U Cook Socks
This Place Is My Second Home
Joined: 13 Mar 2010
Posts: 2754
Location: Walsall
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 Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:50 am Post subject: 1000th Post. So you want to play HUSNG (Beginners Guide) |
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My 1000th Post. I'm not sure if that's actually a little sad, that I managed that many posts in less than a year, but hey what the hell. What I would say is, I have always tried to make each post have some kind of contribution to the site, not just a load of nothing posts. If the things I posted were wrong, so be it, at the time of posting it would have been to the best of my knowledge, the best advice I could give.
I thought long and hard what to do for this milestone post. I nearly just posted as normal, with no special post. There are some fantastic players on this site, and I don't really feel I am good enough to start preaching and teaching as such. However, I thought well, I have got from $2 HUSNG to the $50s within a year, that's not a bad achievement, maybe I can help some of the players starting out, or some of the ones that just aren't getting it, and are stuck at the micros.
All the content in this post are my personal thoughts, some wont agree with all of it. Use it as you choose, or completely ignore it if you so wish. I think if you are a player just starting out, you will definitely get something out of it.
So where do I start ?
Well, I am going to assume you know the rules of Texas Holdem, and have some kind of idea how HUSNG's work. If not, then you really need to go away, and use the endless information on the internet to learn how to play.
The first thing you need is a bankroll, without it you can't play poker, simple as that. Different people, will have different amounts of money they can dedicate to poker. Some of you will already have a bankroll from other forms of poker. The more you can put in the better, but obviously don't spend the rent money, or the kids Christmas fund either. I would say $50 is a minimum you will need to get started. $150 would be better, I will explain why later.
Love your Bankroll
So now you have your bankroll , deposited in the site of your choice. I'm not going to go in to detail about which site to use, there is so much information out there. Choose it carefully based on your current situation. Make sure you get something for signing up. A sign up bonus, rakeback if possible, or maybe some coaching from BrokerStar (more detail to come shortly) Remember the sites want your business, and there are plenty of sites to choose from, so take your time and get it right.
Your Bankroll is everything, never forget that. Without it, you are nothing. Some people are able to reload without having to worry to much about it, some aren't. Even if you are, you want to get in to the habit of not having to constantly reload, if you do things in the correct way, you should theoretically never go busto.
There are many ways of using good bankroll management, some are more aggressive than others. If you are an inexperienced player, then you will need a bigger cushion, than someone who is crushing the level they are playing at. I am going to post a picture of a Bankroll Management stairway below, specifically designed for HUSNG. I think it was Step_Daad who posted it on the site before. It is based on a 30 buy in and move up theory. It should see most players right, providing they move down when the stairway dictates.
It gives you a 10 buy in shot at the next level, before you have to move down. This is a decent way to go about things. Some players prefer a more aggressive approach, taking shots at the next level, when they have 20-25 buy ins, but then you only get a 2-5 buy in shot. This is perfectly fine too, but you must move back down if you miss, and you must be prepared to do a fair bit of moving up and down. The options are there, just take care of your roll, and don't do crazy things like take shots 3 levels above, cos you went on a 5 buy in downswing, and you should be fine. Oh yes, also note that the figures on the stairway include the rake you pay too. I have always done it this way, you have to pay rake, we all do, so you need to add it to any buy in calculations.
Start at what ever level you can afford to start. You need very little roll to play the $1 games, but if you plan on playing one of the bigger sites, the $1 and $2 games you will be paying 10% rake, instead of 5% at the $5 games and above. So if you can afford a big enough starting roll for the $5s then that is optimal. If not, try and find one of the european sites that charge 5% at the micro stakes games.
Have a plan
Everyone has different goals in life, the same applies in poker. Some may want to go all the way to the top, and play poker for a living. Some may just want to play a few hours a week, as a hobby.Most will fall somewhere in between. It started off as a hobby for me, but anything I do in life, I try to do the best I possibly can. You may find your goals change along the way, the same as mine did. That's fine, but from the beginning , know where you want to go, and have a plan on how to get there. Trust me when I say, poker is much more fun when you are winning.
There are many different ways to set up a plan. Personally I always have a long term goal. At the moment it is to be a winning player at $100 HUSNG. That's great, but I'm not going to get there over night, it's going to be a long journey. If you are starting at the bottom, it's going to be even longer. There is no problem with that, but what you want are milestones along the way, to make the journey seem not so far away, and to show you are making progress.
