blonde poker forum

I have recently been daft enough to try and teach my wife to play poker and it got me thinking this thread might be useful for other new players.

What was the single best bit of advice you were given or read when you started the game?

For me it was from one of David Sklansky's books, something known as the 'gap concept'. The basis of it is, once you know your starting hand ranking/values, you only call a raise if the hand you have is better than one you consider should have been raised from that particular position. Of course if you know the players on your table and how they play this can be adjusted, but for new players this is sound advice and well worth a read in my opinion.

Over to everyone else

Now where has my wife gone.........

best advice i ever had was "never try to teach a woman to play poker"  ;goodvevil;

Or let them play with your account...

I think we can do better than a woman bashing thread. ;)

Best bit of advice......

Tight is right.

Think i basically got this from reading 'Play poker like the Pros' by our friend Phil Hellmuth. This was the first poker book i ever bought myself or read.

Playing tight for a beginner is a good starting point then you can learn to loosen up.....better than the other way round which will prob cost u too much cash!

Never eat yellow snow ::)

Do everything for a reason. think about the desired result FIRST and then figure out the best way to get it with your actions.

not so much advice given, as a lesson learned through time at the table.

also, fold AA if Thewy has yet to act in a preflop pot

 rotflmfao

Shouldn't it be fold ATC if you think Thewy has undercards or an underpair?

1: Don't worry about the small stuff.

2: In the grand scheme of things, it's all small stuff.

Don't drink salt water

Don't kick your granny while she's shaving

LOL

On subject, I recently started Harrington vol 2 and I liked the bit about when you are short stacked just get your chips in first.  Can't remember what he called the principle, probably something like First In but I've found that useful.  I tended to wait for premium hands when short stacked and ended up getting blinded away but Harrington has taught me better - I owe him a beer :)

First-in Vigorish?

know why you are betting, know the DESIRED result, learn the rule of 2 & 4, Read caro's book of tells, its a perfect BASIC grounding on tells.

Always remember to control your aggression

That's the one :)

sure we can but its much more fun  :D   ;goodvevil;

yeah i agree


1st in vigourish is a great tool

use it 3 times in a row....not so good

dont stick anything bigger or smaller than your elbow in your ear

You can't change the direction of the wind... But you can adjust your sail..

Many years ago, my dad gave me a copy of Kipling's "IF"

It still hangs by my bed, and I am still trying to live up to it. Imho, it is the best single 'advice' piece ever written.

"If"

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

By Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).

Many years ago my dad gave me a copy of Mr Kiplings "If" :

If you can keep your french fancy when all about you are losing theirs,
.
.
.
Yours is the Battenburg and all the bakewells that are in it,
and whats more, you'll be 22 stone my son!

never buy a second hand yo yo of a midget

I was 13 at the time,   Beware of fast women and slow horses, it was the only bit of advice my father gave me,  A bit strange really I was runnig a Crown and Anchor game at school and chasing the maids who were well known conduits  of stds .   who said a public school education doesnt prepare you for life.. ;tk;

Best advice my Dad ever gave me was "Alway stink of whiskey when attending your back to work interview at the DSS"


Poker advice -
This always gets me by helps me, best poker advice that I've saved over the years -

Poker is a very complex game, and if you want to become great, you have to consider all of the smaller details. Sometimes the math may drive your decision, and other times it may be a read on your opponent. Whatever your reason is for making a certain play, make sure you have one. Don’t bet just because you raised preflop. Don’t move all-in just because you have a flush draw. Don’t fold just because your opponent moved all-in. Think things through.
The key is to play the hand correctly, knowing when to bet, when to call, when to raise, and when to set up for future raises. Fringe hands played in odd situations under optimal conditions with proper play not only are valuable in the present, but also in the future as well.

You should only bet if the value of betting is greater than the value of checking.

The value of your present cards is always much greater than the expected value.

BEGINNER advice
1 Read  the  table.
2 Play  very  tight, especially  in  the  beginning.
3 Start  with  enough  chips.
4 Bet  based  on  what  the  pot  odds  are  (never  over bet  the  pot)
5 Watch  the  odds  for  upcoming  cards. 
6 Patience. Fold More.



and of course - Fundamental theorem of poker -
"Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you could see all your opponents' cards, they gain; and every time you play your hand the same way you would have played it if you could see all their cards, they lose. Conversely, every time opponents play their hands differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose."