Poker Study?

[Pig_Vomit]

This is probably gonna sound dumb but how do you guys study for poker? I've literally never studied for anything in my life. I wanna get good at poker and i know this means studying but what do i do? I basically occasionally read strat posts and play which i know is not enough. Any advice on things i can be doing to improve my play when not playing would be greatly appreciated. The only thing i can really think of myself is reviewing hands.

[donkbee]

how about read a book? Maybe Theory of Poker?

I'm probably not the best for book recommendations because I haven't read that many of them, but Theory of Poker is a good one.

[daven]

This is probably gonna sound dumb but how do you guys study for poker? I've literally never studied for anything in my life. I wanna get good at poker and i know this means studying but what do i do? I basically occasionally read strat posts and play which i know is not enough. Any advice on things i can be doing to improve my play when not playing would be greatly appreciated. The only thing i can really think of myself is reviewing hands.

the bold part means that you're the first step of the way to becoming very, very good.

everyone's different. Hope my experience on this helps

I look at things i perceive as weaknesses in my poker game. I choose one. I get hold of all the info I can (posts, articles, etc) on the topic and quickly skim through - trying to separate the gold from the rough. I print the gold (sometimes I even save the links, this lets me e-mail reading lists to people if they need it )

I set aside some time to dedicate to study - no distractions (except that I'm usually in a cafe with music and coffee - but this is white noise that is perfect FOR ME when studying, everyone is different).

Then I read, take notes, read, take notes, etc. I go and look for hands in my db that relate to what I'm looking at, and consider how I played them against my new understanding. I post hands that I'm not sure about, with some taste of my thoughts on the hand. I look at hands posted by others and think about them in the context of whatever the topic is - especially hands where the question isn't this particular area, I see what good players are doing as standard and see how that fits against the topic I'm interested in. Next few sessions I try and consider whatever the topic was WHILE playing hands.

Often this involves dropping tables and limits (e.g. most of September I played 50nl and only 10 tables while I wrapped my head around some concepts).

I should also get into IRC and ask the community any questions I have on whatever the topic is - but I do so only rarely. When I have, the gains ahve been huge. Props to red for "wtf is polarisation?" i was pretty stupid and he was patient in between expressing how dumb I could be. Now if only he would make enough money to be able to afford a coaching session from me... (running joke, just look at the results dude!)

how about read a book? .

This may also be good advice. I've got no idea, cos I've never read a poker book...

some suggested topics that have helped me lately:
I bet (fold) rivers a bunch - wtf is check-call, oh, it's printing money!
3-betting?
position?
range vs blockers?
to shove or not to shove?
etc....

[Pig_Vomit]

how about read a book? Maybe Theory of Poker?

yeah this is definitely an idea and I'll probably be rereading it. I've also read HOH v1 which although is geared more towards tornamate play i found question section at the end of every chapter very helpful. Any good reviews on Harrington on cash games? I'm thinking of picking it up when I've got enough points on full tilt.

Then I read, take notes, read, take notes, etc. I go and look for hands in my db that relate to what I'm looking at, and consider how I played them against my new understanding.

Definitely gonna start taking notes from articles i read. I'm feeling i grasp most concepts fairly easily but struggle to incorporate em into my game.

some suggested topics that have helped me lately:
I bet (fold) rivers a bunch - wtf is check-call, oh, it's printing money!
3-betting?
position?
range vs blockers?
to shove or not to shove?
etc....

The only thing here i really do consistently and i feel i do well is check calling rivers when their is no value in a bet. Every thing else i needs to improve.

I'm thinking of taking a few days off from poker and useing the time to study. It's something i've tried to do a few times but always end up playing. Like i said i've never really studied for anything and feel like whatever i'm doing is'nt productive enough.

[LuckySlevin]

Great thread. Daven thanks for the insights, it's fascinating to see that when people say they 'study' poker, they really study it, as they would an academic subject, and don't just read a book in between meals in the living room... Time to develop some good study habbits I think.

[Monty3038]

This is probably gonna sound dumb but how do you guys study for poker? I've literally never studied for anything in my life. I wanna get good at poker and i know this means studying but what do i do? I basically occasionally read strat posts and play which i know is not enough. Any advice on things i can be doing to improve my play when not playing would be greatly appreciated. The only thing i can really think of myself is reviewing hands.

Pig, I'm no pro, but I am working on studying like I do for my certification exams... I review old hand histories, I read book and I post here on FTR. Currently I'm reading some Doyle Brunson, but I recommend HOH and Theory of poker (still working through that one), also Phil Gordon's Little Green Book...

As towards reviewing HH, go through them and consider tearing them apart with Pokerstove, checking to see if you made the right move, if your calls are justified

Again, I'm no pro... I'm still learning this mess myself but doing the above has made me break even at the micros.

[kmind]

Great thread. Daven thanks for the insights, it's fascinating to see that when people say they 'study' poker, they really study it, as they would an academic subject, and don't just read a book in between meals in the living room... Time to develop some good study habbits I think.

I can honestly say I study poker twice as much as any other (school) subject.

I recommend what others said, read books, study past HH, read responses from good players on HH, get an idea about equity in certain spots via pokerstove, etc. I will say someone told me when I first started playing was he never read a poker book and didn't recommend doing so, just think outside the box. He was/is a successful high stakes player. But to get started I'd probably read a book.

[chuckc3401]

Joining a poker traing site can be good too. I am a visual learner and seeing videos helps me more than books.

[Zel]

I don't wanna sound stupid either! And by all means your question wasn't dumb! I figured the same thing you're asking myself not too long ago!

I would recommend reading a book called "Queen's Gambit" By Tevis Walter. Its a fictional work about a girl prodigy becoming a famous chess player. And through the book, you see the commitment she puts in. Every waking moment she thinks on how to better her game. She studies text after text of chess theory, and she really LOVES the game when she plays her best. I think poker is a lot like that. She feels disgusted when being crushed by an opponent she knows she can beat.

Tilt? anyone?

This would be a fun read and something on leisure time to give you some idea of how far you want to go as a professional.

In terms of good reads, Theory of Poker, NLHE P&T, and Harrison's books, are seen as good from the reviews I've saw.

Good luck! :]