How do you read this forum?

[mdob]

I've been lurking here for a while, but, as a quick leftward glance will show you, I don't post much. I read most of the hands posted here and try to think what I'd do. I find that my thinking is often different with what becomes the consensus later in the thread.

This post is partially sparked by my recent winrate. I'm at just over +3 BB/100 over my last ~6000 hands, which roughly coincides with when I started taking poker more seriously. Over the ~15000 before that, I was basically break even. I'm worried that I haven't really improved my game and I've just been on a rush and my incorrect analysis of hands here is indicative of that.

I guess I really have two questions: 1) What's the best way to read this forum? Is there a better way than just clicking on each hand thread and saying bet/call, call down, etc.? (I know replying to hands will help, but I'm not sure how feasible that is from work, so I'd prefer a way to just read it.) and 2) How bad is my game if I regularly mis-analyze hands here? Are the hands posted here the difference between a 3.2 and 3.4 BB/100 hands player or the difference between a -2 and 3 BB/100 hands player?

[crunchy1]

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clicking on each hand thread and saying bet/call, call down, etc.?

[/ QUOTE ]
Making the correct decision is of about 1% importance. Understanding why you're making the correct decision is of 99% importance.

Keep this is mind when you're reading hands and deciding what to do.

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Are the hands posted here the difference between a 3.2 and 3.4 BB/100 hands player or the difference between a -2 and 3 BB/100 hands player?

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I don't understand what comparison you're trying to make here?

There are good hands and bad hands posted on this forum. There are right and wrong decisions. The are right, wrong and otherwise replies made. Some hands are posted by losers and some hands are posted by winners.

I don't know if that helps at all....

[meep_42]

Honestly, you're not getting even 25% of what's available here by only reading responses. Posting your own replies, with your reasoning, is of crucial importance. Defend your position, even when it looks wrong, until you understand the thinking behind the other person's point of view. (But do not ruthlessly defend an absurd position -- there's a subtle art to being the devil's advocate.)

Like crunchy said -- 99% of the battle is understanding why.

-d
[edit: typo fixes, see Sarge's quote for the skinny on my spelling and grammar mistakes.]

[Sarge85]

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Honestly, you're not getting even 25% of what's available here by only reading responses. Posting your own replies, with your reasoning is of crucial importance. Defend your position, even when it looks wrong, until you understand the thinking behind the other person's point of view. (But do not ruthlessly defend an absurd position -- there's a subtle are to being the devil's advocate.)

Like crunchy said -- 99% of the battle is understanding why.

-d

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto to both above.

Back "in the day" there was no better feeling that posting a hand, and having Ed Miller, Dynasty, Joe Tall, several others that don't frequent as much [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] tell you, you were a tool for playing this hand in this manner, and this is why.

Or posting a reponse to a hand, and having the same thing happen.

Sarge[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

[mdob]

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Are the hands posted here the difference between a 3.2 and 3.4 BB/100 hands player or the difference between a -2 and 3 BB/100 hands player?

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't understand what comparison you're trying to make here?


[/ QUOTE ]

I was trying to get at "How good a player can I be, given that I'm wrong on several hands a day?" The hands that are posted here are obviously tougher than the average hand at the table. The hands here tend to have more marginal decisions and hinge on questions like "How Laggy is this Lag?" rather than "Is it right to call one bet on the turn in a monster pot with a nut flush draw?" I know I answer the second question correctly, but I'm not sure I answer the first question correctly. My question boils down to is missing the concepts on the trickier posts here going to cost me 0.5 BB/100 or 2 BB/100?



I like your (and others') suggestions of focusing on the thinking rather than the resulting play when replying to a thread (even if I reply only in my head). That was exactly the type of suggestion I was looking for and makes a lot of sense. Thanks.

[crunchy1]

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Are the hands posted here the difference between a 3.2 and 3.4 BB/100 hands player or the difference between a -2 and 3 BB/100 hands player?

[/ QUOTE ]
Now I understand... I think it depends on the player.

A loose player who voluntarily plays a high percentage of the total hands that he/she is dealt will likely face many marginal situations. Playing these marginal situations correctly/incorrectly will likely have a greater effect on the winrate in one direction or the other.

A tight player who plays a lower percentage of hands (assuming he's playing the better starting hands) will find themselves in less marginal situations and thus playing those situations correctly/incorrectly will have a smaller effect on the overall winrate.

The one thing that is for certain is that reading the 2+2 forums will definitely have a positive effect on your winrate - however big or small that might be.