A post I've wanted to write for a long time (LONG)

[Josh W]

As the title suggests...

In fact, I actually wrote it out a few days ago when the forum was more screwed up than it is now and new posts got deleted after written. So, I lost it. But, here goes again.

Poker changes. I haven't been playing that long....about 4.5 years. That's a lot longer than a lot of people here. I certainly won't say I'm better, but I will say I've seen changes that newer players haven't seen. And a lot of people don't adapt to changing conditions. Don't be those people.

In the last few months, there have been more and more posts about how the games are getting tougher. And I'll be the first to admit that a lot of 100-200 games and higher are only BARELY beatable by me, if even that much (that alone will signify that lots here are lots better than me).

However, people are bemoaning the 30s and 50s on party. They aren't anywhere near unbeatable. Not all, but a lot of people here are:

1.) Not gathering info throughout a hand. They see VPIP/PFR numbers, and know preflop how they will play the entire hand way too often.

2.) Way too egomaniacal. Look, I was there (search for "GummyWorm" posts). I still have an ego problem (and for as bad as it is, it used to be a lot worse...if you can believe that!). I've made a lot of money at poker, and I've NEVER read a poker book. I've learned exclusively from my own pondering and this forum. Use this forum to learn. Quit saying things are 'obvious' when they are close. Yes, I'm largely referring to my recent "unusual AK hand". Anybody who chooses to do any math will see that by folding that river, they are losing pennies at most. And yet, TONS of people claimed it was an easy call, or a horrible fold, or a disasterous fold. None of those are right. It was close.

And again, those who said it was an easy call thought so because of one players stats, and refused to acquire information throughout the hand.

3.) People here don't think they can beat tight games. It's been said for years that preflop decisions are nearly worthless relative to postflop play. And yet, everybody focuses on preflop stats. ooooh, everybody at this table is 16/8, I can't win, I'll leave.

Please. Give me that game. If they can play well post flop, yeah, it's a tough game. But if those are their stats, they probably haven't played much shorthanded. This means that they are quite possibly poor from their blinds. Rip them apart. If you steal the blinds an extra time every five rounds, that's an extra 1.5BB / 100 hands.

1.5BB/100 hands if you can find one (extra) opportunity every FIVE ROUNDS.

A ton of people here would love to have that as their winrate. Here's a suggestion. Find a tight game with one or two players who don't play well postflop (even if they are tight preflop). Rob them. Get rich.

But please stop saying tight games are tough. Tight games can be the most profitable type.

All three of these things fall under the category of THINKING. THINK about your opponents hands, not just stats. THINK about how you can make money besides opponents bad preflop limps. THINK about how you can improve your game instead of thinking you already know everything.

This should make sense. And it should also hit close to home.

Josh

[mscags]

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JoshW,

Very refreshing post...Thanks.

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[shemp]

[ QUOTE ]
I haven't been playing that long....about 4.5 years.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow. That's like older than the Spice Girls. [ QUOTE ]
THINK about your opponents hands, not just stats. THINK about how you can make money besides opponents bad preflop limps. THINK about how you can improve your game instead of thinking you already know everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you saying I should think about stuff? Cuz that's like my worst part.

[psyduck]

Great post [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

[Paluka]

I don't think there is a good player on this forum who thinks tight games are impossible to beat.

[climber]

I tend to agree. I have pretty standard table selection procedure and review what tables I am sitting at very frequently, often leaving the tighter table.

The kind of annoying thing is that the tables I am doing well on/have doubled up on often dont have the best stats so I keep uncheckign my "auot-post blinds" box only to realize I'd be crazy to leave that table.

The problem I see is that SSH taught a bunch of us how to play AF=3 postflop and thats what we know how to do so we just find the loose games and keep betting and raising.

[Josh W]

It depends on your definition of good, of course.

There are lots of people who beat 15-30 and maybe 30-60 and think tight games are unbeatable.

Josh

[phish]

Well said. Especially your comments about pre-flop vs post-flop. Way too much focus is given here to pre-flop play and stats. How someone plays post-flop is SO much more important. A tough expert 35 vpip will crush a nitty 17 vpip anyday, even in a 10 handed game.

[Josh W]

[ QUOTE ]
Well said. Especially your comments about pre-flop vs post-flop. Way too much focus is given here to pre-flop play and stats. How someone plays post-flop is SO much more important. A tough expert 35 vpip will crush a nitty 17 vpip anyday, even in a 10 handed game.

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Yep. Just ask Derb (though I'd say 30 VPIP, not 35....but the point is the same).