Help for a new player

Hi, ive been playing no limit texas holdem poker (never played poker before this) for about 3 months and in two weeks i am going to play for money (well more money).The buy in is £10 pos £15 with 8 people playing. I dont know much about poker but i hope if i explain how i play that someone can help me win this small home tournament.

With 8 people i play very tight ,only play winner hands AA,AK sorta hands, the lowest i would go is J9 and suited cards such as A2 but only big blind (ace high flush).everything else I fold. I dont know if this is good or bad I just think it builds a rep of having strong hands so later in the night people will think twise about raising/calling me (im probably wrong thou).

I feel i have to rasise strong pairs 10 10 even thou it forces people out the pot (so i get less money) however i think its better just to win blinds than to let lucky boy flop a straight (could be wrong again)

As the night goes on im not sure what hands to play and how agressive/passive i should be. I have played 5 home games for money (£5) and placed 2nd 2nd 5th (with 16 people) 3rd and 4th as you can see im not too good and need your help. I am espectially bad a the heads up game where i know nothing of how to play it instructions or ideas tips anything would be great as I struggle heavly with this area of the game (i think i fold to much)

Any help would be hugely welcomed

Thanks in advance

RunnerRunn

The help you need can not really be accomplished in one post. Start by going through the Poker Strategies section of this site to get your bearings on what to play for hands in the game. Then when you have a grasp of that, go to the message forums starting with the Beginner's Circle. Read anything and everything in there that Aokrongly posts. The man is a poker beginner's own personal Jesus Christ.

thanks,i have read a learned much. Can someone help me out with poker tells of poor players?

And a genereal idea if how i play is good,bad,what i could change

Thanks again

Dont worry about tells. Just focus on playig the right cards.

It sounds like you are talking about a small tournament so read everything you can find in the Sit and Go (SnG) forum

Well, for a start:

"i play very tight ,only play winner hands AA,AK sorta hands"

Good good, very sensible. Go on...

"the lowest i would go is J9"

Hang on a second! I don't think this is the kind of hand a beginner should be playing, except when checking the BB. MAYBE J9s from the button with limpers before you, but otherwise, it's a killer. Or did I misunderstand?

The later you get, the more high cards matter. Aces and kings go up in value, connectors and other drawing hands go way down. Don't be afraid to play a high pair hard; don't be afraid to fold it if someone comes back over the top. Never give anyone odds to draw.

HU, you want to be raising most hands from the SB - any pair, any ace, any king, any two paint cards. You want to keep calling to an absolute minimum except to slowplay (not advised) or to confuse your oppo.

Oh, and don't worry too much about tells. You'll need to concentrate on your cards first and foremost - otherwise you'll be thinking "hmm, I have a feeling he's bluffing, but my hand is weak - ah sod it, I'll call - ah bugger, he did have top pair, why didn't I think about it rationally". As you continue to play live more often, you'll begine to pick up on physical tells. For now, don't be sidetracked.

1. NO DUMB CALLS (Don't give away chips)
2. Stay focussed and never give up trying to win the tourney
3. Don't bluff away all your chips
4. Observe, observe, observe
5. Make them pay to play the hand with you
6. Patience
7. Read FTR (AOK, pelion,chard,biondino,Fnord,Les Worm, Staresy,
Arkana, Galapagos, Trikfow, eeeee, Renton, Miffed ----SHIT just read FTR)

I would worry more about me giving off tells than trying to pick up the tells of the others right now.
Good Luck!
flomo

I hardly ever play live but when I do I am so nervous every time I make a bet, whether it's a bluff or a monster, that I am sure I give off the same tell. Re-raise all-in with air = shaky hands, sweating brow, frozen expression. Re-raise all-in with the nuts = shaky hands, sweating brow, frozen expression.

p.s. thanks for the shout-out flomo!

lmfao - I think I have the exact same tell system as you biondino
I don't have much live experience though, so I'm hoping this will improve over time...with a big hand or bluff it's suddenly that dream where I'm standing in front of the class in my scibbies all over again.

RunnerRunn,
How skilled are the other players in the tournament?
Is it a freeze out or will there be rebuys and add-ons? I play in a regular home game (SnG) that is usually freezeout but when it is hosted by BigSlick(the shooter) we have to play 1 rebuy and an add-on. You want to know the structure of the tourney before it starts. You might not know the structure til you are there at the game, but it is important to know.

I'll mention a few more posters Rondavu, Easy T, IrishEyes, and Warpe.
the last 2 have great avatars right now so I've been reading more of they're posts lately.

NO DUMB CALLS.
flomo

Woo hoo!! I made flomo's top ten list!!

Im not sure what you mean by freeze out or rebuy but i can tell you that its a home touranament where we pay £10 and get the same chips but once they are gone thats it your out. About the players there are seven including me pos 8 no more. From reading here I better understand what kind of players each of them are.

One is extremly conservative with bets but plays every hand. Never raises.
One plays 70% of hands and bluffs and searchs constantly for the flush or striaght against a huge raise.cant be bluffed.These i think are the bad players

On to the better ones.
One plays not tight but not loose sota in between and is agrressive with raises but knows when to fold.
Next guy plays tight agressive but this makes him quite easy to read as u know when he has got a hand .extremly rarely bluffs

The last two are interesting one plays a tight argressive game but sometimes is lured by big hands a decent player

The last one plays lots wins lots at this level much and plays at a stronger level also. Main threat bullys me much need tactic against this dude.

To begin with is tight agressive but with3-4 people left goes losse agressive in a good way though bullying other players with a large stack and a medium hand such as k 8 which he rasies with has won many of these home games. Although i finished above him the one time i played him 2nd but i think this was luck even thou i did not get higher than a flush all night he got full house 3 times but anyway yeh i was lucky.

hope this can give you a undertanding of the players and how i cant beat them

Thanks again for any help
ps thanks for the tips flomo very helpful
RunnerRunn

when you are out of chips you are out, that money is lost---freezeout

just another tidbit of advice since you know some of the characteristics of the players

try to sit with the loose aggresive, more bold players to your right
you want position on the bluffers and bullies
keep the tight players on your left if you can

good luck

In the B&M Forum there is an article on what to look for at a casino. Same rules apply in the "tells" area. These are common things that the average joe will do. I played in home games for a year and a half before coming online, t you can all ready have them "sized" up based on previous experiance. You most likly have the couple of serious guys ( They watch WSOP so they KNOW what they are talking about ) Then the couple of Chaos ( All in With - 2 7 off suit, Just so they can brag if they pull it out of there ass, then say I KNEW I wouldn't win, BUT I HAD TO TRY )

Originally Posted by chardrian

Woo hoo!! I made flomo's top ten list!!

Aww.. I'm only reserve list!

And I thought we were friends flomo!?

I feel i have to rasise strong pairs 10 10 even thou it forces people out the pot (so i get less money)

The opposite is true.

NEVER slowplay unless you act before a very aggressive player that will bet so that you can checkraise.

One is extremly conservative with bets but plays every hand. Never raises.

Thats called a calling station btw

And you want them on your right