the very newbei evolution

[friends]

Yes, I know, this is not a new idea. And there were already several posts on this topic.
But I decided to create my own one, and I hope the moderators won’t consider it as flame, cause it will be concrete and IMHO helpful not only for me but for other newbeis too.
So, a month and a half ago I came across one Russian site from which I got to know that online poker does exist [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]. I got very interested cause I found that this hobby could be more helpful and profitable than watching television or playing computer games [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. So, after reading some resources including this site I made the decision and set myself as an object to have 20$/hour playing online poker by 01.12.05 . The main criteria – total income of the last 100 hours should be more than 2000$. As I go up the limits my aim will be more concrete and I will express it in BB/h on the concrete limit.
At the end of the April I ordered WLLH and a week ago started playing. [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
To learn the very basics of the game (hand ratings, positions, calculating odds, nuts recognizing) I decided to taste a Play Game first plus I had read that: “You cannot beat the lowest limit if you cannot beat Play money games”. The only recommended Play Game, where you can meet adequate money free lowest limit resistance is PS (my investigations). It wasn’t too complicated, and after winning about 300BB and was being afraid of getting very bad play game habits I moved to real money game.
I decided to start … not from PP 0,5/1, no I am not so fashionable + there some legal restriction and depositing in PP won’t be easy for me at all [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]. So, I’ve started from 0,05/0,1, Prima Network. Why 0,05/0,1? The only answer – the cheapest poker mistakes, that is all [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]. My plan is very simple:
0,05/0,1
0,1/0,02
0,25/0,5
0,5/1.
etc., step – 300BB.
Yesterday I played for my first time, about 3h, one table at first, in 0,5h got bored (PSF=25-30%) and took the second table. Won 24c at first 30min, then down swing by 2,5$! [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] (I even got to know what means “to be on tilt” a bit, and I should admit it is very expensive feeling, be afraid of it!). But at the and I started to pay special attention to button “fold” + 2 full houses and I even money again+6c [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].


My conclusions:

1)the only serious difference between play money game at 0,05/0,1 is that they fold a bit often than call,
2)every time when I stepped aside from the system play, I lost money, every time when I did something that I knew was a compromise with my rules, I lost money (calling with A9o in early position, calling on the flop with one overcard, etc.). I won nothing not because I won a little, but because I could not save my money through my weakness of pressing “call” instead of needed “fold”. So at the beginning when you feel that you break you principles even a bit tell you right forefinger “Stop calling!” and save your money.
3)Write out your hole play system (playing on the flop with draw, set, etc.) and know it by heart.
4)+pokertracker of cause.
5)The skill of studying opponents (perhaps 2 tables is now to many for me).

The main aim of these points not teaching you of course, but getting your comments.
My stats I will lay out a bit later.

P.S. Do not pay attention to my English, I promise, there will lots of mistakes in it, cause it is not even the language I have studied properly.

[thesharpie]

Good luck with that. I did the same limits progression except skipped .10/.20 as they didn't have that at Pacific Poker. Don't quit at .50/1!

[friends]

What happens at 0.5/1?

[MrEngenic]

After 0.5/1 it gets tougher. How much money do people earn in Ukraine? I think that playing poker is probably the most lucrative profession you can find in a third world/semi third world country. Making 2BB/h playing 0.5/1 4-6 tabling is not tough at all after awhile so 8-10 $/h should be no problem. How much is a doctor paid in Ukraine?

[Fantam]

I would like to suggest that you also buy Small Stakes Hold Em as it is probably the best poker book there is for starting to learn how to play. (It is better than Winning Low Limit Hold Em by Lee Jones)

Be disciplined in your play and be patient. It takes time to become a good player. So dont set yourself deadlines of winning a certain amount by a set time. Instead study the game and move up from each limit once you have been winning at that level consistently for some time.

Good luck ! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[friends]

You hit the nail on the head [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
20$/h - perhaps extreme salary in Ukraine for the common people.
However Ukraine is not entirely the third country (we produce the biggest planes, our tanks are known all over the world, we are the first country in the world by the most expensive cars bought [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img], and Eurovision this year is taking place in Kiev, attracting lots of Europeans), but 5% of our people have 95% of income [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img], that is why the common people, especially in regions and in government organization, are quite poor compared with West.
The biggest salary is in Kiev, 300$-400$ a month is the average salary of the specialist in a company, in the regions it is about 200$ and lower. Best specialists gain up to 1000$ (we count it as a very good income). Workers – up to 200$ in Kiev, up to 100-150$ in regions.
Doctors? You mean in hospitals? Government structures –50-80$/months + bribes (100-300$ or nothing). Commercial structures – 300-1000$, but commercial medicine is developed only in large cities and it is not easy to get there.
Teachers? Government – 40-80$ schools, 60-150$ - colleges. + bribes of course [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. Commercial – 2 time more but without bribes and there are very few of them.
I am a good specialist in quite large company (sales manager), and my income is about 2-3$/h, that is why poker is so attractive for me.

[coinflip]

[ QUOTE ]
Teachers? Government – 40-80$ schools, 60-150$ - colleges. + bribes of courseJ. Commercial – 2 time more but without bribes and there are very few of them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you talking US dollars? This seems somewhat extreme, since if you assume a 40-hour work week and a 50-week working year, the wages you quote are $80,000-$300,000/year for government and up to $600,000 for private. Even the top-10 private schools (MIT, Harvard, etc) in the US don't pay the senior profs more than $200k per year, and smaller schools are significantly less.

If your numbers are correct, you're wasting your time learning poker and should get into academia ASAP [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

If you're talking the hryvnia, your poker $10/hr is closer to 50 hryvnia/hr and that's the basis for comparison you should be considering.

[mvoss]

I think he's talking about $$ made pr. month.

[friends]

All salaries are in USD A MONTH!
We are not used to count incom per hour or per year, usually per month.
In this case 100$ means - 1200$ a year.

[friends]

[ QUOTE ]
I would like to suggest that you also buy Small Stakes Hold Em as it is probably the best poker book there is for starting to learn how to play. (It is better than Winning Low Limit Hold Em by Lee Jones)


[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps it is true. But as a first book I was recommended WLLH. They say that SSHE is worth reading only after several months of playing.
I was recommended to read Internet Texas Holdem before SSHE. They say it teaches to play more agressively and shows lots of examples in his book. And only after this - SSHE.