getting started tips for no limit cash games

hello. first time poster.

what advice do you guys have for starting to play NL cash games? maybe the $.25/$.50 on party or $1/$2 live at hustler casino. my poker experience consists of party poker SNGs ($10 - $20 buyin) and weekly home tourneys ($20 buy-in, 8-16 players).

all tips appreciated. thanks in advance!

[mattw]

hello and welcome aboard. finding this site and posting is an excellant first step. i would suggest getting several books and thoroughly digesting. do a search here for finding the recommended ones.

post hands that you have questions about or would like to discuss.

read these forums any other sites as well. (this is my fav.)

most online players will suggest using Poker Tracker and related add-ons.

i cant offer any advise for B&M's (brick and mortar, i.e., a real casino) as i have never played live and prolly wont. going from 300-400 hands an hour (6-8 tables on two monitors) to B&M 30 hands an hour would kill me. also rake and tips are higher at a B&M. most posters here state B&M is much fishier than online. still scratching my head on that one.

again welcome and gl.

[fimbulwinter]

[ QUOTE ]
hello. first time poster.

what advice do you guys have for starting to play NL cash games? maybe the $.25/$.50 on party or $1/$2 live at hustler casino. my poker experience consists of party poker SNGs ($10 - $20 buyin) and weekly home tourneys ($20 buy-in, 8-16 players).

all tips appreciated. thanks in advance!

[/ QUOTE ]

quikly:

Online: starting out, WHORE WHORE WHORE. get every bonus you can. it will be a long time until you can play and beat a game big enough to dwarf bonuswhoring. you can seriously put together a $1K bankroll just playing breakeven poker and bo whoring. i wish iw oulda started sooner.

go here

Live: hustler baby game is too high rake to be anything but entertainment. play commerce or HP 200 game or setup a homegame if you need live poker. live is way overrated unless big money is at stake, so get drunk with your friends and piss away a few 20's playing at home, which is always much mroe fun.

fim

hey, thanks matt! i searched for 'book recommendations' in this forum, and found a couple mentioned.

Russell Fox/Scott Hanker's 'Mastering No Limit Hold'em' -- what do people think about this?

and Hellmuth's 'play poker like the pros' -- really? maybe they were kidding. i read this book and i remember thinking it was more about his anecdotes than real poker strategy. it was entertaining though.


any other books that are worth reading? i've read sklansky's book on tournament poker. any 2+2 books i should pick up for NL cash games?

thanks,
greg

[fimbulwinter]

[ QUOTE ]

Russell Fox/Scott Hanker's 'Mastering No Limit Hold'em' -- what do people think about this?


[/ QUOTE ]

this book was a total waste IMO.

there really are no good books on SSNL. read this forum, buy theory of poker and save your cash.

fim

[Ricardido]

Start on the low stakes games at PS and build up your confidence of the NL format.

[punter11235]

[ QUOTE ]
Russell Fox/Scott Hanker's 'Mastering No Limit Hold'em' -- what do people think about this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Here you can find a thread which does the justice to this book.

Ciaffone/Stewart is outstanding but rather food for thought than practical advice for SSNL.

I would recommend this site and NL articles there, they are really good point to start.

Best wishes !

[jtr]

Don't lose the big pots.

Seriously -- this is better advice than it looks.

[tek]

Have some money you are prepared to lose for a few sessions. You are paying for tuition.

Whether you play live or online, go over the big hands that you won or lost not only in terms of the betting but also the player you faced. Those online guys have their easy analyzer software. But live players have to use their minds to remember what the opponents did verbally, nonverbally and betting.

After a few sessions reread sections of various books that you think will help you based on what you encountered in your plauing sessions.

Confidence is important, but in the beginning don't get to put off by lousy sessions until you get your foundation.