Into the abyss.
As I am pummelled with a plethora of information so early on in my journey, I begin to wonder what the fruits of this conditioning will be, and if my days of physical labour are numbered. As I’m playing, I try to keep my conscious thought to a maximum, learning poker should not be underestimated, as every move you make has to have a point to it, putting money into a pot should be for the reason of getting money out, none other. Whether that return is immediate or not should be considered also, as bets are made on the calculations done in your head, and with the information you have, as the situation changes, whether the money you put into the pot is really yours any more changes with each action.
I gave in to temptation earlier, as I can be quite spiteful and vindictive, I try to hold my tongue lest it make a fool of me. But, after making, what I believed was a good call, and a good fold, another player commented on my play (without seeing my cards, therefore speaking with a serious lack of information of what was going on in my head at the time), by calling me a ’stupid fish’. At first, I was delighted, as I had never been given any attention in the little chat window, oh goody, someone noticed me! I held my tongue, and by a twist of fate, I was dealt pocket aces the next hand. I put in a modest raise which my new friend decided was good enough for him to ship it all in, I of course, called, he shows pocket 9’s . As his stack of chips slid over to my side of the table, he went on a tirade of colourful language and insults, to which I replied: ‘Damn fish, calling on aces huh?’, we shortly had one spare seat on the table.
I have been watching stoxpoker.com videos regularly, and for anyone starting out, I highly reccommend Ed ‘notepokerauthority’ Miller’s: Poker made simple series. These videos are easy enough to understand for a retard like me, and it fits well into all the other types of training I am currently undertaking. I started out with ‘The art of folding’, which is a vital video for anyone just starting out. I’m currently focusing my studies on the maths side of the game, I have a fairly simple grasp of hand odds, pot odds and the like, on-the-fly maths are a definite weakness of mine, so I’m starting to cover the wall behind my monitor with useful charts, ratios, percentages, and pre-flop ranges from different positions and under different circumstances.
None of this is what I really expected poker would be like, I expected more people in each pot, more bluffing, less reason behind everything, I’m glad that it’s a winnable game, structured in a way that favours intellect over luck, and perception over aggression.
I like it.
Padawan.
