally dont play to maximize. they play to have fun. theyre usually not schooled enough to know how to maximize.

put yourself in their place and discover their motivation. theyre not studying or posting on the forum as we are.

b

[Dynasty]

theyre not really there to win, though they think they are.

I think most low-limit players are much more interested in enjoying themselves rather than winning and recognize it.

[bernie]

"I think most low-limit players are much more interested in enjoying themselves rather than winning and recognize it."

youre right for the most part. though when they hit a little mini losing streak, they tend not to enjoy it. but there are those rare guys, who repeatedly get shelled and still enjoy it. those guys are fun to play with. and not just because they blow chips, but they loosen up the atmosphere, and have fun overall...

b