Poker Study Time

Now that I have the time again I have been getting back to my study of poker.  I have played this game for years now and I feel each year I learn something, and I am hoping, to be getting better at this game.  One way I have to do this is to treat the game as a way to make some money and be able to eventually be able to take some off to help pay for living expenses.  How do I do that?

 

At first it was the home games with friends and when they eventually quit playing I found the internet and started playing online.  Of course, we know what happened there and that pushed me out of my comfort zone and into the Casinos.  I would always play tournaments and that is a recreational game for me so building a bankroll was not on my mind.  I wanted the win, and the money, to allow me to continue playing in these tournaments. 

 

At some point I was watching the tournaments on television and was buying DVD's of live cash games and started thinking about the possibility of playing the cash games and trying to get out of the tournaments.  Over the years that has not happened.  I enjoy the tournaments and the competition of them.  Being able to get to the final table and then make it to the money.  What a thrill it is.  The first time I made the money in a big tournament at Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton, OR was the Satellite into their main event.  I was able to play against 290 players and make it into the final 28 and we all cashed for $1,000.  That was exciting.

 

Some time passed and I was playing in a Deep Stack Tournament at Islands Casino in Kennewick, WA and placed second for a $460 payday.  But this money doesn't last long when playing tournaments when you put it back in to the game.  That is also the time I wanted to branch out and play live. 

 

I started with the $1-$6 Limit Spread game.  It gave me a taste of playing for cash and being able to see hands and play the best ones.  I look back now and it was a real learning curve and still is that way.  I saw why they called it No Fold'em Hold'em.  All of the so called bad beats but if your going to play that low you have to expect it.

 

I went from the $1-$6 to $2-$4 and then started playing the $2-$6.  I enjoyed the $3-$6 game but that is not available in our town.  Everyone wants to play the spread games.  This meant I had to learn.  The books became my way to learn as well.  I have a full library on all types of play, tells and autobiographies.  Of course only part of them are on Limit play.  But I still put in the time reading and writing notes.

 

I have now moved to the $2-$10 and starting to play the $2-$20 game.  This does not happen over night since you have people that will test you during the game to see what you are made of.  Can you survive the heat and make the proper decisions.

 

Another area that I use for study is the internet.  I watch streaming live games.  I listen to the announcers about how the players should have played the hand and what you should do as a player.  It is all a learning experience.  Every once in a while an announcer will say something that will stick in your head.  Yesterday, as I was listening and watching Pokernetcast, JCW was talking about his growth in the game and said that when he started he thought of what his hand was and how to play it.  Next level of play he had to learn what is the other players hand and then on level three you had to start thinking of what does the other player think I have in my hand.  Something to think about as I persue my dream of playing poker and eventually playing in the WSOP.

 

Have a nice day.....