Poker Software

[Cobra_1878]

Is it necessary to use poker software? It seems a bit expensive and I also feel it may lower my level at live play if I become too reliant on it?

[jyms]

Your assuming that poker software (holdem manager, poker tracker) are only used to monitor live play stats and make adjustments based on reads of those stats. Although this is an important part of what the software does, you fail to think of the amount of post/pregame work you can do reviewing hands and adjusting your play based on your stats over a longer term to find your own leaks.

Also, when playing live you have maybe 9 people to remember and learn about, playing multiple tables online where you could have between 9 and 79 opponents you cannot rely on your memory to keep track of what people have done 20 hands ago, let alone 2 hours and 1000 hands ago.

[MadMojoMonkey]

Wait until you're playing 25NL. Until then, simply being an active forum member will improve you greatly and is free. Consider how many free resources are available to you. Consider how much you can improve from taking advantage of those. Consider what the greater improvement would be if you had been using an expensive software in addition to those. That difference is what you're paying for.

Once you reach 25NL, the cost of quality software is only about 4 BI, which is something your BR can easily afford. Even a small improvement will repay the initial cost in no time.

[Cobra_1878]

OK, I appreciate what you're both saying.

I haven't been playing long but I can't seem to hold onto any profit that I make. I find it really difficult to put people on hands, which is obviously fundamental if I want to improve. Have you got any tips on what I should be looking for/doing?

[MadMojoMonkey]

OK, this is general advice that I'd give anyone. I am basing this on the fact that you've said you're not a winning player yet.

BEFORE PLAYING:
1) Go over previous day's worst hands and think about what was the reason for the loss.

2) Post hands in the forum that make you pause. Post anything that is not 100% straightforward to you.

3) Open the forum's strategy guide and find a post that seems to speak to you. Read that post and try to think about how it does and doesn't fit into your overall strategy.

4) Go over winning hands from the previous day, and think about how you are capable of making great moves and maximizing EV when you are really playing your A-game.

WHILE PLAYING:
1) Stick to the bankroll management strategy you're comfortable with. It should have realistic long-term goals in terms of moving up or down stakes. It should also have short term goals, in terms of a daily end-game.

2) Play FR, or 9-handed tables. This allows you to play a lower variance style that is perhaps more boring, but less swingy than playing at 6-max tables.

3) Become positionally aware in actions, not words. Notice how amazingly tight the EP & MP ranges are:
UTG ~4% ; UTG+1 ~5% ; MP1 ~6% ; MP2 ~8% ; HJ ~10% ; CO ~20% ; BTN ~40% ; SB ~20%
I'm not telling you what to put in those ranges, or how to play the BB. These are personality dependent issues.

4) Make bet/fold your default play. You'll be amazed at how many pots you'll drag with next to no contest. When the average Villain raises you at these stakes, they're holding 2 pr or better. The goal is to take the small pots and to not lose the big pots.

5) Color code all villains. Consider 4 color categories: fish, reg, min-raiser, no read. This will allow you to make better plays in less time and with less mental energy.

AFTER PLAYING:
1) Prepare the list of worst and best hands for tomorrow's pre-game.

2) Relax and stop thinking about poker.

[Cobra_1878]

OK, thanks a lot. I know one of the reasons I lose a lot, and it's usually massive pots is because I tend to think people are bluffing a hell of a lot more than they actually are. I hate feeling like I am being bullied/bluffed out of a pot.

I also play 6-max cash tables, mainly as I get bored playing FR as I am not so sure about playing marginal hands.

I also don't go over any of my hands as I have no software to do so. I will definitely start posting some up here though.

Thanks a lot for the advice

[MadMojoMonkey]

Don't worry about getting bluffed. You should be doing your fair share of bluffing. It's all part of the game. It sounds like you are seeing the value of the bet/fold already.

Switch to FR and add more tables until you're not bored anymore. At least for a while, until you prove a solid winrate.
The game is more stable. If 2 people sit out or leave:
at FR) It goes from 9 to 7 handed which is pretty much the same game.
at 6-max) It goes from 6 to 4 handed, which is a huge difference. The variance of 4-handed play is so much wider that your mistakes will be amplified.

Tighten up your positional ranges and just don't play marginal hands OOP.

Surely there's a review previous hand button on your software. Usually, you can replay prior hands. If you can't save the data raw, then you can do your pre-game as post-game, which is fine. Going over your hands and thinking about them when you have no time constraints is just essential. Study the game; study your game; discuss; practice; repeat... it's a familiar formula, really.

I still recommend a pre-game warm-up routine that gets you thinking strategically before you hit the tables.