How to go from microstakes to beyond

[AlaskanShark]

Whats the best guide for micro sitngos to move up? I want to be serious with texas holdem. I just started playing online again. I am playing the $1 games on stars. I want to move up as soon as possible and start making money. I know its a process....so i guess im asking what is the best starting point? Whats a good guide that if I FOLLOW it I WILL for CERTAIN get better. I have the will power and am finally ready to truelly play holdem. I just need a guide to start me out. I would consider my self an easy break even player at $1 games but not a big winner... It will have to be part time for now...well my job I work open to close tues,wed,thurs and have friday-monday off so its good schedule for poker. Please, I know im asking alot but I just want a guide that I can follow...and know that if I have the discipline and follow it my game will GET BETTER and I WILL raise up to higher stakes. Also if I should play cash games or maybe both? I just want to be making some decent money in a few months playing holdem online. I know its a process and will take a few months or however long till im making a decent profit. I just need a starting point. I WILL READ AND FOLLOW ANY GUIDE OR ADVICE GIVEN. I WILL NOT BLOW YOU OFF. I know there are lots of guides on this site, but can someone who has went from micro stakes sitngos to med-high stakes please tell me what guide they used to get there? I want to follow a system that worked for someone else, because I beleive if someone else did it I can aswell.

Thanks and god bless.

[rpm]

i'd imagine this would be a good place to start http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...st-123013.html .

[Keith]

a free video series you may find helpfull

BRB - Free Winning Texas Holdem Poker Strategy Videos

[Tasha]

More specifically, take a look at this: http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ou-167253.html

[Tasha]

I doubt that looking to make money fast is good way to approach poker.

[donkfish]

I doubt that looking to make money fast is good way to approach poker.

This

[spoonitnow]

I doubt that looking to make money fast is good way to approach poker.

+1

[tomato paste carnage]

Many of the articles written here are done so by people who have come up through the micros themselves. I'd suggest starting off by studying some bankroll management techniques. Absorbing this information will set you off on the right foot. Personally, I wish I had read this before starting out.

[spoonitnow]

Getting in IRC will help. There's a sticky in the community forum to help you do that.

[donkfish]

I'm guessing IRC is a chat room. Are there benefits to hanging out in there? Or is it just a bunch of dudes posting NSFW links?

[EasyPoker]

I doubt that looking to make money fast is good way to approach poker.

Is it sexist to find it hard to believe you are a woman lol?

good advice anyway for someone so new

[Donachello]

http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...os-168379.html

[donkfish]

http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...os-168379.html

The problem with that statement is beginners don't even know what constitutes as a value bet unless they have the nuts, and end up value-towning themselves by turning their hand into a bluff without even knowing it. The key to beating the micro-stakes starts with putting villain on a range, then value betting accordingly. I know this kind of a "duh" statement, but some people might read into that and just fire off bets with 0 level thinking.

[Micro2Macro]

well yeah, think about what worse hands call before you pull the trigger - isn't that what value betting is? think - then execute.

[supa]

The problem with that statement is beginners don't even know what constitutes as a value bet unless they have the nuts, and end up value-towning themselves by turning their hand into a bluff without even knowing it. The key to beating the micro-stakes starts with putting villain on a range, then value betting accordingly. I know this kind of a "duh" statement, but some people might read into that and just fire off bets with 0 level thinking.

This is true.I constantly find myself trying to figure out if I'm value betting or semi-bluffing.However learning how to bet and putting villain on a range are skills we need to learn to be able to use the key,but the key is still value bet.By the way,anybody know how to just bust down the f'n door?

[Imthenewfish]

Stay away from thin value until you're confident in your hand reading abilities and nit it up imo.

[Micro2Macro]

Stay away from thin value until you're confident in your hand reading abilities and nit it up imo.

this reminds me, thin value to you guys is like betting TPGK for 3 streets.

[Imthenewfish]

this reminds me, thin value to you guys is like betting TPGK for 3 streets.

Pretty much true for fr.. Idk about 6m

[donkfish]

this reminds me, thin value to you guys is like betting TPGK for 3 streets.

LOL I guess I'm a laggtard since thin value to me often means firing on the river with bottom pair when (I hope) villain has Ace high.

[amifat]

1. Play fewer tables and focus on what's going on,
2. Try and solely focus on what your playing and not on the tv.
3. Read and study these forums use the search function and post constructive thought
4. Join IRC
5. Don't be surprised if you get criticism.
   
   E.g you are probably right now very bad at poker, so am I. But if you listen to what's being said... You will get better
   

[Outlaw]

My advice is start at 2NL. Read everything in these forums. Watch videos. Join a training site. Learn why to bet, call, fold. There are many different subtle reasons to do each. Also, work on bet sizing. Example: how much do you need to bet to get all in by the turn/ river. Learn to maximize value, ie. lose the least when you are beat and win the most when you are best. Learn the value of your cards vs different ranges. And learn how to exploit position, which is when cards matter little.

There's a bunch more but if you start thinking about the stuff I listed, you will be off and running.

[AlaskanShark]

Wow, thanks for all your replies guys! I apologize I dont think I explained myself very well lol...Was tired and left alot out. I started playing holdem when i was 19...just goofing off at choctaw casino in durant, ok with my uncle. I left up 300+ a couple times and of course thought I was hot shit. Well over the next 8 months or so I lost about 150$ on pokerstars then I read ALOT on here and on ebooks off the internet and I bought doyles supersystem book #2. After that I had .27 in my stars account (grimes390) was username and entered a .25 tourney and and FINALLY did what every thing told me to do and played REAL TIGHT only premiums till bubble and loosened up (Then I didnt understand much bout ranges and still dont know all I should) and got past bubble and just kept playing real solid poker and ended up taking first out of over 3500 and winning 147. ( I dont feel I need to prove my self or anything but im sure people claim stuff alot on here they dont do so feel free to look up "grimes390" and see. I think I won more on luck but it was INVALUBLE because it broke a mental barrier, because before that I just couldnt play tight. Im a naturally aggressive person in all aspects of life. As in I like to take control of situations...im a leader not a follower by nature so I believe that plays into my poker. Now dont get me wrong...im not saying im good....obviously im not cuz im asking how to beat micros (lol) But the thing is I had to move back to alaska to go fishing right after that and havn't been able to play poker...ive never had the time or actually WANTED to play holdem for real....now I DO. I want to really give it a try. I just am not sure where to start. I have read ALOT. I also play quite a few home game sitngo types....2-10$ buy ins just goofing off and im definitly atleast a 75% win rate in those. However, thats not difficult with basic understanding of holdem...as most college kids and such are very horrible lol. No, what I want is a way to build my bankroll. Im trying it from $10...I know thats small but I dont know how many times ive read that the best thing to do is build ur roll up instead of just dropping $500 in there and starting with the $5 games. Like I said I definitly consider my self a BREAK EVEN player right now....but im not a big winner....which is what I want to be. Its just hard when if I play 100 Games and $30 profit is good...lol its a hard mental thing to get over.

I like that link that Keith-MM posted. I think I may try this. Has anyone used this to success...is it good info? Can I get some critique on this from some seasoned players plz? I havnt played online until a few days ago for over a year....but ive played probably close to 100 home sitngo games in the year and have done pretty well in those.

My next thing is well....everyone seems to play so tight now??? use to they would call with dumb shit...and some still do but it seems more people play tight? is this true or no? But, ya Im sure you guys tired of reading.

Also I am interested in some good coaching. How much does it cost and anyone know some good coaches? I dont got tons of money but I could spend up to $200 if it was worth it. I just REALLY want to get AS GOOD AS FAST as I can....I used wrong words. I dont want to make money fast...I want to get GOOD FAST. Im a very good and fast learner, and most of all I WANT TO LEARN...I do well when someone watches me do something and points it out when i make a mistake and im damn sure not gonna waste my money by not doing what the coach says.

Thanks and god bless.

[AlaskanShark]

P.S. Ive also read alot on bankroll management and understand that pretty well. I actually try and stress that out to friends all the time but they dont listen lol.. I try and have atleast 40 buyins of any tourney I play extra so im not playing scared.

bless,
mike

[AlaskanShark]

also one more thing. I understand odds pretty well. As far as what chance I have to hit my hand, what chance the opponent will have to hit theres with what they got. Id say im decent at reading what the other person has...atleast in the home games I play....online in the $1 games its alot harder cuz they will call youw ith anything and its harder to get reads on betting patterns and such.

So are cash games better to build a bank roll with? because with sitngos 30% ROI seems to be good? So 100 $1 games @ 30% is only 30$ profit and thats considerd good...so. Idk what do you guys think? I have no delusions that it will be EASY..I know it will be hard and take ALOT of time. But I want to do it RIGHT not EASY. I also want to do it as fast and efficiently as possible. Ive just never really played cash games....I know they are more about odds and such. I just started playing sitngos online and have never really looked back. I also love MTT ever since I won that tourney cuz now I know without a doubt I CAN DO IT. yes it was a .25 buy in and there was definitly luck involved but you cant do that unless you have some idea what your doing. or maybe you can idk. I know im just rambling....but I just really want to get started...k ill shut up and let some people reply...lol.

bless,
mike

[AlaskanShark]

Now that I think about it disregard what I said about homegames because now that i think about it they are alot diff then online because I have studied body language and am pretty decent at reading micro facial expressions and body reads. Id say thats my strongest attribute in holdem. and of course online that means nothing...so Thats definitly why i do so much better in home live games then online. So it seems I need to read more on when and why to bet and build my core game...because now that I think about it I understand some but I definitly rely on my body reading more then anything in live games. In live games I play very aggresive...I love to see flops and am ALWAYS looking at the other players looking for tiny twitches, eye movements, feet movements(my fav read is feet and legs) and such. So for online I need to build my betting game up.

bless,
mike

p.s. Thanks for being so patient I know im typing alot but im just trying to put as much info there as I can so you can be more familiar with me and my situation. I also want to stress that everything I have said is 100% true. I am in no way lying to make my self seem good becaus ethat would be absolutly retarded and completly counterproductive.



bless, mike

[Imthenewfish]

Get the book No Limit Hold 'Em Theory and Practice. Work on your fundamentals and learn why you win. I'd just start at cash games because I don't know how high you can get in sng's before the regs start eating your ROI. You shouldn't drop $500 online unless you've already established that you're a consistent winner in the game that you will be playing (Ie bonus whoring). $10 isn't really even rolled for $1 sng's though, so that might not be the best idea. I recommend getting a starting hand chart for now because I'm not really sure how much fundamental experience you have. Coaching would be pretty pointless because you could learn the things yourself for a much lower price. As for how fast you learn it, it really depends on how much you put into it (and lol at there being a complete guide for micro to medium stakes).