Try not to put to much emphasis in you goals on making x amount of $. People do it, I do it, but in reality it's not that helpful. The cards will fall how they fall, all you can do, is put as much volume in as you possibly can, and make the best decisions you can too. The rest will sort itself out.
My monthly Goals usually look something like
[ ] 500 $30 HUSNG'
[ ] 10% ROI
[ ] Post 5 hands for review on TAG Forum
Notice I did put in an expected ROI, but it isn't all that important. I also add study goals. Which will include, posting a certain amount of hands on the forum. Watching videos, Hand History reviews, sweat sessions, all of which I will go in to in more detail further down the page. You can construct your plan in anyway you wish. Just make you goals challenging, but achievable. It's no good having a goal of 500 games per month, if you only have say an hour and a half a day to play poker. Bear in mind, that all your time wont be for playing poker either, you need to leave time for your study too.
Start yourself a bankroll thread in here http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/forum22.php
write your plan in your opening post, and then update it on a regular basis. It will help you no end to stay focused, and you will get advice from people who have been where you are right now. Also keep an eye out for the monthly goals thread, usually found in here.. http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/forum16.php.
It is also a good idea to give yourself rewards for reaching milestones. Having said that, in the early stages, it isn't such a good idea to go withdrawing any of your roll, it will slow you down a lot. Use your imagination, give yourself some incentive to reach your goals, what ever it maybe.
Before you dash off and make your plan. Take time to read the rest of this post, there may well be things included, that will help you make a better plan for yourself.
Tools of the trade
There are various pieces of software you can use to help you along the way. One of the best tools I have, is Holdem Manager. If you are starting off at $2 HUSNG, some may say it is a complete waste of time. I would say , if you can afford it, then get it. You can buy the small stakes version for not a huge amount of money. It will track your play from the very start. Don't worry about the HUD, it's not all that important, but it is a great tool for keeping records of your play, and going back over hands/games later. If you don't get it, then you need to do a search and find some free software that will track your play, until you can afford it. Keep all your Hand History's for a later date, so if you do decide to buy it, you can import all your games to date.
If you aren't purchasing Holdem Manager, get yourself the universal replayer http://www.universal-replayer.net/ It's free, and you can review your matches with it. It's very user friendly, and easy to use.
PokerStove[url] http://www.pokerstove.com/[/url]
Get it, simple as that, it is free, and you need to get ,used to running the EV of various situations through it. It seems a bit daunting at first, but it's pretty simple to use. The hardest bit really is assigning accurate ranges. This is something you need to work on constantly. Ask questions in the forum if you are unsure of anything. Don't ever worry about feeling stupid. There are many members on here that wont know how to use it, or why, that wont ask the question. Just do it, it will help you no end.
Skype http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/
Widely used chat tool, that most people on this site use to chat all things poker (and other things too!) Download it, and you can request to add members you wish to chat to, to your chat list. You can also use it for sweat sessions too. If you don't know what they are, ask the question on the site, there are somethings it will take me to long to explain, it's just easier to search the site, or ask the question on the forum.
Post hands on the forum
it's pretty simple to do. take a look at this first. http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/about13.html. Make sure you post your hand in the correct section. For example if you are playing $5 games, it needs to go in the MicroStakes section. Most things are explained really well on the site, if you don't know, then ask. Just watch out for the mistake police (aka BMM) He is like Sergeant Bilko
Free Videos
Absolutely loads of free videos on the site. They got me started, they can help you win too. Look here >>> http://www.tagpoker.co.uk/outer_p...ching_videos/training_videos.html
There is all sorts to get your teeth in to there. I recommend as a starting point the This Is How We Roll $50 - $500 series. Very good as a starting point. There is also members games reviews in there, and much more. Don't just watch them, take notes, think how you would have played hands, and how BrokerStar either played it, or advised how to play it. There is no point watching them, if you aren't going to take something out of them. I assure you that there is enough material in there to get you beating the micros with ease.
Also look in here http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/forum26.php and here http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/forum14.php, oh and here >>> http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/forum19.php
Some of those are members videos. Bear in mind some of them are posted more to ask for help , than to teach, it doesn't take much working out which are which. They all have their own value. Just be sensible about it.
Coaching
At some point or another, I would recommend coaching. BrokerStar does coaching on this very site. It is a great starting place. It's cheap, and in some cases even free (I think those options are still there?) He will teach you how to beat different player types, and how to think about the game logically. He has a great poker mind, I love how he thinks about poker. There are many different styles you can use in poker, BrokerStars is slightly different in the pre flop approach. If you listen to what he is teaching you, you can adopt it in to your own approach at a later date. Just know that he is a very good player, and very good at getting his point across.
