Helping friends get better

[Art Vandelay]

I'm interested as to how others feel about helping out your home game friends when they come to you for advice. I have a group of ~20 people and we play at least twice a month (it's gotten more frequent lately) We play low buy in stuff, usually $20 tourneys. If not the best player in our group, I'm easily in the top 3 (I always overrate myself, but I personally think I'm the best player) and a few of the beginners have come to me asking for advice. They want to know what books they should read or they'll ask me for advice on how to play a hand. I'm kind of torn on this because I do like to see people improve when they are genuinely interested in doing so and as a friend I feel I should help out. But at the same time I'm likely to decrease my advantage over others.

The money we play for means little to me so that's definitely not an issue. I think ultimately this leads me to freely help people improve and I take a small amount of pride when I see someone get better. Could I also view this as a chance to improve my game, ie if everyone else raises their games perhaps mine will raise to stay ahead? Up until this point, I view these games purely as a social event, not as a chance to really improve my game.

I'm interested in what others have done in a similar situation; both people that play for small stakes and those which play for serious money. How far should you go to help someone improve?

[Stage]

The way I see it, as your competition improves it will also force you to either improve your game or fall by the wayside.

It no longer becomes easy money but if you ever want to get beyond your current skill level, you will need to be challenged on a frequent basis.

I constantly recommend books to my friends and I suggest you do the same [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Fins]

I'm in the play for fun and trying to improve my game category so here's one side of the scale view...

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The money we play for means little to me so that's definitely not an issue.

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nuff said here so help away...

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Up until this point, I view these games purely as a social event, not as a chance to really improve my game.


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Still a social event but might as well be improving your game at the same time. I think situations like these can also bring out things you thought you knew well but when you have to explain them you realize you don't. No since in offering it up unless asked but if someone wants to learn why not help.

My 2¢,
Fins

[rusellmj]

Maybe you should recommend this book .
Russ

[guller]

What the hell book is that. Maybe I should pick it up to improve my crap hand playing skills.

gull

[nolanfan34]

I was faced with the same dilemna. At first, I kept this place uber-secret. I didn't even want them to know that I had read any books.

Now though, I've told my close friends about this place and recommended some books. Frankly, it makes the tournaments more fun when people play a little better, and certainly keeps me sharp. In some ways, it's even easier to put them on a range of hands, after they read a book or two.

So I'd go ahead and help them. The key is that as you said, the money isn't important. But wouldn't Vegas be a lot more fun if you all can play well when you go there?

[TakenItEasy]

Giving advice when asked is fine for your friends. Just one warning, never give unsolicited advice. Some people will really take offense and they are the ones that will just need to learn through their beats.

[CaptLego]

Let's see...

1. They're a friend
2. They asked for your help
3. You are able to help

That seems plenty sufficient to me --- help them!

Maybe with your help, they'll become a better player than your are. Good for them. Good for you for helping them.
Maybe they'll return the favor.

[Hedge Henderson]

When one of my friends asks me about improving their game, I honestly tell them what I think they're doing wrong, and what I think they're doing right. Sometimes they even listen. It cuts into my winnings, but it forces me to improve my game. I think we currently have one of the tougher games around with $0.05/$0.10 blinds.

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Giving advice when asked is fine for your friends. Just one warning, never give unsolicited advice. Some people will really take offense and they are the ones that will just need to learn through their beats.

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Not to mention that people you don't want to improve, actually might. I tend to keep my mouth shut around the more vocal newbies who think that, say, Hellmuth's book has given them a license to beat (and berate) us "inferior" players.

[Gbob]

The better the players the players you compete with, the better your game becomes. The ideal home game, for me, is a friendly affair with great players. The ideal casino is an un-friendly game with terrible players.

At our group we have a general policy of not helping people while the game is on, but spending a good deal of time later in the week figuring out how to get better.