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#1
05-29-06, 05:03 PM
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Poker Writing
I talked about my writings for newbies that's been partially published...here it is...kind of long. Tell me what you think.
From Freeroll to Thousands One Man’s Story of Online Poker Success Who Am I? Like many of you, I consider myself to be an “Average Joe.” I do not play poker for a living. I have no affiliation with any poker web sites. I have never played in the World Series of Poker and did not graduate college at the age of 15. Far from it. I am a high school math teacher and a coach. I do, however, love to play poker and have recently discovered online poker. I have had some pretty good success with online poker and would like to share with you some of my observations and strategies. Will I make statements in here that contradict some of the experts’ advice? Yes. I do not necessarily think that this is a bad thing though. To be successful in any line of work, I feel that you should always be learning and willing to look at things from a different perspective. Will this become the bible of online poker? Probably not. I have read a couple of online poker books and find them difficult to read at times. Some of the explanations and mathematics can be a little overwhelming, and keep in mind; I’m a math teacher! I will say that what you are about to read has worked well for me by providing some extra income as well as a lot of entertainment, and it will be easy to read. First off, let me tell you a little about myself. I grew up in a small town in Ohio (and currently reside there) where everyone knows each other. From the time I was in fifth grade, my friends and I would gamble. We were ultra competitive. Bets ranged from Notre Dame –6 over USC to whether we would get an A on our math test. We had fun doing it but never really made or lost any serious money. Blackjack and poker were the card games of choice. As we got into high school, the card games became more serious. It was very common for someone to make/lose $100 during a night of cards. This was a lot of money for a bunch of high school kids who would rather spend their summers playing baseball and basketball than working in a factory. To this day, I have no idea where the money came from that we would so carelessly throw into our massive pots. Generally, I made pretty good money at our card parties, so I never questioned the sources. My winnings would go into my “gambling fund”, a container of money that I came to use strictly for gambling. Any time I play cards, I take money from the fund, and any winnings are returned to the fund. Other than that, the fund is not to be touched. At least that’s how it started out (but I will get to that later). Upon graduating high school, our group of card players broke up. Most of us went to college, several of us on athletic scholarships, and sort of lost touch with one another. I was fortunate enough to receive an athletic scholarship to play basketball at a small college in Indiana. My freshmen year was very difficult. Between struggling in my classes and taking my lumps on the basketball court, I was nearly ready to pack my bags. I soon discovered that there are many interests that bring people together in college: arts, music, athletics…and yes, POKER. I found a group of guys in college who loved playing poker as much as I did. We would play poker a couple of nights a week. My successes at the table allowed the gambling fund to live on. However, the fund soon became the gambling/college life fund. Most college graduates will understand this statement. I graduated in the 1998 and was quickly hired as a math teacher and coach at my alma mater back in Ohio. My card playing days became numbered upon working full time. I would still get together to play cards with some of my old high school buddies who returned to the area upon graduation, but there was still that urge to play cards more often. My poker epiphany finally occurred during the summer of 2003, I was playing at a $10 buy-in Texas Holdem tournament at a local eatery. A friend of mine started talking to me about online poker. He told me about freeroll tournaments that he was playing at various poker websites. A freeroll is a tournament that, as you probably guessed, is free to enter but you can win actual money or other prizes without depositing any money or entering a credit card number. Free money?!?! This was a world that I was completely unaware of but really sparked my interest. A year later and several thousand dollars richer, without putting a penny into an account, I have found a great form of entertainment as well as some extra income. Have I got your attention yet? If you are reading this, I am sure that you are in the same boat that I once was. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ONLINE POKER!!! To Good To Be True? Online poker has been booming over the last several years. With the success of Chris “The Moneymaker” as well as other online whiz kids at the World Series of Poker, there seems to be no end in sight to the online hysteria. Two questions come up repeatedly when I tell people about freerolls and online poker: 1) How can poker sites afford to give away free money? 2) Why would they want to give away money to players who have not made a deposit? Poker sites make money according to the rake as well as charging entry fees to certain money tournaments. The rake is basically a fee that the site charges its customers for playing at their tables. A typical rake rate for a site is 5%. For example, if the pot at a ring game is $20, the site will take $1 as a fee and the winner will get the remaining $19. Now, some sites have upwards of 50 or so tables going at once. Let’s say that each table deals 50 hands per hour…you do the math. Also, sites typically charge a 10% fee to play in a tournament. For example, if a tournament is advertised as a $20 buy in, there will commonly be a $2 fee to play in it. Some tournaments have hundreds or thousands of players. OK, so that’s where the money comes from, but why would they just give it away to players through freeroll tournaments and other promotions? The answer is simple. They want people playing at their website. Obviously, more players mean more money for the site in terms of generating rake and having greater participation in their tournaments. It is also a good way to attract new players. Think of it this way. As a potential customer looking for a poker site to join, wouldn’t you be more likely to commit to a site with a lot of players. Do Your Homework Learn the game of holdem or whatever online card game you wish to play (I also feel that there is money to be made in Omaha Hi/Lo due to the fact that very few people play well, but that is another story). There are many books, magazines, websites, poker forums, etc. out there that discuss strategy and