I've been playing no-limit holdem with a group of friends for several months now. Typically there are 5-7 players in the game. I just learned how to play the game last February, and have been getting my ass kicked ever since. We play once a week and I have only had two winning nights since the beginning of May. On those nights, I only made $3-$4. The buyin is always $10, although we allow an unlimited number of re-buys. The blinds are $0.10/$0.20. I don't expect poker to be profitable in the long run, but something is clearly wrong with my strategy if I have been losing this many games.
There are several points about the game that confuse me and I believe they are the source of my problems:
1. I don't know what hands I am supposed to play. I understand that position matters, and being in an earlier position generally requires a stronger hand, but what limits should I set for what is considered playable? One guide I read suggested to only play a pair of 10's and higher. I have tried this strategy before and end up seeing perhaps 3-4 flops in 3 hours of playing, and my stack gets reduced from $10 down to $3 just from paying the blinds.
2. When I am dealt a decent hand, such as pocket kings or aces, I have no idea whether I should bet pre-flop or not, and if so, how much I am supposed to bet. The same goes for future betting rounds. How do I know what a good amount to bet is?
3. As the game progresses, how am I supposed to know whether to check, raise, or fold? Do I want to bet aggressively and try to force the other players out, or do I want to make small bets and/or check in order to get as much money in the pot as possible?
4. How much do tells really matter, and how am I supposed to interpret tells correctly if I never end up seeing what cards the person actually had?
5. I understand pot odds matter, and one rule of thumb I have heard is that if the pot odds you get by calling a bet exceed your estimated odds of making your hand, then you should call. However, what if the hand you are trying to make isn't the best possible hand that could be made? How do I estimate the odds of someone hitting a higher hand than what I am going for?
Basically, I end up folding nearly every hand I am dealt, and lose most of my money to the blinds. In the rare occasion that I do get a decent hand, everyone always folds and I end up taking just the blinds. I have tried an occasional bluff pre-flop, and sometimes I am able to steal the blinds that way. However, this strategy doesn't always work. Sometimes 1 or more players will call me. Usually the flop doesn't end up helping me in these cases, and I have to fold.
There are several points about the game that confuse me and I believe they are the source of my problems:
1. I don't know what hands I am supposed to play. I understand that position matters, and being in an earlier position generally requires a stronger hand, but what limits should I set for what is considered playable? One guide I read suggested to only play a pair of 10's and higher. I have tried this strategy before and end up seeing perhaps 3-4 flops in 3 hours of playing, and my stack gets reduced from $10 down to $3 just from paying the blinds.
2. When I am dealt a decent hand, such as pocket kings or aces, I have no idea whether I should bet pre-flop or not, and if so, how much I am supposed to bet. The same goes for future betting rounds. How do I know what a good amount to bet is?
3. As the game progresses, how am I supposed to know whether to check, raise, or fold? Do I want to bet aggressively and try to force the other players out, or do I want to make small bets and/or check in order to get as much money in the pot as possible?
4. How much do tells really matter, and how am I supposed to interpret tells correctly if I never end up seeing what cards the person actually had?
5. I understand pot odds matter, and one rule of thumb I have heard is that if the pot odds you get by calling a bet exceed your estimated odds of making your hand, then you should call. However, what if the hand you are trying to make isn't the best possible hand that could be made? How do I estimate the odds of someone hitting a higher hand than what I am going for?
Basically, I end up folding nearly every hand I am dealt, and lose most of my money to the blinds. In the rare occasion that I do get a decent hand, everyone always folds and I end up taking just the blinds. I have tried an occasional bluff pre-flop, and sometimes I am able to steal the blinds that way. However, this strategy doesn't always work. Sometimes 1 or more players will call me. Usually the flop doesn't end up helping me in these cases, and I have to fold.
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