how do you guys/girls study?

[Joe826]

just curious. i have lots of poker books. the only one i've finished is WLLH. over thanksgiving/christmas i'm not going to have a chance to play much poker since the best i'll be able to do is dialup, so i plan to read a few of the better ones. how do you go about making sure you get the most out of a read through? underline and write comments in the book? keep a notebook by your side for notes? think of hands were you could have applied concepts? just curious. thanks.

[kalooki45]

It's different for everyone, because we all have different learning styles.
There are four basic types of learner-
1. Visual (tend to remember something they see)
these people do well when they make charts, have lists of notes, etc.
2. Aural (remember what they hear)
this type should remember 'catch phrases' about certain situations--they need to 'boil down' what they read into mottoes and mnemonics
3. Hands On (need direct experience)
these folks learn by playing mostly--and from their mistakes. they need to read for concepts, then go out and 'play them in'.
4. Abstract (the 'ideal' student)
this is the academic type. they can translate what they read into concrete concepts, and apply them without too much fuss.

Most of us are a combination of these qualities...but it helps if you think about other things you've learned and can remember what helped you the most--then use that method when studying.
I'm an abstract/visual type---so I like making little charts and things...the construction of charts and lists helps me solidify the info, and I tend to remember the chart. Others are different!
As a side note--this is the real art of teaching. You have to come up with a style that ALL learners can use-- that incorporates all the elements--otherwise, you're only reaching 25% of your class!

[NDHand]

Read, re-read many many times. After at least 2-3 reads go play a LOT of low-stakes, then come back. With your experience, there should be a lot of stuff you didnt pay too much attention that you will now notice. Rinse and repeat, play a lot, read a lot, and at some point everything will fit togheter. Then keep analyzing hands, post your hands, keep thinking about what should be played/how you should have played on said hand even away from the table.... ad infinitum

[timmer]

All of the above plus design a course of study for every text I plan on studing. with time lines schedualed study times ect. I have even written my own tests for myself. Kind of like designing a collegiate level poker courses for my self.

Some times I think I might just be plain wacky

Dr Al?

timmer

[TPL]

For WLLH, I read all the way through, then went back and created "cheat sheets" to keep by the PC. I'll have starting hand charts on one side, and the other side has odds charts and scenario charts (i.e., what to do when you flop trips, what to do when you flop flush draw, etc). Then, I refer to the chart every hand, and pretty much play robotic. After thousands of hands, and hundreds of playable hands, I pretty much know it by heart.

I'm mid-way through TOP, and after I finish I plan to tweak my charts a bit as I move up, adding more deceptive elements to my play. Early on, I had alot of trouble because I was trying to do everything with no rhyme or reason. My educational strategy now is to step through it starting with the fundamentals, making sure I play a solid, mathematically-correct game, before I take on more complex tactics.

Since starting this path, my game, confidence, and results have improved dramatically. The most "creative" I play I've made during this time is an occasional semi-bluff on a flush draw when there is a big pot. Oh, I also tried to play "The Hammer" last night just for giggles, flopped a gutshot draw, had the right pot odds to keep drawing... and got... well... Hammered! LOL

Won't be trying that again!

TPL