correct plays in different situations. Have an open mind when reading about various plays and different strategies. You will see many ideas and opinions on how to play various hands that can be profitable but may not work in home games with your friends or on certain websites. Take these ideas and try to adapt them to the style of game and players that you are up against. Getting Started There are hundreds of poker sites out there to choose from. Before I go any further, there is something that you need to know about each and every one of them. They want your business!!!! That is great for us…the customer. You can do a keyword search using “online poker sites” or something of that nature. You will get a number of sites to choose from, each having a flashy homepage and describing their current promotions that they have in effect. The promotions may range from deposit bonuses to the ability to earn points based upon the number of hands you play to various jackpot specials such as a royal flush bonus or a bad beat jackpot (if a hand such as for of a kind is beaten by a higher hand). What are your main criteria for becoming a member at a poker site? Is it the promotions, number of players playing at the site, or some other criteria? My advice it this: download a handful of poker sites’ software and check them out before depositing any money. You will need to register for an account, but do not have to deposit any money at this point. Registering for an account will require your name, address, phone number, email address, and other miscellaneous information but they will not ask for a credit card number at this point. Some people are uncomfortable providing this information online, but I have heard no horror stories from people who have had this work against them in any shape or form. If you shop around, you may even find a site that gives you real money for simply registering for an account. Upon getting an account and selecting a screen name, you will be credited with play money which will allow you to play against other players at the sites’ play money tables. DO NOT put too much stock into your successes or failures at the play money tables. My experience at play money tables is that people play far looser then they would at a real money table. Why wouldn’t they? If they run out of “money”, they can simply make a request for more. Sitting at the play money tables will allow you to get to know the software and compare it to the other sites that you are playing. Having an account may also allow you to enter freeroll tournaments where you can win actual money or qualify for future tournaments. The gameplay and features of each site are not the same. Some sites offer notetaking features on other players, stats that record your action in hands, all in features, and buttons that are located in different spots. Make a mental note as to where there is action at the limits that you want to play. Don’t be afraid to watch some of the real money games. Are the players playing tight or loose? Ask the players about the simplicity of depositing, cashing out, and customer service. Does the site offer stats on the various tables such as percentage of players seeing the flop and average pot size? Is there live assistance available should you encounter a problem or have a question? How Did I Get My Start? As I mentioned before, it was the summer of 2003. I coach baseball in the summer, but still had quite a bit of time on my hands. I started downloading some poker sites at random and playing at their free money tables as well as in some of their freeroll tournaments. Low and behold, I did well enough in a couple of tournaments to win some prizes. At one site, I won $4.36. Wow! Well, I used this money to buy into some low limit side tables and had some success there as well. I slowly moved up and played bigger limits until my account had reached $100 or so. I was still a little skeptical. At another site, I won a tournament and earned 60 poker bucks. Unfortunately, I could not cash this money out. However, I could use these poker bucks to buy-in to a real money tournament. It was a $5 entry fee tournament. Other people used real money to get into the tournament while I used my poker bucks. I won the tournament and got a little over $100. My wife and I were both skeptical. I informed the site that I wanted to cash out $50. Within two days, I was taking the check to the bank and cashing. My skepticism changed into excitement very quickly. Although I got my start by participating in online tournaments, the majority of the money that I have won online has been earned in ring games. What Do I Look For In A Site The number one criteria that helps me to determine whether or not I’m going to transfer funds to a poker site is the number of players playing at that site at any given time. I like a site with a lot of action and where you can get on at any time and find a game. If you settle for a particular game, this may lead to bad decision-making and impatience, which will almost certainly not yield positive results. I will also shop for good promotions. Remember, there are a lot of sites out there. A good site will also have table statistics provided. The two that I look for are the percentage of people that see the flop and the average pot size. I typically play pot limit or no limit and like to see large pot sizes and a lot of players seeing the flop. These two statistics will quickly tell me whether a table is tight or loose. I also like the note-taking feature, although I do not go as in depth as some other books that I have read about online poker. I will go into more detail in terms of notes that I make on particular players. Common Fears/Misconceptions About Online Poker Many people fear providing personal information over the Internet, especially credit card numbers. Again, I have heard no stories of bad experiences from online poker players. If you have any questions concerning a site, talk to players at the real money tables and ask them for input regarding the site. Collusion is a bad word in the world of online gaming. Basically, collusion is when one or more players work together at a table in order to maximize their profits that will then be divided at a later time. In the new age of cell phones and instant messaging, this is a phenomenon that is a very real possibility. While this is a cause for concern, I have never played at a table where I suspected collusion was taking place. Online players are well aware of this concept and constantly on the lookout. If you suspect that players are working together, you can simply tell the website and they can track hands that these players have been playing and make a judgment. Some people believe that the hands online are better than hands that are dealt in home games. After all, better hands mean bigger pots. Bigger pots mean more rake. More rake means more money generated for the poker