Confessions of a Mediocre Poker Player

[DcifrThs]

Barry,

after talking with you the other night and playing a bunch of hands with you, i think you're "problem" has a little bit to do with the extremely high expectations and standards you have of yourself...and how you want your results to look.

if you can separate yourself from results and think of this as a video game, maybe that would help...

for example...you raised BB with AA when you forgot to unclick autopostblind while talkin to me. i dont know if it was reraised or whatever but the flop comes KQJ. you bet, got raised, one cold caller and you called...

then the J hit the turn KQJJ and you check called...

looking at it from your perspective i can see how you feel like "aw man, he's got JT and got frisky with his straight draw and now i'm beat"...we've all been there...and you're thinking about all the bets you *might* lose by being aggressive here...those are the results that haven't even happened yet...

if this were a video game, with nothing really on the line other than pride, would you bet the turn? check raise? or still check call?? if you can say that you would still check call, then we can eliminate possibility that its the results and its a function of technical skill or something...

but after talking with you and knowing all the people you've played with and talked to, i have to say i th ink you're better than you think you are...but for some reason you dont want to follow through with something you may know to be correct because maybe the results are sticking in your head from the last time you did it and got beat by some random hand...

so try to separate yourself from the results and see what happens...

good luck and take care...i'm sure we'll talk soon..

-Barron

[SinCityGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
Postflop aggression is a wholly overvalued concept (and the tactic itself is often misused) when the pots are headsup or even 3 way by the turn which is what usually happens on Party. Just calling down is often the best play to make in these games beyond the turn. That will lower your postflop aggression rating but so be it. Ultimately, it's bb/100 hands that count.

[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent point. Against the large field of LAG's in the Party games, you're often calling down with marginal hands and inducing bluffs on the river. This greatly reduces the aggression factor numbers, but so what?

[La Brujita]

Just to echo skp, I am at 1.8 and am doing fine in the games. Everyone has his style and there is a lot to be said as he mentions for toning down the aggression in some circumstances and getting to the river.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
However, he doesn't use any tracking software when he plays online, which is a huge disadvantage.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am no longer a huge believer that Pokertracker et al are absolute necessities. In fact, i no longer use any tracking software myself.

I was starting to pick the proverbial flysh*t out of the proverbial pepper.

It's liberating, just playing poker.

[Turning Stone Pro]

I believe you are one of the top Party 15 players on this site. That is from my personal experience, not hearsay.

TSP

[Joe Tall]

Tell you one thing, as you know I've seen all you've mentioned in action, this post itself is a huge step for you.

I'm sure I speak for others that we respect, you, your game and we are here to help. See you soon.

Peace,
Joe Tall

[DcifrThs]

[ QUOTE ]
Recognizing your own weaknesses is definitely necessary to become a great poker player. But to call yourself mediocre after consistently beating Party 15/30 and B&M 30/60 is not fair to yourself. It is possible to give yourself credit without being too cocky.

[/ QUOTE ]

barry didn't correctly explain himself...

he is good(great) at many things in life, but exemplory in none, according to him...

so for him...he places himself in the 85% catagory of those who are "serious about poker" or at least play poker seriously...

so he wants to be significantly better, approaching expert, in a game very few excel at, and only the best master...

-Barron

[MaxPower]

I just noticed that my post-flop aggression is also 1.8, which is lower than it was at lower limits. I think this could be due somewhat to table selection, since I tend to chase the maniacs around and then just check-call them to death with weak hands.

I never put much faith in that number because it is not a pure measure of aggression. It is (raise+bet)/call. So someone with a high aggression number can just be someone who folds more than they should.

[thenlguru]

Could someone post link to that Ray Zees essay "the stages of poker player" I couldent find it!

[tpir90036]

[ QUOTE ]
if you can separate yourself from results and think of this as a video game, maybe that would help...

but for some reason you dont want to follow through with something you may know to be correct because maybe the results are sticking in your head from the last time you did it and got beat by some random hand...

so try to separate yourself from the results and see what happens...


[/ QUOTE ]
Good post Barron.

This is the exact problem that I have when I go from playing primarily on-line to playing live where my opponents can identify a face with something "stupid" that I have done. It leaves me missing bets in the long run though... which is terrible. Wish I had some insight on how to crack through this... but I am merely mediocre as well and just along for the ride.

-tpir

EDIT: Calling myself mediocre is not fair since I am a horrible piece of Party Poker flotsam/jetsam compared to the likes of Barry and the others posting in this thread. So let's change my use of "mediocre" to "the suck".