What do i do?

[ACE2M]

Would someone be kind enough to remind me how to play poker as it seems to have completely slipped my mind.

[The Wall]

Well my mate started playing last night, so I thought I would watch him to see how he would get on.............. raises with k-7, takes a big pot down with q-3 clubs when he got NONE of the flop but hit runner 3's............ ha ha he played three STT's and took a first and second! Thinks the game is simple now, I expect him to leave his job........

Anyway, so according to him thats how you play ACE, call with anything and chase cards right to the end!

Oh and I watched him bluff half of his chips on the river with a J-6-10-A-Q board when there were SIX players remaining when he held......... J-3 os!...........it went through tho............

[ACE2M]

I'll give it a try.

I long for those days of complete ignorance to any poker concepts. Now, when i know i've done something completely stupid it's much more painful.

[Maroon]

When I did martial arts I could spar with other experienced fighters and we could test each other and both learn a lot.  We would be reading each other's moves and countering and trapping.  If, however, I sparred with a novice I would usually get injured!  Sound familiar. 

I think to play poker you probably have to be playing at higher limits to try to avoid the novices of which there are probably more now than ever due to TV.  Unfortunatley my bankroll just doesn't allow this.  Maybe some of the more experienced ppl on here can confirm if this is true or not.

[matt674]

When I did martial arts I could spar with other experienced fighters and we could test each other and both learn a lot. We would be reading each other's moves and countering and trapping. If, however, I sparred with a novice I would usually get injured! Sound familiar.

I think to play poker you probably have to be playing at higher limits to try to avoid the novices of which there are probably more now than ever due to TV. Unfortunatley my bankroll just doesn't allow this. Maybe some of the more experienced ppl on here can confirm if this is true or not.

I can agree with what you say to a certain extent. I prefer to play against better players as i find it easier to read a player and figure out what he is doing and why he is doing it it that player knows themselves. I find it hard to do this against a "newbie", how can i figure out what he is doing if he doesnt know himself. I only play MTT's and prefer to play the higher buy-ins as even though the standards of the $5 and $10 tourneys are low there are many more minefields to negotiate to get a decent result. however even at the higher buy-ins you are still going to get players who arent too good but have enough money to "give it a go" or have had a decent result at a lower level and are stepping upto a level where they are out of their depth.

All you can do is establish how good a player is once the tournament gets under way and adjust your game accordingly each time and remember that good bankroll management, patience and discipline are the key attributes to build the foundation of a profitable strategy.

"monkey boy"

[AdamM]

When I did martial arts I could spar with other experienced fighters and we could test each other and both learn a lot. We would be reading each other's moves and countering and trapping. If, however, I sparred with a novice I would usually get injured! Sound familiar.

I think to play poker you probably have to be playing at higher limits to try to avoid the novices of which there are probably more now than ever due to TV. Unfortunatley my bankroll just doesn't allow this. Maybe some of the more experienced ppl on here can confirm if this is true or not.

The analogy is a good one. (I was just wondering if the Yin Yang indicated a fellow martial artist) good fighters can feel each other out with out committing themselves until they're sure they have the upper hand.
Theres a guy in one of my home games who moves all in pre flop with any pair 2,2 to K,K and also with rag Aces. He's very difficult to play against because, taking the martial arts comparison, it's like an untrained fighter deciding to run at you wildly swinging their arms. yo know you have the goods but if you stand in front of them you just might get knocked out. so you have to decide whether to step aside and pick em off or stand your ground and hit 'em with your best shot. scarey.

[Maroon]

Maybe this is why Gus Hanson is so good.  He combines the unpredictability of a novice with the 'feel' of an experienced expert.  Will swing at you wildly but can feel when you are about to strike back and he side steps.

'Be like water.  Water can slip through a grasping hand yet water can strike with force and break down a wall.'  Paraphrased from Bruce Lee.

[matt674]

Maybe this is why Gus Hanson is so good. He combines the unpredictability of a novice with the 'feel' of an experienced expert. Will swing at you wildly but can feel when you are about to strike back and he side steps.

'Be like water. Water can slip through a grasping hand yet water can strike with force and break down a wall.' Paraphrased from Bruce Lee.

will that not make the cards go all soggy though???

"monkey boy"

[Maroon]

Good point but not if plastic coated.