Why most of us lose...................

[Ed S.]

Another Reason why most of us lose is because it is all a state of mind. Ego, personality traits and the desire to make money quick and fast all get in the way of long time success. Some people understand the game and grasp concepts faster than others. While other struggle just to see how the heck the winners always seem to be winning. I've pretty much mastered another card game, but yet I still can learn lots be continueous playing. Poker is the same way. I have yet to master poker and far from it. The one thing that all "serious" poker players need to keep in mind is that you need to keep looking to get better. Keep that "Eye of the Tiger" attitude. Do not get complacent with your game. People have to understand the game and understand that you will get out drawn....people will suck out on you. You will be beaten by that 1 or 2 outer on serveral occassions. The key to poker is maximizing and minimizing all aspects of the game. Very few can do that. Some can get by with only perfecting certain aspects of the game and others can not. The key to all of this is to be level headed. Understand why you are losing and why you are winning. Accept that there are things no matter how perfectly you play you can not change certain things. Do not ever sell yourself short, but at the same time know when to cut yourself off. Self control and being strong minded is one of many aspects which is key to long term success. Ok I will stop ranting now.

I hope this helps in some way. Keep reading, keep an open mind and always look to better yourself. Expect the unexpected and accept that certain things are out of your control. But never accept bad play from yourself and do not ever make excuses for them.


Ed S.

[Dynasty]

I say to myself....MUCK IT...you are done...he either has the flush.....two pair....a set.....you know it because he's RAISING YOU ON THE TURN!!!!!! FOLD!!!!!!!!

Your game seems to be deteriorating into an even more absurd weak-tight phase. You'll never beat the game with the way you're approaching it.

[glen]

Mikey,

In response to astroglide, I'm assuming that you didn't realize at first that you had the As since the flush came backdoor, and you would never think about folding the turn. As for the river, though, Tommy had a great post about this problem of getting sucked into river calls. He advocated making decisions EARLY and sticking to them. So, on the turn you say to yourself, "I have a flush-draw, but my hand is dominated right now. If I miss, I will check-fold the river," and STICK TO IT THE PLAN. If you think of it like this, you won't let yourself get sucked into pot size, etc, because you already made the best decision earlier in the hand. In the second hand, you didn't say, "If he calls the flop and turn, he has me beat, but, by the river, I'll bet because then the pot will be big. . ." I thought this was great advice. After all, those calls are damaging in the long run, and those situations come up all the time. . .

[Mikey]

"I have a flush-draw, but my hand is dominated right now. If I miss, I will check-fold the river," and STICK TO IT THE PLAN. If you think of it like this, you won't let yourself get sucked into pot size, etc, because you already made the best decision earlier in the hand"

-this is what I mean......you are right....I didn't want to get sucked into the hand...and I did....I made my decision on the turn...to call and see if a spade fell...but I then failed to apply it on the river hence costing me one big bet by check calling instead of check folding....

[Robk]

Holdem is a damn hard game to play well, and you are probably competing against some of the
best players in the country. Take game selection to the next level and only play fantastic games
even if it means rocking 4-8 or 6-12 or whatever.
P.S. I personally think 7cs is much easier to win (maybe it suits me better), and have
decided to focus more on that game. I suggest that if you're frustrated with HE you give it a
try too.

[astroglide]

by the time you call the raise on the turn, folding top pair/top kicker according to plan isn't the best idea odds-wise

[glen]

Maybe, but against some players I think it still is. Anyways, I was just trying to make the point that the decision would be made before the river, and not adjusted based on the sad feeling Mikey got when the flush card didn't come. . .

[Mikey]

"odds wise".....what are you talking about??

let's use general universal all-purpose common sense.

You are playing against a FISH....

What do fish usually do?
Let's clear it up even more...what does a raise mean from a person who clearly has no common knowledge of the game especially on the turn??

I'll tell you exactly what it means

A) two pair
B) a set
C) full house
D) straight
E) flush
F) 3 of a kind.

Is this line of thinking that I have wrong?

You think fishy boy is going to try a level two move by raising with a four flush on the turn to try to make you lay down your pocket Queens when the flop is King high? Are you crazy or what?

So odds wise, if I don't hit my spade here....it's bye bye..... I fold.

If he's bluffing me...I'll tip my hat to him, but you know what if you are making these pay offs to call....because "THE ODDS SAY SO"....you're losing money here.

Believe me.....I see it over and over and over and over....and you know what I'm going to continue to see it over and over and over and over......

[JTG51]

What do fish usually do?

Mikey, maybe the problem here is you a different definiton of 'fish' than most others do. It seems like you use fish interchangably with weak and passive. When I, and I think most others, say fish we mean terrible. Terrible play comes in a lot of forms. Sometimes it's overaggressive, sometimes it's overly 'tricky'.

Some of the biggest fish I know will raise the turn with all kinds of hands that don't beat top pair.

I see it over and over and over and over....and you know what I'm going to continue to see it over and over and over and over......

You'd probalby see fish bluffing over and over and over and over again also if you didn't fold whenever they showed any strength.

[astroglide]

you're getting entirely too specific on your definition of 'fish'

how about saying weak/tight instead? that's what you just described.