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Thread: 21 observations about poker

  1. #1
    Owner Dan Druff's Avatar
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    21 observations about poker

    I wrote this on June 5, 2010, which was 10 months before Black Friday. Too bad more people didn't follow #18....

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    1) The absence of good players is more important to game selection than the existence of bad ones.

    2) If you think someone is a bad player, yet they consistently put up better results than you, they either game-select better or you don't understand their style.

    3) Most people typically want to play one level higher than their skill level belongs. If you're not doing as well as you'd like, step down one level and your results will probably improve dramatically.

    4) If you play where and when everyone else is playing, follow the same strategies everyone else is employing, and go about your poker career the same way that most people do, you are probably a losing player.

    5) If you think someone is a lot worse than you, they probably are. If you think a person is somewhat worse than you, they're probably only a little worse. If you think someone is a little worse than you, they're probably about the same skill level. If you think someone is about the same as you, they're probably somewhat better. If you think someone is somewhat better than you, they're probably a lot better.

    6) The poker players who aren't broke aren't necessarily the best ones, but are best at handling losing.

    7) If you significantly change your lifestyle when running well, you will go broke.

    8) If your heart starts to pound during big pots, you're playing too high for where you truly feel comfortable.

    9) If you have to think about the consequence of what will happen to your life or bankroll if you have a bad session, you are playing way too high.

    10) You can only play your best when you are focused on the game and not the money.

    11) The best tournament players don't care much if they bust from any particular tournament. That's why you tend to do the best in tournaments that are too low for your bankroll, where you don't care about the results all that much. Fear is a big enemy in tournaments.

    12) Even with millions of hands under their belt, some people will be luckier than others in poker in their lifetime. Accept it.

    13) Nobody at the poker table is your friend. If your goal isn't to take every last dollar off the table, you will lose in the long run, unless you're so good that you can overcome the additional handicap, which is unlikely.

    14) Anyone who borrows from you has a MUCH higher chance to stiff you or slow-pay you than pay back as promised. The one exception is someone temporarily borrowing because they just don't have the money currently on them.

    15) If you develop a reputation for generosity in the poker world, people will take advantage of you.

    16) Look around during any tournament or cash game, and a large percentage of people are playing on borrowed money.

    17) If you're on a long losing streak and don't actively change something, you will go broke.

    18) Money in your online poker account isn't yours until it hits your bank account. Remember that. Never leave more online than you need for your poker play.

    19) It's more important to win money than to have others think that you're a good player.

    20) One of the biggest favors you can do yourself is refrain from dating other poker players.

    21) There are a few people in the poker world who truly believe that everyone "is horrible" aside from a few top players. These players are almost always broke, because this means they have a completely warped view of game selection.

  2. #2
    Bronze John Stamos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Druff View Post
    I wrote this on June 5, 2010, which was 10 months before Black Friday. Too bad more people didn't follow #18....

    ================================================== ===================================
    A couple of things I wanted to add for those just starting or taking poker more seroiusly

    1) The absence of good players is more important to game selection than the existence of bad ones. This is a great point, people too often see 1 really bad player and focus on that player instead of seeing the 5 other really good players at the table. Game selection makes a huge difference in profit

    2) If you think someone is a bad player, yet they consistently put up better results than you, they either game-select better or you don't understand their style. You see this thinking a ton at small stakes 1/2 - 2/5 nl hold em, which is what I primarily play since bigger games rarely run around okc. People often thinking hyper aggressive players are bad but don't understand the logic behind some of their moves.

    3) Most people typically want to play one level higher than their skill level belongs. If you're not doing as well as you'd like, step down one level and your results will probably improve dramatically. I will take this one step further and add one that people want to play one level higher than their skill AND bankroll dictate

    4) If you play where and when everyone else is playing, follow the same strategies everyone else is employing, and go about your poker career the same way that most people do, you are probably a losing player.

