FnX
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2009
- Messages
- 749
My belief is, you're either a natural poker player or not. I suppose it's possible to learn poker in a mathematical way, all the odds, what to do in which situation etc, basically the way very good bots play. This will net you money of course, especially at low level cash game grinds. As long as there aren't other grinders at the same table. You should learn the basics, what kind of starting hands are good, how your position regarding to the dealer button affects your game, when to shift gears/strategy in tournament play, but what you can't exactly learn from books is intuition. That will probably cost you some learning money, but if you stick with poker, you will earn all that money back and more if you have the gift, for lack of better word. Intuition in poker is extremely important, it allows you to read other players, know when they're bluffing and how much, allows you to bluff, when to call quits and fold even when you're half committed etc. Doesn't matter if it's internet poker or irl. You can read people in internet poker too based on their decisions, bets, and how long they take time to react. One way to bluff is when you immediately know what to do but wait a random amount of time, and you need to be able to smell this too. You need to learn your opponents play style asap when you face them and notice when they switch it.
Poker is about skill and luck, that's what makes it quite exciting. Don't get me wrong, I love games like chess too, which have zero luck in them, but in poker, luck does play a role too. Like already mentioned in this thread, sometimes you make the right decision but still lose a hand, it's all part of the game. Sometimes you make a bad decision and win a hand, that's all part of the game too. But the odds of winning and losing due to pure luck get smaller and smaller the more skilled player you are, even though you can never completely eliminate luck from the game, no matter how good you are.
Poker is about skill and luck, that's what makes it quite exciting. Don't get me wrong, I love games like chess too, which have zero luck in them, but in poker, luck does play a role too. Like already mentioned in this thread, sometimes you make the right decision but still lose a hand, it's all part of the game. Sometimes you make a bad decision and win a hand, that's all part of the game too. But the odds of winning and losing due to pure luck get smaller and smaller the more skilled player you are, even though you can never completely eliminate luck from the game, no matter how good you are.