Teaching a Completely New Player How to Play

[bdypdx]

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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.

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

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Anything I'm missing? Any suggestions?

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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]

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

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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]

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

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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]

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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.

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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.