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ask /r/poker: never played poker before, where do I start?
Main Post: ask /r/poker: never played poker before, where do I start?
Top Comment:
Assuming you're asking about Texas Hold 'Em:
- Make an account and play at PokerStars. Do not make an account on FullTilt as you'll want to save that for the future when you can take advantage of rakeback (you don't need to know what this is right now, ignore marketing and focus on learning the game). If you run out of play money chips you can reload from a menu, do not make multiple accounts on the same site as you'll run into problems later on regardless if you made a real $ deposit or not.
- Learn poker hand rankings. After playing a while you will instantly spot hand possibilities. You'll have to develop this intuition over time (doesn't take long) the same way you would come to recognize possible moves in a chess game. It may take a bit of playing before you become comfortable with spotting possible straights. When playing PokerStars play money there will be white text on the bottom right of the window telling you the strength of your hand (Three of a Kind, Straight, etc.) Don't grow dependent on that feature, do your best to assess your hand normally first, then check there after.
- Learn how to play the game. Easy. Many resources online. Make sure it's Texas Hold 'Em [NL] which means No Limit.
- Be aware that play money tables, though great for learning the game, are very different from real money tables. The betting patterns are very rarely like the real thing, but you will be playing against others new to the game as well so it's not as big a deal as it may seem. In real money, the size of your bet in relation to the size of the pot is extremely important, but in play money making the correct bet is simply a matter of not risking too much for so little.
- Once you become comfortable with recognizing what hand you have you will begin recognizing what hands you could have, assuming you're trying to catch a card on the turn and river to make a better hand. That's when understanding odds is most crucial. After playing for a while you'll begin to understand the thought process behind the game and consequently its players. Never forget that exploiting the personality and habits of your opponent is as important, if not more important, than playing the cards. Once you understand the very basics of the game (checking, betting, folding, and recognizing cards), I suggest you start playing in play money Sit & Go tournaments as this will give you a better feel for the game. In PokerStars, click Sit & Go -> Play Money -> Low...and at the bottom left of the PokerStars window you'll see "Sit & Go Filter" -- make sure only Hold 'Em is checked and that only No Limit is checked (under Limits).
Now for things I wish I learned when I first started playing (next comment)
Is it considered bad etiquette to ask to see a hand when someone is always showing his buddy?
Main Post:
The casino has a show one show all rule but locals tell me it is considered bad etiquette to ask to see a hand when you were never in the pot. Thoughts?
Top Comment: it is 100% within the rules at most casinos to ask to see cards revealed to one player by another player due to a " show one, show all" rule. However, Assuming these people are actually friends, I am going to give you the realistic answer that it is bad etiquette, bad for the table, bad for your table image, and doesn't actually do anything to benefit you long term, and the information you gain from seeing a hand one time is not going to improve your long term winrate by any measurable amount. guys who meet up with their buddy to play poker at the casino are probably recreational players, they're not really gaining any secret information or advantage you don't have by showing cards to each other when they fold ( assuming the one they are showing is not still in the hand and gaining information about cards that are no longer in the deck that are not coming, in that case every player needs to know who is in the hand, and a warning to not do it anymore needs to be issued) because if you are making them show all every hand they are just going to stop, but they're still going to whisper to each other, or text each other after the hand is over " I had 4-9 I would have flopped trips!" and you won't be included in those conversations, and have no right to that information. if me and mu buddy are both not in a hand I can text him and tell him what I folded. it's 100% within the rules, so long as I'm not telling him while he is in the hand and gaining information on what cards are not coming now. the vast majority of these situations though are just a guy folding the flop, and showing his buddy who folded pre flop as he folds, or letting his buddy sweat his hand while he is playing the pot and his buddy has already folded. they're still going to whisper or text after the hand about what they had. you not letting his friend sweat the hand without them flipping it to every player every hand does not stop his buddy from " gaining the information about how he plays hands" without you gaining the same information. because he can still legally tell his buddy privately whatever he wants about how he played the hand or what he had the last hand. All you are doing demanding their cards be flipped up every time they fold is, is make them have less fun, make them think their opponents are not there to have fun, and generally dampen the atmosphere. you get information about one hand the first time you do it, which is not going to noticeably change your win rate long term whatsoever, but is going to make them think of the game less as a casual fun environment, and less likely to come back here as a place to hang out with their buddy, maybe drink some beers, and have some fun. if they are colluding and showing to their buddy who has a live hand to give them more info about what cards are no longer in the deck, that is different, and they should get a warning in case they didn't know, and possibly be asked to leave if they continue to do so in a manner that creates an unfair advantage against other players who have less information about the contents of the deck by knowing only 2 cards vs 4 cards during a live hand they are involved in.
If i were to ask, "How do i get better at poker?". Then the answer would be to study it but how does one study poker exactly?
Main Post: If i were to ask, "How do i get better at poker?". Then the answer would be to study it but how does one study poker exactly?
Top Comment:
I'm gonna offer a different approach. If you're like me, and can't justify the cost of these coaches/courses, there are a TON of free resources. Developing a PFR can be easily done with free resources. Now, to analyse hands, again, free resources everywhere, but YouTube channels like CrushLivePoker, where each hand gets a play by play 15m analysis by a strong player like Bart Hanson, can really help you think the game on better levels. Finally, experience is the best teacher. You're going to be playing, anyways, so play within comfortable stakes, and figure it out the fun way.
Anyone try the Ask Fedor feature on GG? I think it’s a little pricey but useful.
Main Post: Anyone try the Ask Fedor feature on GG? I think it’s a little pricey but useful.
Top Comment:
Nice to see GG still adding fun features, definitely a useful tool for people wanting to improve their game or just satisfy their curiosity. Everyone gets 5 free uses so why not use em and see
Asking how much someone has behind
Main Post:
Been playing live cash recently at my local casino, primarily play online.
I was wondering, is it rude to ask how much someone has left? Can I ask whenever?
I ask because I was asking a lot the other night and some people seemed to not like it.
Top Comment:
If they are constantly covering up their stack, they are in the wrong and you can ask every hand until they stop.
If they are sitting back and you are expecting them to verbally count down their stack for you, you are in the wrong and you should prob stop that.