He will advise you this himself, but get the most out of the course, don't coast through it. Really get in to it, take notes, read them, re read them. You will be better after it I assure you.
You can read more info here >>>> http://www.tagpoker.co.uk/outer_pages/articles/poker_apprentice.html
Or simply look for BrokerStar on the site, and message him. Shouldn't be to hard, he owns the site ! Very friendly, and easy to get along with too.
Other options at a later date, I would recommend are
Red_Dog >>> http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/about861.html.
Without doubt the biggest influence on me personally pokerwise. His help, took me to a new level of thinking. Matt is just one of those annoying naturally gifted people!  Really a super sicko, who is making ridiculous amounts of money from poker. His charges may seem steep for a player just beginning , they aren't actually, for a player of his ability , they are stupidly low. Bear in mind these players who offer coaching have to make enough money to cover what they would be making per hour playing poker. It is something worth looking at further down the line at least. Have a chat with him, see if you can come to an arrangement. Again, very easy to get along with, and very helpful indeed.
kierkegaard1
http://www.tagpoker.co.uk/outer_pages/articles/kierkegaard1.html
I haven't had any coaching from Kierk, I do chat to him now and then though. All I know is this, take a look at his record in HUSNG's . Ridiculous volume, and results. He really has progressed really rapidly, and even without having being coached by him personally, I know for a a fact , he will take you to another level. I aspire to be where he is now, and think on the levels he does. Similar price range to Red_Dog, and again money well spent, if you can afford it. Not for the complete beginner , but at some point down the line, definitely consider him.
Reading resources
The internet is littered with poker information. Some of it is gold dust, some of it will damage you. It is up to you to decide which is which. You will get to know what is gold and what isn't. I will post some links that I think are well worth the time to read. Just be careful when browsing the net, which information you decide to use.
Is My Shove Profitable? (Equity Calculations)
http://tagpoker.myfastforum.org/about316.html
If you can read the above, and digest it, really understand it. You will improve tenfold at least. It looks complicated, but it's well worth the time and effort.
Best of two + two
I'm not a big fan of the site now, there is no doubt good stuff on there, but it's lost amongst a load of bs. If you do choose to use the site, get to know who the best posters are, and follow their posts.
Below is a link, to a list of good links from the old two + two, some of it is a bit dated, but still very valid in most cases. You wont find this kind of quality easily on the new site. The Spamz HH reviews are gold dust imo. Read them!
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com...-2010-read-before-posting-178357/
Other
Some other various posts, that are worth reading, not all directly related to HUSNG, but invaluable information in my opinion.
How To: Analyze Calling An All-in
http://www.flopturnriver.com/poke...w-analyze-calling-all-173396.html
Some Encouragement for New Players
http://www.flopturnriver.com/poke...uragement-new-players-161545.html (be ware this thread isn't what you would expect, but a good read all the same , although I think it gets a bit silly at some point.
Calculating Hand Combinations
http://poker-strategy.flopturnriv...alculating-hand-combinations.php.
Conclusion
There is a tonne of information there. Some of it may not be optimal, I am sure if anything is incorrect, I will be picked up on it. Use it how you wish.
One thing I want to say before I end. If you want to do well at Poker (or anything else in life) You have to give it your best shot. You wont get better , by complaining on the forums, that variance is raping you. You may get better by thinking, "hang on a minute, could I have played that differently, I think I'll post some hands on the forum".
Some people are naturally gifted, they process information with so much ease, it makes you feel sick. For the rest of us, we have to work our ass off to get where we want to go. Know where you want to go, find out how you can get there, then work as hard as you can to make it happen.
Find out the people that are worth listening too (it's not that hard to work out) Then listen, and listen hard, ask questions if they are willing to answer. They beat the games for a reason, you want to know that reason. Ignore the rest, not literally , there is no need to be rude, be polite, and concentrate on learning from the ones who constantly make $ from poker. If you can, then give something back by all means, but don't waste your time trying to tell $50 winners what to do, when you are playing $5 HUSNGs. You get the picture.
Only you can make it happen, anyone with average intelligence can win at poker, it's the ones who go the extra mile that make it.
Over and out
Blazing_Saddler
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"Cos that's what I do"
Last edited by U Cook Socks on Mon Feb 07, 2011 12:15 am; edited 1 time in total |
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