Really Good Question
stargeezer said:
Hi,
What is the most important thing you learned about the game and would like to pass on to new players like myself? Imagine that you were teaching yourself when you first started playing, what would you tell him? And what to focus on more and what not to focus on?
Be prepared to
FULLY APPRECIATE OVER TIME the following famous quote from Mike Sexton:
Texas Hold’em, the game that takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master.”
You are about to embark on a continual state of learning and game refinement. I believe that there is not a "One Size Fits All" solution on how to maximize YOUR poker results. Of course there are the basics such as hand rankings, basic
odds and position (this one takes a little longer to appreciate, just trust that what you read is true) that you should have a good grasp on as quickly as possible. After that you need to FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. All players have some natural tendencies on the spectrum of Aggression vs. Tightness. If you are too far towards either end of the spectrum you are going to have to train yourself to implement a few "control points" or "tricks" to move yourself just a little bit more towards the center in order to make your results more consistently repeatable (ie- good cards or bad / good luck or bad).
I digress, so the key in my opinion is to figure out how best to accelerate the learning curve? Playing Poker is necessary and helps. Reading about Poker whether it be on forums or books, is important and helps generate new ideas. Watching Poker is interesting and helpful. However, to me the most important and individually relevant ingredient is evaluating your own results. At a minimum, make a few notes after each game played as to why you feel you won or lost, what worked and what did not work. This will assist you in minimizing repeat mistakes, and reinforce behaviors that worked. Also, when you hit the inevitable losing streak, and you are scratching your head wondering what you are now suddenly doing wrong, this will give you something to refer back to and help get you back on track as quickly as possible.
In summary, TRUST THAT A LITTLE DISCIPLINE WILL PAY DIVIDENDS. Control the urge to play-play-play (easier said than done, of course). Striking a balance between playing and structured learning, will accelerate the poker learning curve.
Best of Luck At the Tables All,
CheezeWiz