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How hard is it to get really good at poker?

S

Syringer

Lifer
I play poker casually and understand all the basics, but how much would it take go to a card house and start to win consistently? What are the things that really separate the amateurs and the really good players to the pros?
 
you'll do fine at $1/2.
if u can handle the aggro players, you'll do fine at $2/5.
if u become an aggro player, you'll succeed at $5/10.

u just need to understand the basics, and when to bluff (ie: scary board, bet BIG)
 
Memorize the poker tables. Count the money in the pot and apply the ratio to the amount you have to put in to continue. Only bluff when a reasonable bet goes bad on you (which is very seldom). It's actually very hard to do because there is a lot of split second calculations to be made. You spend a long time looking and folding.

Do not confuse high level poker with the no limit games you see on TV. Those people are all shills and they are not playing poker.
 
Rastus said:
Memorize the poker tables. Count the money in the pot and apply the ratio to the amount you have to put in to continue. Only bluff when a reasonable bet goes bad on you (which is very seldom). It's actually very hard to do because there is a lot of split second calculations to be made. You spend a long time looking and folding.

Do not confuse high level poker with the no limit games you see on TV. Those people are all shills and they are not playing poker.
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You don't play cards in poker, not really. Poker is about playing other people. That's all poker really is, conning the others on your table - making them think you have a crap hand when you've got the nuts, and vice versa. Actually having a winning hand is good, but it's not the most important thing.
 
Rastus said:
Do not confuse high level poker with the no limit games you see on TV. Those people are all shills and they are not playing poker.
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The biggest problem is not that 'they're not playing poker', it's that they don't show every hand. Poker is a long boring tedious game for most of the time if played properly.
 
A lot of the games on TV are tourney games so strategy is going to be a little different from a cash game. You see a lot of LAG players now who try to get a big stack early so they can pull off more bluffs.

Also a low stakes cash game is going to be different from a high stakes game. Harder to bluff people in a low stakes game because they're going to be more willing to call to the river. Online some of the low stakes games are loaded with TAG/Rock players who are grinding it so it might be harder to get paid off.

So you need to be able to shift gears depending on the situation and who's at your table. And it's not always about playing the cards in your hand. This girl supposedly won a tournament without ever looking at her cards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annette_Obrestad
 
It depends on the person, not everyone will learn the game or have the skills to win consistently. Then you have the luck factor, you also have to learn to deal with bad streaks and money management.
 
actuarial said:
The biggest problem is not that 'they're not playing poker', it's that they don't show every hand. Poker is a long boring tedious game for most of the time if played properly.
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They condense 12+ hours of poker into 1 hour. It's crazy long and tedious.

It also makes bad players think they are good, because they "make the right calls" - but they are basing their decisions off knowing exactly what every player is holding. "Oh, you can totally tell he's bluffing."

You can't be worried about the money you could lose. If you are playing with money that you need to eat, then you should not be playing. You tend to tighten up and play much, much differently than if you can lose the money and not notice. Same goes in any form gambling.

In all honesty, though, if you are asking how to get good at poker (on ATOT, of all places), the answer is you'll never be good at it and you should set your money on fire, then at least your gain warmth from it before it goes.
 
Via said:
I played a some games with a guy like that. He wouldn't look at his cards after deal, and sometimes not at all. He won about as much as anyone else did, no more or less.
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Pretty impressive. I'd imagine it does a serious mind job on the other players.
 
Syringer said:
I play poker casually and understand all the basics, but how much would it take go to a card house and start to win consistently? What are the things that really separate the amateurs and the really good players to the pros?
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The top three ranking in importance IMO:

1) Being able to read people AND be able to manipulate them through betting
2) Patience
3) Math

You can absolutely never win at an LA casino. All of the higherish limit tables are filled with sharks and colluders, and even the lower limit amateur players are good enough really to go against most people and are pretty much even. Add in rape rake and your expected value is worse than Black Jack.

Before poker went mainstream it was the same sharks vs the suckers. But as poker became mainstream and as the amateurs learned the game, they became more competitive. However, you can't "learn" reading people. You either have it or you don't. Or you've played so many damn hands that you eventually get it.
 
I have found a lot of rich idiots at Ceaser's, The Venetian, and Bellagio playing 1-2 and 2/3-5 while their vacuous rich wives are shopping. They don't care about losing a few grand and play like morons. For some reason, a lot of the grinders avoid those places. You have to be able to spot grinders, because you are even money or worse against them, and 3 or more at the same table means the house is the only one making money. The best situation is one shark to a table with an even mix of donks and tight players. Math is much more important in tournaments, but some quick calcs are nice to know.
 
If you are playing with real players, they will be looking you over constantly for a 'tell' when you get decent cards. If you cannot conceal your good fortune, it is highly unlikely you will go home with more money than you arrived with. Also, five card stud requires a different skill set than does Texas hold 'em.
 
It takes a LOT of time and a LOT of dedication and a LOT of money to get really good. By really good I mean good enough to consistently make money. Sure, you can make some nice spending cash by going to the nearby places and cleaning out the suckers every weekend, but to do well against good players is a whole other level.

You will lose a lot of money, and you'll have terrible slumps... but it's all part of the learning process. Read books on the game written by experts, play a ton of hands, but not garbage hands online for free, all you learn there is bad habits.

Honestly the hardest part is realizing that no matter how good you are at playing a certain "style", you will never be really really good until you can play all "styles". Good players understand the dynamics of the table and shift gears into different styles all the time.
 
Not worth the time or energy unless you truly love playing it ALL THE TIME. I like the occasional game with my friends, we all suck, so you never know who's going to win. Good times.
 
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