Any poker players on here?

have been dabbling in a bit of poker recently, anyone have any tips for a beginner? Ive read a bit on the net but some of its going over my head

well dont play for anything serious if you dont know what your doing.


Other than that patience, and paying attention to the people you are playing against.

Play the players, not the cards!

Up until this year i only played online and never for real money, I did ok and won big and lost big as my confidence grew.
This year I have been to a couple of nights out in Grosvenor casinos and although a little intrepid and slightly nervous I enjoyed myself, ive not won anything yet but got to the final table on both occasions ive been.
I was suprised to see how helpful and understanding the people were and it gave me the confidence to no feel too far out of my depth.
There are clearly some very good players when you play for real and its quite an eye opener to see how switched on some of these players are but you will definately learn more off these types of players so my advice would be...
Go for it but always be sensible, take along with you as much as you are willing to lose and no more, never take your bank card and just enjoy the hospitality and the experience.
Good luck.

My skills include once masturbating over victoria coren.

Read Doyle Brunson book super system

Play the players, not the cards!

Probably the worst advice you could give to a beginner !!!

Just play your premium starting hands for now untill you learn how to play and play them aggressively . Try not no play out of position it will make your life easier

My advice is to download a free version of texas hold em up poker and just play against the computer you will soon get it!

Played online poker to pay for college... Was great while it lasted (now banned in the USA)

I would say one of the biggest things you need to learn is probabilities as well as pot odds and equity.

Those three things alone will give you a good base to play poker - next is just putting in the time and I would probably join a poker forum to help with discussion on certain situations as well as reading higher stakes/watching videos from higher stakes.

Basically constantly be trying to learn as much as possible about the game as fast as you can from as many different points of views as you can.


I still love to play live a few times a month and will go to Vegas once or twice a year with my schedule permitting. Can be a great hobby that not only pays for itself but offers extra income for yourself as well just remember you'll probably get bent over come tax season without someone else doing your taxes... xD

Have fun + good luck

Learn the odds of every hand off by heart

Establish what type of player you are and how willing you are to take risks

Remember that no matter how good you're hand is - it's always possible for someone else to have a better hand than you

If you are doing online poker - play late night Friday and Saturday on UK forums because it's easier to take money off drunk players than sober ones

You will learn most through experience - good luck

Most basic poker guides are good

What I will say I'd joining the Texas Hold em world now is really tough there are so many good players online it's hard to make a living now IMO

I've recently learnt Omaha far harder to master but has so many donkeys playing it it's like taking candy from a baby

If your sticking to hold em then firstly understand position it's probably the most fundamental mistake any new players will make when playing and you'll get eaten up by players who will use players playing out of position to pick up easy pots

Learn what hands you should be playing from what positions and you should be thinking ahead at all times 8/10 times I can tell you what my opponent is going to do next

Learning pot odds and equity will then form the basis of a decent start in the poker world as it takes two minutes to know what hands are strongest etc

Playing early position will cost you a lot of money so learn to play tight to start until you can gauge an opinion on your table and you'll get a better idea of when which opponents you can take advantage of from early position and which ones you shouldn't be trying to bluff against and should opt be playing premium hands up against there blinds etc

There are some great books out there but the game changes a lot starving I find best but genuinely I only play Omaha online now as I'm just not making enough money based on time I spend playing in hold em

I still play hold em live as it's much easier to read opponents live than online plus you don't have players building profiles up using poker software at libe events like you do online which can be a major downside to a newbie starting online as these players will target you

Good luck

Thanks guys, i better figure out how to read equity and the probabilities asap then. Only playing online in the free games (zynga etc) but need to start somewhere.

As im new to this is it better i get the hang of texas hold em before moving to something else?

Will join a forum and see whats what aswel. Much appreciated

Thanks guys, i better figure out how to read equity and the probabilities asap then. Only playing online in the free games (zynga etc) but need to start somewhere.

As im new to this is it better i get the hang of texas hold em before moving to something else?

Will join a forum and see whats what aswel. Much appreciated

Stick to Texas hold em

I'd probably instead of playing play money - go and deposit 100.00 on a site and play their lowest limits... .01/.02

Play money you'll learn bad habits that won't really transition to a real money game. Also you have to decide whether you want to play 6 handed or 9 handed.

I use to 20 table 9 handed and play ABC for a long time. But I could cut my tables in half and play 6 max with an equal winrate (I just didn't get as much back in FPP's).

I'd stick to NL HE for now, you can branch out after you have an understanding of the game. Omaha is a very fun game, but extremely swingy at times.

Personally I play LHE live because no one knows what they're doing it seems and the equity of hands changes quite a bit.

Poker is what got me through uni and indeed allowed me to start up my business.

First things first - become adept at working out pot odds. Once you do that then the rest falls into place, its just maths.

Each bet you place is a question to the other players, each call or raise is an answer to your question.

Each bet you make must have a purpose, the purpose being finding out what the other player has of course.

The bets you make must be the correct amount in order for them to do what you want them to do. If you have the nuts then you make the bets tempting in terms of pot odds for them to call and not over powering so they fold.

Master pot odds and that is half the battle.