    5) If you think someone is a lot worse than you, they probably are. If you think a person is somewhat worse than you, they're probably only a little worse. If you think someone is a little worse than you, they're probably about the same skill level. If you think someone is about the same as you, they're probably somewhat better. If you think someone is somewhat better than you, they're probably a lot better. i have heard this poker saying a few times before and it is really dead on. Self analyzation and being as truthful with yourself as possible will give you greater success.

    6) The poker players who aren't broke aren't necessarily the best ones, but are best at handling losing.

    7) If you significantly change your lifestyle when running well, you will go broke. Obviously what Druff is alluding to is that if you spend money as soon as you get it you will eventually run out of money.

    8) If your heart starts to pound during big pots, you're playing too high for where you truly feel comfortable. This I somewhat disagree with. I have played as high as 25/50 NL Hold Em Online and my heart will occasionally pound during $300 pots at 1/2 live. It's not the money it's just certain situations make more anxious. I agree with your thinking, I feel a better way to phrase it would be if you can't stand to lose all the money in front of you then you don't need to be playing that level.

    9) If you have to think about the consequence of what will happen to your life or bankroll if you have a bad session, you are playing way too high.

    10) You can only play your best when you are focused on the game and not the money. I will also take this a step further and say you have to be completely focused. You cannot be worried about anything else while you are at the table. I have often times gotten derailed in the past by playing too fast and thinking there are "other things I should be doing." The times I have focused the most and not had any outside interruptions have been my most successful times in poker. If you think you are starting to lose focus, quit the game. If it is a tournament take a step away from the table and refocus.

    11) The best tournament players don't care much if they bust from any particular tournament. That's why you tend to do the best in tournaments that are too low for your bankroll, where you don't care about the results all that much. Fear is a big enemy in tournaments. This is especially true as the buy-in of a tournament rises. Fear is the name of the game in tournament poker. Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey are classic examples of fear letting you succeed in tournament poker. They have very different styles but their use of "fear" is universal. Try applying more pressure to opponents if you feel like your tournament game is struggling.

    12) Even with millions of hands under their belt, some people will be luckier than others in poker in their lifetime. Accept it.

    13) Nobody at the poker table is your friend. If your goal isn't to take every last dollar off the table, you will lose in the long run, unless you're so good that you can overcome the additional handicap, which is unlikely. This I think needs to be taken with a grain of salt. You need to try to get as much money as possible without hurting future earnings. If you regularly go to a casino you will understand how certain situations might be -EV at the current time but +EV in the long run.

    14) Anyone who borrows from you has a MUCH higher chance to stiff you or slow-pay you than pay back as promised. The one exception is someone temporarily borrowing because they just don't have the money currently on them.

    15) If you develop a reputation for generosity in the poker world, people will take advantage of you.

    16) Look around during any tournament or cash game, and a large percentage of people are playing on borrowed money. This might not be entirely true at local casinos, as this doesn't apply to my situation in Oklahoma. The stakes are small enough where it doesn't dictate a borrowing environment. In bigger tournaments and cash games borrowing and staking is common.

    17) If you're on a long losing streak and don't actively change something, you will go broke. This is very true if you don't have a substantial bankroll to absorb the loss. If you are an online player and feel like you are just on a prolonged bad run and run the numbers and you should be winning, then changing things might also be a mistake.

    18) Money in your online poker account isn't yours until it hits your bank account. Remember that. Never leave more online than you need for your poker play.

    19) It's more important to win money than to have others think that you're a good player. Truth

    20) One of the biggest favors you can do yourself is refrain from dating other poker players.

    21) There are a few people in the poker world who truly believe that everyone "is horrible" aside from a few top players. These players are almost always broke, because this means they have a completely warped view of game selection.

  3. #3
    Silver hotshott74's Avatar
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    Any new observations over the last year since the post? Just a thought.

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    Gold Shizzmoney's Avatar
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    20) One of the biggest favors you can do yourself is refrain from dating other poker players.
    Unless you are a female, then #stakes #ftw #pokerwelfare

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