Advice for a Beginner?

Hello All
I have just recently began my poker career (primarily Texas Hold'em) and am just wondering how I should proceed to become the best that I can.

A little background: One day I finally decided that I wanted to try Hold'em so I purchased an e-book of how to play and that had basic strategy (I can't remember the name off hand, it has chess pieces and cards on the cover). Basically it taught me to play very tight and throw away most hands. So I took that advice to Tahoe and played around 10 hours at 3-6 and won a few hundred dollars. I have to admit that I really only focused on the cards, only called with a good hand, and never raised. I guess the good thing was that I did have a good idea when my hand was beat and folded accordingly. I was right in most cases.

I then wanted to learn more about the game so I purchased WLLHE by Lee Jones. If anything it taught me to play even less hands, but play the good hands more aggressively. I went to Reno and played another 10 hours at 3-6 and broke even. I then played online for about 10 more hours at 2-4 and am down about 50 dollars. It just seems to me that now am playing very few hands and even though I still know when I'm beat I have trouble throwing the hand away with such a good hand and all the money I have already put into the pot. I also know that I'm not focusing enough on the other things like position, opponents, etc.

To make a long story short (too late), I was wondering what books are the best to teach me the skills I need and in what order should I read them so everything makes the most sense? Also, is online a good indicator of real play or should I be heading to the casinos more? Should I expect a lot of losses at first while I'm learning?

I would appreciate any advice that you could give me, thank you.

[spaminator101]

read super system 2

i think your playing too tigh and really need to play looser
jenifer harmen will teach you how to do this

[UATrewqaz]

1. It's a long run game. It's not a get rich quick scheme. No matter how good you get or how much you learn you will NOT walk away a winner every time. The best pros in the world have nights they lose tons of money. You will play perfectly and lose money on occasions. There will be times you play a hand perfectly and lose it, sometimes over and over again. However in the long run you WILL be profitable. You must play your best and not be immediate results oriented. You really do have to love the game because you have to play ALOT of it to get anywhere (in terms of profit).

2. The long run is longer than you think.

3. No poker player should ever have an ego of any sort, it prevents bad players from realizing they are bad, it prevents mediocre players from improving, and it prevents good players from not flying off the handle when they lose to inferior competition.

I have actually already purchased the original Super System, I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I believe the limit hold'em section is is written by another player. Is Harmon's explantion in the new version better or more up to date than the original one?

I agree with what the last guy has to say. Poker is not a quick get rich game. If it is then everyone would quit their jobs and play poker. To be a good poker player you have to be willing to put in the time and effort. A good way of becoming a good poker players is of course get more experience. Playing online is a good way to gain valuable experience because you are then able to see a huge number of different flops. Another way to get better is by doing some poker reading. In your case reading super system or Hold'em poker for advance players can also quicken your route to becoming better. Another way to get better is to think about poker when you are not playing it. Such as thinking about different situations and what you would do in these situations. This way you are prepare on what to do when you are in the heat of the battle. Lastly you can also watch more poker on TV and analysis what the top pros are doing and what is their thinking behind it. This might seem like a lot of work but it really isnt. If you have a true passion for the game to you this would seem like fun. Hope this helps

[spaminator101]

more up to date and better

[Pyromaniac]

I'm no expert. But I can add a little to this.

1. Read these boards to get insight from experts. (You'll have to figure out which are the experts and which are the idiots for yourself [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img])

2. From what I gather, online is *much* tougher than the casinos. You'll get better faster online if you study. But you need to move way down in limits. Even if you have the $$$ for it, 2/4 is likely too high for your level of skill/knowledge.

3. Both of Ed Miller's books from 2+2 are very good. GSIH (Getting Started in Hold'em) and SSH/SSHE (Small Stakes Hold'em).

Pyro

I totally agree and that's why I want to get better, I really love playing. It was a game that just seemed to fit my style, but I am not fooled by early winning by thinking I'm better than I am. I want to develop not only a love of the game, but a confidence that when I sit down I know I'm good enough to win.

I just received most of these books, but my current collection consists of: WLLHE, SSHE, TOP, Caro's Book of Tells, and the original Super System. Is there an order I should read them in? Perhaps I should also purchase Advanced Hold'em and/or Super System 2? I'm guessing books on no limit, tournament play, and mid limit are for later.

I was thinking that if I played any lower than 2-4 online that the games become too loose to truly test you to become a better player. I would assume that people playing for like .5-1 then everyone would play to the end, the strategy is to only play if you have the best hand. Doesn't the psychology of the game go away?

Yes and no. Yes, the games are much looser on average. This is good for you as a player, you will have a better advantage while you are learning how to play the game. Getting hands in, no matter what the limit, is usually a good thing. There are such things as loose high limit games, and when you come into them you can take your low limit experience into them.

In these games, its also not always about playing the nuts only. There is a good thread: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...amp;PHPSESSID=
that explains this much better than I ever could.

I would recommend saving top until you've read some other books, and also hefap. No limit isn't necessarily that much more "advanced" than limit, its just a completely different game filled with different strategy. Learn whatever game you like the most first, then go from there. Good luck!