Good Books, Bad Books

[Leavenfish]

Shad, I've played tournament chess since I was in High School, so that's right at 25 years. That's a pretty interesting analogy between Blitz and Limit (on line anyway). Still, I've seen GM's and IM's play blitz that would blow the socks off my regular 50 moves in 2 hours game and my rating hovers at around 2400 International Postal and 2100 USCF OTB.

I've been playing poker for nearly 2 years and agree that limit on line is largely mechanical for most...but that is the nature of the game to a large degree at least when compared to an open ended creative game like chess.

The crux of the problem seems to be that you can't learn fundamentally sound chess at the blitz tables...and likewise one will have a difficult time doing so at the 'blitz' limit tables on Party or wherever.

How to 'understand' the game better though and put it into practice? I would say that reading is indeed 'fundamental' here. I learn things that are indeed a little hard to apply at the virtual tables because of the speed...but I keep going back to those very same books when I am away from the tables and slowly but surely I see myself 'getting it' and my bank account increasing. Indeed, I see my poker account as chess ratings...just a measure of how I play compared to everyone else.

Playing live would be a BIG help, to slow the game down enough at first to be apply what you have read. My only visit to a casion was great and rather profitable. If you can't do that...keep reading and re-reading the very same (good) books you have. It will sink in and in time your 'rote' limit play may look more like that of a GM playing blitz rather than a fish.

---Leavenfish