You're a Bunch of Factors

Hi All,

I want to get some strat discussion going, again, as well as some basic stuff on metagame and what not.

In terms of poker related discussion this forum has been dead for quite some time and after my most recent foray back into the world of actually playing poker I have come to a realisation that I am doing my players a disservice by not actually trying to help them improve their online and live games.

Over the next 12 months we will be running satellite series and promotions for entries into major Australian tournaments and I feel that we have some form of duty of care to our players to have them as prepared as we possibly can. And after seeing some of the play (and stats) on some of 888PL's "finest" I have to say that there are very few people prepared to compete at a micro level rather than up to a decent live standard.

Now most forum regs here are leaps and bounds ahead of other competition but in some cases are also the worst offenders because they should know better but continue to make mistakes. I returned to poker after an almost 12 month hiatus and found that my game has suffered terribly and i had so many leaks that if I was a house or apartment I would have been condemned.

So in honour of this realisation and some recent discussions with a visionary who wishes to help the Australian Poker scene I will be putting together some seminars in the new year, not only that but there will be serious staking arrangements up for grabs for those who wish to give the poker grind a real shot. We may also have some notable Australian identities on board to help with the coaching and training.

So what am I asking for is some personalised responses to the following three questions:

1.) What common mistakes do you see 888PL players make?
2.) What mistakes do you think you often make (please post hands if your up for it).
3.) What common phrasings or poker nomenclature is lost on you?
4.) Where do you want poker to take you? Do you dream of playing the WSOP/AM?
5.) Do you set yourself targets?
6.) Are you self taught or have you studied any literature?
7.) If you could ask three questions of any pro or pros; who would the pro be and what would the questions be?
8.) If you were a succesful player and had the bankroll would you quit working and play full time?
9.) Do you practice bankroll management?
10.) Do you play any other games apart from 888PL, if so where and with who (online or live)?

Any help to these questions will help formulate the direction we want to take and some of the material that will require formulation.

Sounds awesome Garth.

Q. What steps and tools have you taken and recommend for plugging leaks in our games? I guess in my case im looking for a starting point and progression from there?BBT

Do you want our answers here or in a pm/email?

I would have thought private answers would be better

nomenclature was lost on me

The formally adopted terminology of a science, art, or discipline; the system of names or terms used in a particular branch of science.


that helps

bennymacca wrote:Do you want our answers here or in a pm/email?

I would have thought private answers would be better

Whatever you feel comfortable with. But any comms medium is fine, email directly to me if you prefer.

1.) What common mistakes do you see 888PL players make? IMHO bet sizing, not using position, hand selection, not taking note of other players tendencies and general play in the game and finally not being aware of things such as when next blinds are going up, amount of bb they have left. I am guilty of some of these and some players really do not have any problems with these areas I am just making a generalized statement.
2.) What mistakes do you think you often make (please post hands if your up for it). Not being aggressive enough sometimes and too aggressive at others, not fully preparing for a game, of late tilting too much and finally not taking full advantage of position and trusting my instincts. I am working on all of these areas at the moment with mixed results.
3.) What common phrasings or poker nomenclature is lost on you? I struggle with the Math but I am thinking this is just because I have not applied myself. I have an excellent grasp on maths in all other areas of my life and just think I am being lazy. I have started working on this of late.
4.) Where do you want poker to take you? Do you dream of playing the WSOP/AM? Would love to play in the Aussie millions in the future and set myself a goal last year of being prepared for this by 2012.
5.) Do you set yourself targets? Yes I like to write them down and revisit them on a regular basis. My biggest hurdle is not being too hard on myself when I don't reach goals so I try to keep them realistic and reevaluate them as well. My goal for the Aussie Millions has now pushed back to 2013 as I am no where near ready to play.
6.) Are you self taught or have you studied any literature? I try to read all that I can and get opinions on where I could improve at every opportunity. Have been watching a lot of videos also of late and think they have been helping me plug up some leaks.
7.) If you could ask three questions of any pro or pros; who would the pro be and what would the questions be? This is tough will have to think about this.
8.) If you were a successful player and had the bankroll would you quit working and play full time? Of course as it is my first love but am realistic and don't see this happening any time soon.
9.) Do you practice bankroll management? Just recently I started to practice bank roll management with some good results.
10.) Do you play any other games apart from 888PL, if so where and with who (online or live)? Mainly full-tilt online.

If this was supposed to be in pm oops and sorry just delete it.

email sent garth.

here are the questions that i would like to ask pros, just thought they might be interesting to some people


7.) If you could ask three questions of any pro or pros; who would the pro be and what would the questions be?

I would like to ask shaun deeb (or any other player with huge volume) – “how important is setting goals in terms of volume instead of monetary goals, and how often do you revise these goals, particularly in a bad streak. Do you play more/less when you are winning/losing or just the same all the time”

I would ask someone with a wife/family (not really sure who) “is it possible to have a full staking deal with a wife/family, whilst playing about 10-15 hours a week, or is it better to try and sell action for individual events with this type of schedule”

I would ask James Obst or Jonothan Karamalikis what it is like being a professional poker player in Adelaide, and what sort of hours they keep in order to play in the biggest tournaments.

bennymacca wrote:
I would ask someone with a wife/family (not really sure who) “is it possible to have a full staking deal with a wife/family, whilst playing about 10-15 hours a week, or is it better to try and sell action for individual events with this type of schedule”

could have asked Grant Levy a year ago...

maccatak11 wrote:could have asked Grant Levy a year ago...

he was a sponsored pro, thats not what i am talking about.

i am talking about someone backing me to play tournaments but when i can only play part time.