An Interpretation Please...Old School vs New School Poker

[Nalapoint1]

Overhead discussion at table by two well known players.
"he is a very good old school player.If he ever learns how to play new school,watch out".

What is the difference between old and new school poker?

I ask this because I was playing at 15/30 LHE.I was second oldest at table. 1 man was mid 60s and all others were less than 30. I am mid 40s. As I am leaving with $2500 profit in 2 hours the older guy stands up shakes my hand and says "you play pretty good old school poker. you might want to try new school and see how that works for you". This was several months ago and I didnt give it much thought. As always Thank You for sincere responses>

[Stephen Gray]

I suggest you look into the crouching butterfly school of poker. It is more subtle than the hairy snake school, a little bit more graceful than the one-legged zebra school, and it blows away both the old and the new school. Good luck.

[tylerdurden]

[ QUOTE ]
I didnt give it much thought.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is the correct reaction.

[tek]

Old school: Plays solid Tag poker

New school: Gambling Lags

Middle road may be the best approach, which means changing gears as the situation calls for.

[Poker60181]

i've always interperted the difference between old school and new school poker as aggressiveness. i think that new school means to play a little more loosely and more creatively, putting lots of pressure on your opponents with raises and re raises, violently switching gears and keeping your opponents clueless. old school play is tighter and a little more conservative and even keel. this is what i think, at least.

[mmmmmbrother]

i think new school is playing harders with draws, and playing hard preflop

[Snoogins47]

[ QUOTE ]
i think new school is playing harders with draws, and playing hard preflop

[/ QUOTE ]

It seems so. Since I'm only a member of the "new school" I can't say with much certainty, but what little I've picked up on always mentions that the excellent players of old were very aggressive, and often somewhat loose as well. So maybe there's hardly any difference. Also what little I've picked up makes me have an inkling that in general, "old school" games were much tighter and less aggressive than the average game nowadays. The problem I run into is I wasn't even in diapers when all ya'll were playing lowball in Gardena, so what do I know.

Anybody around twice my age and 8-12x my experience want to comment on how games used to be?

[TheRonin]

First of all anyone who suggest you try a different style of poker when your walking away w/ $2500 profit for 2 hours work must be a complete a$x. Second of all you should have told him he was an a*$.
I assmume when he says new school he is referring to the what I like to call "I think I am Gus Hanson" phenomenon. It seems like the majority of players today think they have to be constantly in pots mixing it up w/ any 2 randoms holdings. Always trying to make plays w/ s*$t cards. I think this style is wreckless to say the least and I think a very select few poker players can get it down to where it works for them. I think that type of play is also almost impossible to succeed with playing internet poker just because people can't even figure out your trying to bluff or just refuse to put down there middle pair. So i guess new school is raise raise raise raise raise

[AaronBrown]

When I hear these terms used, "new school" means math and game theory, conscious strategies practiced against computers and careful tracking statistical performance. "Old school" means psychology, table feel and a longer-term outlook.

A new school player says "my win rate is 2 BB/hour with a standard deviation of 30." The old school player says "I walked away with $2,500."

The new school player goes home and puts the stats in his computer to refine his strategy, maybe to cut down on the standard deviation. A few more wins and he can pay off his grad school loans. The old school player sticks the money in his boot and leaves by a side door because some guys with guns want to rob him at the front door and three ex-wives are waiting for him at the back.

[GreywolfNYC]

[ QUOTE ]
The old school player sticks the money in his boot and leaves by a side door because some guys with guns want to rob him at the front door and three ex-wives are waiting for him at the back.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, now I know which category I belong in.