site. From my experience, hands that are played online are very comparable to those that are played in a home game. Typically, hands that are dealt online are generated by a random number generator (RNG). Mathematically, it does not get any better than this. You could shuffle a deck of cards infinitely and not be able to duplicate the randomness of the RNG. I have heard rumors circulating around various poker sites about “bots.” Bots are computer or real players who know which cards are coming and also can see the cards that everyone else is holding. They can then play perfect poker and really make a lot of money for the website. While I think that this is a possibility, I think that it is highly unlikely. With or without bots, the websites are going to make money. They do not need the help of bots to increase their profits. Some people don’t play online poker because they say that they are unable to read their opponents’ tells. I always smile when I hear players say this because I do not feel that the majority of poker players “read” opponents physical tells: increase in heart rate, change in posture, etc. I think that it is a macho thing to say but not very realistic. I actually think that people may be easier to read online than in real life. My experience is that online players are very predictable. Once you have determined the type of player that you are playing against, they very rarely vary their strategy. This can be a great weapon to use against them in the future. Can I Beat Online Poker In a word….YES!!! I’m going to give you several reasons why the online game is easier than most home games or casino games. Have you ever gone to a casino, seen someone lose a bunch of money, and walk out of the casino with a smile on their face? Of course you have, and maybe you are even guilty of doing it yourself. Why is this? Most people who go to the casino see the casino as a form of entertainment. Therefore, they look at their losses as an entertainment expense and do not get too upset. Let’s think about this for a minute. The majority of people who walk into a casino actually expect to lose. Maybe I should open up my own casino. Many online players have this same mentality. Because very few online players play poker for a living, they log on in their spare time. They are not relying on their poker winnings to pay the bills. What does online poker mean to them? You guessed it, entertainment! This, most certainly, is a mentality that you and I can exploit. Many people that play online have a “get rich quick” mentality. This causes them to become impatient when things are not going their way. In turn, they play a lot of hands that they shouldn’t and take unnecessary chances. Sure, they will catch a hand every once in a while and get lucky. This can be a very frustrating experience, but what you have got to keep in mind is the big picture. In the long run, if you stick to your guns, you will have the mathematical advantage. Lastly, and most importantly, many people do not know how to play Texas Holdem well. Growing up, very few people played, much less knew about, the game of Texas Holdem. The games of choice for most home card games were 7 card stud, 5 card draw, Chicago, or any one of a number of others. Due to televising the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel and The Word Series of Poker on ESPN, Texas Holdem has become tremendously popular. Most people have learned the nuances of the game by watching the pros compete in these high limit tournaments. Many people fail to realize the differences between tournament and ring game strategy. Tournament strategy, which I’m going to spend very little time, is largely based upon stack size, position betting, and bluffing. When you see these tournaments on ESPN and the Travel Channel, they are not showing every hand. They are showing highlights of the tournament. There is a lot of folding and boring hands that occur between these “entertaining” hands. While I will admit that this is fun to watch, this strategy will not lead to success in ring games. There is one downfall, if you can call it that, to people playing too many hands online. It is very, very hard to bluff online. Not only do people play too many hands, but many also overvalue their hands. I’m not saying that it is impossible to bluff online, but you must be extremely selective when you decide to try to pull it off. The Right Approach Unless you are truly a professional poker player, you should not play online poker to pay the bills. You really shouldn’t play online poker with money you can’t afford to lose, especially at the start. You will experience the typical ups and downs of any gambler. You will experience bad beats. Your big hand will occasionally lose to a hand that your opponent should have never played. We are looking for a long-term profit. We are looking to get our chips when we have the best hand, and letting mathematics take over from there. So what is the right approach? Be a grinder. What is a grinder? A grinder is a person who is in it for the long haul. He is very patient and does not play a lot of hands. He is looking for small profits on a regular basis. For this reason, he will typically not experience large swings in his bankroll. He will push when he has the best hand and get out when in doubt. Do I Have the Best Hand…Just Ask What is the worst hand in Texas Holdem? Contrary to popular belief, it is not 2-7 offsuit. It is…drum roll please…SECOND BEST! What is second best? Second best is a good hand, sometimes great hand, which can cost you a lot of money because it loses to an even better hand. The simple solution (tongue in cheek) to having second best drain a lot of your money…don’t play it. Now here is where the average/good player can really elevate his game. The obvious question becomes: How do I know if I have second best? |
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#2
05-29-06, 06:55 PM
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Very good read! Methinks you and PShabi are going to get along well
 Let me publicly retract my first reply to a post of your's. Let's just call that one a 'Rook'-ie moment.  Is this the only writing you have or do you have others you'd be willing to share? |
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#5
05-29-06, 09:00 PM
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you know, I'm not even sure where I picked up the phrase 'asshat'...
{wanders off to Google and Wikipedia}Nope, no help. I think I picked it up from a TV show or movie... |
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#7
05-29-06, 09:44 PM
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nh. +Rep.
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#8
05-30-06, 07:43 AM
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THANK YOU! That will be were I picked it up from!
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Linear Mode
