09-27-04, LearnTexasHoldem:

Starting Point For Beginner Holdem Player

Question: Hi,

I've recently started playing hold'em with some college buddy's of mine and I'm tired of losing my money! I decided that there had to be some way of playing better so I began researching on internet and found tons of material and ideas for how to improve my game. My problem is that I am a full-time student and have a full-time job so the time I have left for playing hold'em is limited.

Top 3 Beginner Rooms

My question is in what order do you suggest I try to progress my learning/reading/memorizing, I'm kind of guessing here with the list I made for myself, based off of what I've been able to digest in the past few weeks: (note we play no limit)

1) Memorize starting hands

2) Learn which hands to play in which position

3) Which hands to fold

4) Memorize Outs (I.e. figure them out quicker in my head)

5) How to bet pre-flop, flop, turn, river (based off of my hand)

6) How to bet based off of other player's betting

7) Memorize drawing odds/ odds of making my hand

8) When to bluff and how much/semi-bluffing

9) Figure out how the h*** to do Pot odds/Implied Odds in my head

I'm sure there is an ridiculous amount of categories I'm leaving out but I just need somewhere to start and some goal for progression.

I feel I've already improved from my "good ole boy" card playing, but I always seem to lose no matter what. How long do you suggest I should give myself before I finally say "you suck" put your money in the bank. (playing for about two months, lost 50 bucks, doesn't sound like much, but everytime I buy in I lose it all so if I played more I'd just lose more)

Thanks,

the rookie

Answer: So you guys are playing no limit holdem with your friends... First of all, I wouldn't give up on poker. I think anyone who really wants to learn poker can do well. There is a point where people begin to drop off but if you get to that level you won't need me anymore. You just need to get the basics down and understand that playing winning poker takes time.

It is a simple game but at the same time there are a lot of levels to it and it constantly changes based on your opponents. No limit holdem is a lot different then limit holdem is. You have a lot more heads up confrontations in NL and with NL one mistake can cost you your whole stack. Because of this hand strength is important. You need to know what does well against what. You need to know the kinds of hands you will play and the problems you'll run into with each. Then you can take into account how your buddies play and make the right decision.

I don't mean that you need to know what hand grouping QTs is in compared to KJoff, that doesn't help. What you need to know, for example, is what you would want to be up against if you have a hand like 99. If you have decent starting hands and play them in good positions you should do fine with your friends, assuming you can make some decent decisions post flop.

If you have no knowledge of odds you need to at least know some basics like how often flush draws and straight draws get there. Other then that you probably won't be faced with too many odds problems when playing no limit with your friends. Also, when looking over hand strength charts and all that, take into account that your friends aren't playing as tight. Lastly, and most importantly you need to understand the type of game you are playing in. Are your buddies good players? Are they tight players? Are they loose players? Do they only raise good hands preflop? Do they bluff? How are you losing to them?

I'll give you a few tips that I use to beat friends of mine who don't play at all but I'm not sure how much it will help you if you don't have basic poker stills (like being able to tell if you have a strong hand or not). When I play my buddies who know nothing about cards besides what hand beats what I usually play very loosely preflop. I play almost every hand. The reason I do this is because the upside is so great. If I flop something big they always call me down and give me a big pot. If I miss the flop then they are happy to just check it around (even if they have something half way decent).

Eventually I have all the chips because they pay me off on my hands and I don't on theirs. This strategy may not work for you because your buddies may know how to play a bit more. If they are being selective about their hands preflop then you need to as well.

Finally, review the articles I wrote on here for beginning NL play and also general limit play. Those should help.

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