Friday, September 14, 2007

Real Money Poker

So I'm trying to learn real money poker (low stakes) which is a very different animal.

I started with the 5/10 CENTS CAP level but found that when I won I wasn't able to make enough money when I had a good hand so I switched to the No Limit Level

It takes a lot more concentration and it's more like work than a table #329 play money party.

I am able to win a goodly part of the time, but I still make costly mistakes and that's the price of learning. It's actually encouraging that I lose money due to my mistakes as I can work on those. What a great challenging psychological game (though I often call it "stupid game").

Basic early observations are:
  • the No Limit level limits how much money you can initially bring to the table - this level the limit is $10
  • As with many things, money is power in a huge way, as other folks with less can't bust you then and you can put enormous psychological pressure on someone by betting a level that is large for them and not for you.
  • Given money is power, always, always go into the game with the table maximum instead of the suggested amount
  • Always concentrate
  • Don't over focus on your own hand, keep in mind what other possibly higher hands are out there.
  • Pay particular attention to betting style. If someone readily calls a significant raise then watch out. Bluffers usually ponder a moment before betting, the ready raiser has a hand they like
  • Sit at the table long enough to get to know how skilled of a better (and how skilled or timid) is
  • It's usually cheaper to fold rather than lose a lot of money
  • Ready raisers rarely fold - this is great if you know you have the better hand, but can be a huge expensive trap Walk away if necessary
  • Live to play another Hand
Never had so much fun losing money. :)

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