Conservative or Scared

[philly000]

Hello,
I gamble a lot....Craps, Blackjack, Slots, Video Poker as well as regular poker. As a person, I'm very conservative and always do the right thing. As you can guess this is the same attitude I gamble with. I always base my play on how "THE BOOK" says to play it. This feeling combined with the fear of telling poker friends I got beat due to a stupid play I made brings me to my dilemma.
When I play poker, I get pushed around and bet out of some pots. This is not good for a poker player. How do I change this? I find it hard to lossen up or play a marginal hand when "The Book" wouldn't recommend it. I see pros on TV play bad hands and try to convience myself to change gears..lossen up...Gamble...but can't seem to do it although I love the game. Am I too conservative or too scared?

Do I need a support group or can you guys offer some words of wisdom?

Thank You
Philly000

[Demana]

[ QUOTE ]

This feeling combined with the fear of telling poker friends I got beat due to a stupid play I made brings me to my dilemma.


[/ QUOTE ]

There is nothing to be ashamed of when making a bone headed play. It happens to everyone and understanding why you made those plays is the key to stopping them.

2+2 is the place to do it. Post some hands, get some feedback, read about how others played their hands, and pretty soon you'll stop making those plays.

Then you will feel confident enough to talk to your friends about the hands. After the first time, it will get easier and easier and they can point out things that only people who know you well can.

And ignore everything you see on TV.

Good luck.

~Demitri

[dogmeat]

You're young, you don't really have the strongest grasp of what "the book" says to do, or even what book to base your decisions on. How do I know? Because there are so rarely a specific way to play hands.

Play poker to win, not to impress your friends. Read a few good books like Winning low limit poker (Lee Jones) and progress to Small Stakes hold'em (Ed Miller) when you have a real grasp of the game and are playing more often.

The play you see on TV is tournament play, which is much different than regular cash games. Forget about what you see for the time being.

Dogmeat [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

[Al Schoonmaker]

Both the replies that have appeared so far offer good advice. Perhaps the most important points are:
1. Ignore your fear of appearing dumb. Do what you think will improve your EV, not what you can "defend" to your friends.
2. Actively seek criticism. Post hands on the appropriate forums. Ask questions. Take positions on forums and get feedback from others. Develop relationships with a couple of good players to do what we do here on a face to face, regular basis. If possible, start or join a discussion group.
3. IGNORE TV. They are playing under extremely different conditions, and those shows are highly edited.
4. Keep records. If you play online, use PokerTracker.
5. Keep your mind open so you can keep learning.
I have one question. How can you be defensive about making dumb poker plays, but play games like craps that are IMPOSSIBLE to beat? Playing craps is dumb, and it has destroyed many great poker players.
Good luck,
Al

[Rascal]

When u say ur losing marginal hands. I think thats because you dont know what hand to put ur opponent on. First u need to analyse their play are they loose tight etc. Are they under betting the pot giving u excellent odds, over betting the pot, a semi bluff bet with outs in the deck, have a made hand.

In live games being able to read the person along with playing the cards is the key. Read Mike Caros book of poker tells. Watch poker on TV and spot the tells you’ll be surprised how much even the pros give away. Then apply some of the tells to ur game. Its helped me immensely.

[Al Mirpuri]

It is not possible to beat craps. Only progressive slots are beatable. Is video poker beatable? Blackjack is but poker is more profitable. Specialize in poker. There is usually a correct play in poker and it is not conservative nor liberal. Make that correct play.