Thanks guys, there seems to be a lot more to learn than i originally thought.

Between watching vids on youtube & reading on the net I am sure I will pick it up.

Have got to ask what is LHE & HE? And when you say play their lowets limits (.01/.02) - are we taling pounds there?

Thanks guys, there seems to be a lot more to learn than i originally thought.

Between watching vids on youtube & reading on the net I am sure I will pick it up.

Have got to ask what is LHE & HE? And when you say play their lowets limits (.01/.02) - are we taling pounds there?

LHE = Limit Hold Em
NLHE = No Limite Hole Em

.01/.02 is in USD - but many sites will have very low starting stakes - would look for a reputable site.

I just recently got my money off of FTP after a few years of it being frozen... PokerStars is one that comes to mind that has been established for a very very long time & I've never had an issue with them when I played.

cheers mate - didnt realise you were in the US.

Right better get my head down & see whats what. Nice 1 lads

Poker is what got me through uni and indeed allowed me to start up my business.

First things first - become adept at working out pot odds. Once you do that then the rest falls into place, its just maths.

Each bet you place is a question to the other players, each call or raise is an answer to your question.

Each bet you make must have a purpose, the purpose being finding out what the other player has of course.

The bets you make must be the correct amount in order for them to do what you want them to do. If you have the nuts then you make the bets tempting in terms of pot odds for them to call and not over powering so they fold.

Master pot odds and that is half the battle.

Wow, that sir is genius.

You turn the basic elements of poker which basically everyone knows into a lecture.

Poker is what got me through uni and indeed allowed me to start up my business.

First things first - become adept at working out pot odds. Once you do that then the rest falls into place, its just maths.

Each bet you place is a question to the other players, each call or raise is an answer to your question.

Each bet you make must have a purpose, the purpose being finding out what the other player has of course.

The bets you make must be the correct amount in order for them to do what you want them to do. If you have the nuts then you make the bets tempting in terms of pot odds for them to call and not over powering so they fold.

Master pot odds and that is half the battle.

Wow, that sir is genius.

You turn the basic elements of poker which basically everyone knows into a lecture.

quite the angry beast aren't you.

I can assure you not everyone knows about the concept of pot odds let alone be able to work them out hence the fact I won enough to put me through uni and build a business

I personally haven't got a clue about pot odds are how to work them out - so someone mentioning that does help me

Take no notice of Mario he has developed a bit of a fascination with me recently. I could have invented and devised the game and he would have said "wow big deal roathie"

the meta game has evolved greatly since playing online. Like someone previously mentioned there is a lot of software that lets you datamine information about other players which has had a huge impact on the game as you can clearly see exactly how someone has been playing over a large hand database.

I actually know a few people who play live only now as live poker is a few years behind (as it's mostly an older audience) on the current meta and game trends. So the people who were killing it online for a while saw the games getting tougher and now have been killing it live for a while.

Although being from America I remember reading hand after hand of crazy euro sites of huge fish just in it to gamble and play super aggro. I would have loved to get a VPN to play some of those smaller euro sites at the time (not sure if they're still around).

Ahhhh those were the good ol days

An example of pot odds...

You have a 9 and a 6 in your hand.

The flop comes down a 7, 8 and 2. (You need a 10 or 5 to complete your straight)

There is 1000 in the pot already and it is your turn to call 50.

So your decision.......

You know you need a 10 or a 5, so you know there are 8 cards in the deck that matches those requirements ot of 52. You have 2 in your hand that you know arent 10's or 5's and there is 3 on the table you also know arent 10's or 5's. so the thought process is 8 cards can help me out of 47 which is about a 6-1 shot (47/8) yet you are getting 20-1 odds as you are being asked to bet 50 into 1000 pot.

Now - if you had absolutely nothing and wanted to bluff then the correct bet would be to make someone chasing the straight fold due to them not getting good odds. So your bet needs to be giving them bad value (anything lower than 6/1). So a bet of this kind for a 1000 pot would be 250-300 which is only giving him 4 or 5 to 1 on his 6-1 shot. (You must ignore the amount of cards that the other players have in this calculation as we dont know what they are).

The good players would fold in that situation, which is a pain really if you are playing chumps. Id much rather play a good player online than a rubbish one as its hard to manipulate someone who doesnt know what they are doung themselves.

Hoe that makes sense.

An example of pot odds...

You have a 9 and a 6 in your hand.

The flop comes down a 7, 8 and 2. (You need a 10 or 5 to complete your straight)

There is 1000 in the pot already and it is your turn to call 50.

So your decision.......

You know you need a 10 or a 5, so you know there are 8 cards in the deck that matches those requirements ot of 52. You have 2 in your hand that you know arent 10's or 5's and there is 3 on the table you also know arent 10's or 5's. so the thought process is 8 cards can help me out of 47 which is about a 6-1 shot (47/8) yet you are getting 20-1 odds as you are being asked to bet 50 into 1000 pot.

Now - if you had absolutely nothing and wanted to bluff then the correct bet would be to make someone chasing the straight fold due to them not getting good odds. So your bet needs to be giving them bad value (anything lower than 6/1). So a bet of this kind for a 1000 pot would be 250-300 which is only giving him 4 or 5 to 1 on his 6-1 shot. (You must ignore the amount of cards that the other players have in this calculation as we dont know what they are).

