Newbie

[CardinalsFan]

Well I have toyed with the idea of getting into poker seriously for some time, and I have decided to take that first plunge. First,I would like to say that this forum has been a great source of information. Without it I would be down the wrong path. Thanks.

I am now going to undergo what I refer to as my "poker education" or whatever you'd like to call it. What I would like to ask is, would I be better served playing a limit that I can afford for several thousand hands, or should I instead purchase Turbo Texas Holdem by Wilson. I have heard great things about it, and I imagine that one day I will, but right now I am a college student without a whole lot of money and am trying to be a little frugal.

Thanks for your input.

[bisonbison]

take 50 bucks and deposit it in a site with .01/.02 limit holdem.

That's 2500 big bets. That oughta give you a ton of time to learn the ropes. Turbo Texas Holdem is the best available simulator, but honestly you're better off spending those 80 bucks against real people.

[thirddan]

if you are a frugal college student then i think you answered your own question...i don't see a reason for you to spend money on Turbo HE and deposit when you can just deposit with the money you would have used to buy Turbo HE and play against real people for micro stakes...there are plenty of sites that offer stakes below .50/1 where you can start off very cheap...with $50 you could easily start playing .05/.10 with a large bankroll...i have never used Turbo HE so i can't say if its worth it or not, but i don't think there is any better way to learn than to play against others, post hands here, and read... Good Luck...

[imitation]

50dollars into PartyPoker playing the 5c/10c tables (the 2c/4c won't teach you anything imho because it's waaaay too loose I feel) even if you are losing at 10BB for your first 1000hands you'll still only be down $10. I lost at around 8-10bb/100hands for my first 700hands on 5c/10c and now i'm at positive 7.77bb/100hands after 3000hands. I guess the main thing is be prepared for the learning curve, and secondly the swing, I know i'm running hot at the moment but I've also prepared myself for the balancing out which will have to occur.

From all accounts any positive rate of greater than 2BB/100hands is doing fine. So don't worry too much about winning money at this point in time, think about winning BB.

[CardinalsFan]

If I am going to deposit $50, which I believe is the minimum pretty much anywhere, would I be better off playing .05/.10? I would still have 500 BB. Or is this a bad idea?

[JudgeRW]

Use the $ to play for .05/.10. No "simulation" can compete with the crazy play of online micro players. The experience you gain and the money you win will buy Turbo Texas Hold'Em for you down the road.

My advice: Buy Lee Jones "Winning Low Limit Hold'Em". IMO there is no better beginner book out there. I do not mean to take it as the poker "bible" (I think some of the raising standards are a bit loose), but it will certainly get you thinking the right way, and lay a good solid foundation. Post a lot of hands here, and read a lot of hands posted by others. Post your comments on the hands posted by others. If someone tells you that you are wrong, find out why. This forum is a gold mine of poker knowledge. Move on to Hold'Em Poker for Andvanced Players. Several advanced concepts in this book (been through it twice, and still don't grasp half of it [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] but it's worth it's weight in gold at the tables).

Welcome to the crazy world of micro-limit hold'em. Good luck!

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
50dollars into PartyPoker playing the 5c/10c tables

[/ QUOTE ]

When did PartyPoker get 5/10c tables? Do you mean PokerStars? Not trying to nitpick, but I want to make sure he doesn't make the mistake I did and get set up at PP, just to find out there's no games low enough to play.

[bisonbison]

nickel/dime would probably be fine. It's all about your comfort level. Even if you're a losing player to start (which everyone is), 500BB should give you a lot of breathing room.

[thirddan]

the lowest party offers is .50/1, stars/UB/Pacific all have smaller limit games...

[detruncate]

I got TTH for xmas, and hammered at it for a couple months while reading everything I could get my hands on before I jumped into online games. In retrospect, there are pros and cons to this strategy.

On the good side, the relative predictability allows you to 'work through' the concepts you learn in theory. It takes some time to move the ideas into the realm of practical understanding. Even simple things like why it's sometimes a good idea to put money into the pot when you you're pretty sure you don't have the best hand at the moment can seem very counter intuitive sometimes. Also, you need time to develop the discipline necessary to sit through rounds of fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, check/fold. Finally, TTH gives you the ability to simulate different game conditions. The change of pace will help your game improve more quickly by forcing you to adapt to a variety of opponents.

On the other hand, if the money you spend on TTH will mean that you're unable to jump into real games when you feel ready, it might not be worth it. It's got a strictly limited life span. Once you start playing for money, you're not likely to go back to TTH beyond brief forays when your confidence is low.

It really comes down to your comfort level. There's a lot to learn when you're starting out... even when you feel relatively comfortable with the "basics".

I worked through Winning Low Limit Hold'em and The Theory of Poker pretty intensely before I jumped into live games, and had started to have a go at Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players and Caro's Book of Tells in addition to a lot of online material. It certainly flattened out the learning curve a little, but poker is such a situationally specific game that experience is a must.

If you're ok with the possibility of risking real money as you learn, it probably makes more sense to make a deposit and spend any extra you have on a good book or two. Or check your local library... they often have a copy of the most popular books, or will get one if you ask.

The most important thing to remember is that it's ok to feel like you don't know what you're doing at first. It's like that with everything you don't yet know how to do. Celebrate the hands you play well, learn from the ones you don't, and do your best to forget about where you are financially for a couple months and several thousand hands.

Keep good records and/or download the trial version of Poker Tracker and work at developing a Zen like detachment toward the transitory present. Poker is the best embodiment of the concept of Karma that I've every come across. Individual decisions are magnified through the lens of time. And in the long run, you end up exactly where you've put yourself.

Good luck.