Author Topic: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)  (Read 13187 times)

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jlane1980

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FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« on: January 17, 2010, 21:17:52 PM »
My name"s Jon and I am a fish!

Surely the first step to shedding Fishiness is to admit that?!  :)

OK,
So here"s the thing.  I am not a profitable player. I listen to / read stories, all the time about people who are consistently making a profit and winning at poker.  Now, i understand that sometimes these stories / tales can sometimes be a little fictitious (Kind of like "The one that got away")!  However, most of the time there must be some truth in the matter!
So, i decided to take apart / dissect my play.  Quite honestly, i can"t figure out what i"m doing wrong.  I seem to go deep in most MTT"s (online and live), occasionally cashing, but more often than not i haven"t got enough chips by around the bubble to make a dent in anybody else"s chip stack and inevitably end up racing and losing out!
SO! I believe i have to do 2 things, and here is where i ask for your advise -

1.  Go back to basics.  I have read a few times, that when you believe you are at a dead end at poker, then one of the best things you can do is to go back to basics, and revisit the "bones of the game".  Question One - How do i do this?  Where is the best place to start?

2.  Grow some BALLS :)!  I have been told that i lack the Balls to gamble too much.  I think i may sit too tight.  I also don"t think i know the right time to steal / bluff.  Which tends to get me in to awkward positions where i"m forced to fold  and lose chips!

On the advise of SirPercival, i have brought The poker mindset, which i am told is a must!

I await your advise with baited breath.


Many Thanks in advance

Jon Lane
The all-in play works everytime but once.

JamieCarra

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2010, 21:49:33 PM »
Why don"t you put a few hands up in the academy to get some feedback on?

SirPercival

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2010, 21:53:25 PM »
I would also read Harrington on Hold'em series or re read if you have already. Others would say don"t bother so you need to think what would be best for you.

If you post some hands on here to give examples of those "awkward positions" I"m sure you"ll get plently of slagging off good advice.

LongshanksED

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2010, 21:59:20 PM »
 I felt like that around a year ago. I was losing alot and not getting any success

I found re Reading harrington on hold em tournament series helped when "to gamble" and when to play tighter

I was either playing too many pots thinking I could call with baby suited connectors like Daniel negreanu and outplayed my opponents if I hit draws on the flop or I wasn"t 3/4 betting enough with big hands and only calling too often and pricing in hands that could outdraw me



LongshanksED

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2010, 22:03:35 PM »
Damn! sir percival beat me to it

things like shoving from the button with 2-8o when no one has entered the pot just to steal the blinds and when you get below a certain M or Q and observing table/stack dynamics when not to shove with 2-8o on the button to steal blinds and antes!

Take a week or so off playing and read about these in the harrington series will help your game no end

jlane1980

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2010, 22:22:24 PM »
OK,
Harrington on holdem... Just brought Volume 1, 2 and 3 off Amazon.
Damn, those three along with Poker mindset....  I"ve got a fair bit of reading to do!
If i go "Forum Silent" for a while, don"t worry... I"m just reading!  ;)
The all-in play works everytime but once.

jlane1980

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2010, 22:25:21 PM »
And P.S - M?  Q?  Table dynamics?!  Already sounding a bit baffling!
At least i know i"m at the bottom of a learning curve!
The all-in play works everytime but once.

duke3016

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2010, 22:42:53 PM »

And P.S - M?  Q?  Table dynamics?!  Already sounding a bit baffling!
At least i know i"m at the bottom of a learning curve!


M & Q were in James Bond -- You are not alone at the bottom of the learning curve, but there are plenty on here to get you up the ladder so to speak.

LongshanksED

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2010, 22:54:35 PM »
M = number of orbits your chips will make round the table before your blinded out

eg
100/200 blinds = 300 chips it costs you each time the button passes
you have 3000 chips = you have an M of 10 (3000/300  = 10)
you have 900 chips = you have an M of 3 (900/300 = 3)

basically it"s a guide to letyou know when your chip stack is in trouble or how healthy it is


Q is your chips ratio to the chips in play. A little less important than M in my opinion but it"s basically the chip average

q = (your current chips divided by Starting chips) x (current players divided by number of starting players)

LongshanksED

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2010, 22:57:39 PM »
Top tip

don"t buy volume 3 just yet

everything you need to know/learn is in volumes 1 & 2

volume 3 is basically a workbook / exam testing you how well you"ve done and then helps pinpoint what aspects/chapters need to be re read

nosey-p

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2010, 06:39:52 AM »
If you want to learn more about the M and Q I can send you a link to some videos on this subject, just PM me

Wayne

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2010, 11:05:32 AM »

M = number of orbits your chips will make round the table before your blinded out

eg
100/200 blinds = 300 chips it costs you each time the button passes
you have 3000 chips = you have an M of 10 (3000/300  = 10)
you have 900 chips = you have an M of 3 (900/300 = 3)

basically it"s a guide to letyou know when your chip stack is in trouble or how healthy it is


Q is your chips ratio to the chips in play. A little less important than M in my opinion but it"s basically the chip average

q = (your current chips divided by Starting chips) x (current players divided by number of starting players)


lol, I"d often wondered what they meant.  Nice and simply explained.  ty

kinboshi

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2010, 11:50:22 AM »
Volume II of the Harrington series is easily the most important (in my opinion).  Of course, you have to read I first, but I know a lot of people who slate the Harrington books, but have only read the first one.  The first one is just setting the groundwork, and it"s II that is the most useful.

Of course, a lot of other players you"ll come across will have read them too - so bear this in mind.  In fact, because a lot of others have read them it makes reading them more important imo.
"Running hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse."  Ann Trason

kinboshi

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2010, 11:51:05 AM »
Oh and Q is generally completely irrelevant imo - unless it"s a satellite, when it can be useful.
"Running hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse."  Ann Trason

WYoung83

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Re: FA (FishAholics Anonymous)
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2010, 12:11:13 PM »
 I have read all of Harringtons books. And the first time i read them i thought they were the Bible. But since then i have looked at other ways to play. I have looked into the way Gus Hansen plays, and Of course Daniel Negranue.
I dont think you should restrict yourself to beign a harringbot. You will occasionaly go deep, but will struggle to make final tables (and or) with chips. I know that harrington has made 3 ME final tables, but that is with the very very slow strucature and massive fields of the wsop, where Playing only good hands early on keeps you in the tourney. For most players who cannot afford the mega buyins, then we have to make do with faster tourneys. I think this is where most people are going wrong with tourneys, they are playing way to tight during the middle stadges.
In Harrington vol 2, he talks about the colour zones etc. There is no way enough depth or material during this part of the book. And during his Vol 1, has anyone noticed that lots of hand examples are for online sngs......lol, i doubt that harrington has experiance with fast online sngs at a $20 buyin.

Anyway. im so glad that lots of people think that these books are the bible. Because these players are fairly easy to play against imo.

Having said all of that, they are great books as a base line. I would say that it helped me discover the importance of position, starting hands, short handed play and pot odds. But for more advanced stuff, you need to look elsewhere. For example, he does not go into changing you starting hands when the Antes kick in, doesnt tell you things like pot controll, detailed implied odds, blocker bets, bluffing outs and using scare cards against you opponents  etc, he leaves out lots and lots that you have to find elsewhere.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2010, 12:18:43 PM by WYoung83 »