The good players would fold in that situation, which is a pain really if you are playing chumps. Id much rather play a good player online than a rubbish one as its hard to manipulate someone who doesnt know what they are doung themselves.

Hoe that makes sense.

Spot on I got fed up of clowns calling with no pot odds and continually hitting their one/two outers stick to live now at pubs and casinos and make a few bob all year round

Play the odd tournaments on line just to try and go deep but my patience is not what it once was and if you lose your focus in this game you will lose money hand over fist

I dont play much anymore, it became harder as the poker boom got out of control. So many online idiots just calling any old thing.

Had a pretty amazing time though and some moments i wont forget. Playing poker on a private beach in Ibiza with Michael Grecco surrounded by Maxim models watching the world cup final was a particularly random one

I owe a lot to the game in fairness.

If anyone wants to read up on the game the Doyle Brunsons Super Systems 2 is the holy grail of books.

An example of pot odds...

You have a 9 and a 6 in your hand.

The flop comes down a 7, 8 and 2. (You need a 10 or 5 to complete your straight)

There is 1000 in the pot already and it is your turn to call 50.

So your decision.......

You know you need a 10 or a 5, so you know there are 8 cards in the deck that matches those requirements ot of 52. You have 2 in your hand that you know arent 10's or 5's and there is 3 on the table you also know arent 10's or 5's. so the thought process is 8 cards can help me out of 47 which is about a 6-1 shot (47/8) yet you are getting 20-1 odds as you are being asked to bet 50 into 1000 pot.

Now - if you had absolutely nothing and wanted to bluff then the correct bet would be to make someone chasing the straight fold due to them not getting good odds. So your bet needs to be giving them bad value (anything lower than 6/1). So a bet of this kind for a 1000 pot would be 250-300 which is only giving him 4 or 5 to 1 on his 6-1 shot. (You must ignore the amount of cards that the other players have in this calculation as we dont know what they are).

The good players would fold in that situation, which is a pain really if you are playing chumps. Id much rather play a good player online than a rubbish one as its hard to manipulate someone who doesnt know what they are doung themselves.

Hoe that makes sense.

Although then it could also depend on how much each player has behind, as implied odds could dictate a call in that situation.

I would check out this guys YT videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/greenbeanvideos has some easy to understand + visual basic/intermediate poker concepts. Especially nice since it looks like he goes over it step by step; so if you don't understand something you can just rewind and replay until you do.

Goodluck

Had a pretty amazing time though and some moments i wont forget. Playing poker on a private beach in Ibiza with Michael Grecco surrounded by Maxim models watching the world cup final was a particularly random one

having found out the other day that you are roughly my age (had you down as older!) your life makes me somewhat depressed about my own

I dont play much anymore, it became harder as the poker boom got out of control. So many online idiots just calling any old thing.

Had a pretty amazing time though and some moments i wont forget. Playing poker on a private beach in Ibiza with Michael Grecco surrounded by Maxim models watching the world cup final was a particularly random one

I owe a lot to the game in fairness.

If anyone wants to read up on the game the Doyle Brunsons Super Systems 2 is the holy grail of books.

I'd agree with the fact that when I was a poker player, my lifestyle was pretty crazy. But all fun times come to an end (for most - still have a few friends in Vegas as well as in Sweden that continue to kill it and live the lifestyle).

An example of pot odds...

You have a 9 and a 6 in your hand.

The flop comes down a 7, 8 and 2. (You need a 10 or 5 to complete your straight)

There is 1000 in the pot already and it is your turn to call 50.

So your decision.......

You know you need a 10 or a 5, so you know there are 8 cards in the deck that matches those requirements ot of 52. You have 2 in your hand that you know arent 10's or 5's and there is 3 on the table you also know arent 10's or 5's. so the thought process is 8 cards can help me out of 47 which is about a 6-1 shot (47/8) yet you are getting 20-1 odds as you are being asked to bet 50 into 1000 pot.

Now - if you had absolutely nothing and wanted to bluff then the correct bet would be to make someone chasing the straight fold due to them not getting good odds. So your bet needs to be giving them bad value (anything lower than 6/1). So a bet of this kind for a 1000 pot would be 250-300 which is only giving him 4 or 5 to 1 on his 6-1 shot. (You must ignore the amount of cards that the other players have in this calculation as we dont know what they are).

The good players would fold in that situation, which is a pain really if you are playing chumps. Id much rather play a good player online than a rubbish one as its hard to manipulate someone who doesnt know what they are doung themselves.

Hoe that makes sense.

Although then it could also depend on how much each player has behind, as implied odds could dictate a call in that situation.

I would check out this guys YT videos - https://www.youtube.com/user/greenbeanvideos has some easy to understand + visual basic/intermediate poker concepts. Especially nice since it looks like he goes over it step by step; so if you don't understand something you can just rewind and replay until you do.

Goodluck

The variables are extensive. Position is also important.

Im just trying to give him the basics of the advanced game