A beginners questions

I don't know where to begin, but, I just began the learning process and I am in awe of the complexity.
I had been playing LHE .50/$1 off and on at PP, just recreationally. Even had some LUCK in AC at 1/2. So I thought I would step up and really learn the game. My approach was through self study so I bought 3 Sklanky books, and began HE101. I've memorized most of the 8 hand groupings, began to rationalize the strategies and I felt strong, although knowing I was still a level 0 player.

What really blew my mind was the "paralysis" my hand analysis brought about. I feel I'm overthinking my hands and not playing as well as before I "knew" all that I read.

Is this a normal right of passage, or do I just suck and should stick with golf!

Steven-

I am far from a good player but I think this is normal and I just finished going through this. I recommend starting with "Getting Started in Holdem", play, post in the micro-limit forum , re-read, repeat. Once you are confident with that, do the same with "Small Stakes Holdem".

When I finished reading each book I felt completely lost and it took quite a bit of reflection on all the concepts and figuring out how to "apply" them properly. I am still in this process but I find my game improving daily.

After you are comfortable with all of these concepts and feel your game has improved, move on to "Holdem Poker for Advanced Players", "Theory of Poker", etc.

Again: Read...Play...Post...Repeat!

Thank you, who is the auther of "Getting Started in Holdem"

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What really blew my mind was the "paralysis" my hand analysis brought about. I feel I'm overthinking my hands and not playing as well as before I "knew" all that I read.

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I remember feeling that way. I think it was probably because I immediately perceived myself as a good player. Then, after reading a few books, I realized there were substantially more factors to consider when making poker decisions.

I'm guessing that your problem is not that you're playing worse than you were before; it's that you've just begun to learn how many factors you should be weighing when making poker decisions, and you don't yet have the experience to discern how to prioritize these factors.

My advice: Buy pokertracker, play 50k more hands at .50/1, and be observant as you can. Notice everything. (eg Did the preflop raiser check the flop? Why did he do that last time? What kinds of hands is he showing down? etc etc). Analyze your PT results every 5k hands. See if you can find some hands where you could have saved a bet or gotten an extra one in. Then reread the books -- the concepts will make infinitely more sense.

Now, note that the paralysis you describe will remain forever -- just to a lesser extent. Some marginal decisions are unique enough to stun even the most experienced of pros.

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Thank you, who is the auther of "Getting Started in Holdem"


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Ed Miller (who wrote "Small Stakes Holdem" with Sklansky and Malmuth). It is also a 2+2 book.

I bought the book today. It is very good. Thanks again for the tip.

I would have to agree with loyalguard. There is a steep learning curve in everything. Just think of Tiger Woods the last 2 years. Here is the (arguably) greatest golfer in the world. He totally changes his swing to improve his results. What happens? He struggles in the short term. But, in the long run he will be totally dominant again. Use the lessons you learn from the books. Be patient and apply those lessons, and then analyze the results. Hope this helps you, as I'm trying the same thing.


whodatdare