Where did you learn to play?

[Lolita]

I don't know if there are free ones. The one I had could be used as a free one, but you had to click the cards you had and that were dealt by hand, so I was constantly going in the 15-seconds time.. But once you got used to it, it was fairly easy.

The ones attached to a window never are free I think, or do y ou know some? When I used this, I really knew what was going round, and I discovered a tool that kept track of the other person's statistics as well. So you could click on the people at your table and see how they played in the past and how they were likely to play.

That looked awesome to me, but I 've never been able to use those programs.

 

[grilldoggy]

I learned to play...

Online, at VIP.com, in freerolls. I worked my way up to buy-ins - sit n go's, multi-table tournaments. I remember the days of heart palpitations, donking better players off on the river. Not as many skipped beats these days, but I will donk you right out when I have the feeling. Can you feel the love tonight? By the way, VIP.com is US-Unfriendly these days.

 

[jaxplayer]

I started playing with friends....then heard about pokerstars...

Lolita: What is that you are talking about....the calculators?

 

[Lolita]

Lolita: What is that you are talking about....the calculators?

Yes, these are programs that do the math for you. You just have to give in the cards (or hook it up to a room) and this does the rest for you. It tells you the pot odds, the outs, etc.. it Basically has a thing where it says "Raise" or "Flop" or "Call if no one raises". This works perfectly. Check it out.

 

[grilldoggy]

texas holdem calculating robots

As a new player, I did use a simple 'holdem calculator' in live play to advise me when to fold, and when to play. It was a simple program, I only wanted to get a feel for what should be thrown away and what had more potential (maybe it seems obvious, but as a new player, not so). I imagine there are much more complex programs out there today (like robots) that take almost complete control. Sounds scary, but even the robots can't beat me now.

 

[rcman1980]

i learned to plat on the tv
whit the wsop and high stakes poker....
at the beggining my game was to lossey because of that....

 

[halosa]

online

i learnt playing on ub about 6/7 years ago. played live for the first time at a casino about 6 mnths ago and made it thru to the final table and into the money

 

[Stefan_m]

haha, nice question !!

I learned to play poker online, I remember I was searching for a result on Eurosport.com and I saw the Poker link to the rules.

It was exciting at the beginning cause, you know, I thought like "Wow, that's for rich people only", but as the time passed I realized it's a game for skilled people... like me LOL

 

[ZZFLOP]

I started about 8 months ago, here in Belgium poker is not so popular as in the rest of Europe. However some local politicians found it necessary to warn people for this game. Didn't need more than that to get me interested.

 

[stubbsy_11]

by watching it on tv, my fondness developed from there when i got a poker table and chips for christmas. ever since i havent looked back

 

[Lolita]

I started about 8 months ago, here in Belgium poker is not so popular as in the rest of Europe. However some local politicians found it necessary to warn people for this game. Didn't need more than that to get me interested.

There's a pokertourney in Leuven every single night. It's just not that popular in small towns or anything, I guess. Lots of my friends play it.

I forgot to mention.. Since I've got a Nintendo DS I'm playing Texas Hold'm on it. There're a million different Poker-Games and I've tried loads of them, but I took a liking in "World Series of Poker" That's got great graphics, perfect gameplay, a good storyline and real difficulties.

Quoting myself here. I forgot to mention that this game has a wonderful option. You can hand pick two cards which you'll be playing 9 rounds (nine times the same cards) in different situations. That's really good for learning as well I think.

 

[thejuanupsman]

I've been playing draw & stud since I was about 10. Me and a few other kids learned to play from some old drunk guys in the neighborhood. By the time I was in my teens we were playing pretty big stakes. I didn't get a job 'til the sucker money dried up when I was 18. No more baby face meant no more easy money for a while. I didn't return to playing regularly until almost 20 years later when I group of friends I met online started playing Hold 'em.

 

[bwrobbel]

I learned to play from friends. We'd go up to mammoth every year to run in high-altitude for training and when we weren't running or making fire we'd be playing poker. Online has helped a lot, too, but I didn't pick it up until recently.

 

[DrMarcelo55]

i learned to play poker watching a lot of lives in ESPN incluinding replays of main event, poker after the dark, etc.. and some videos in youtube.com like high stakes stakes poker and another big tournaments. I started in on line poker playing play money stacks, freerolls and now i play some lives and real money on line.

 

[asianpride54]

At my friends house playing with them with fake plastic chips.

 

[ryodejaneiro]

My first experience with poker came a little over 2 years ago at my friend's house. The game was NL Hold'em and I quickly lost my buy-in. But the second game that I played a week later, I won and got hooked since then.

I remember one thing from that second game, which was I went all in on deuces and got called by a friend who had ace rag. I won the showdown but another friend of mine was shocked that I went all in on a hand like deuces. Needless to say, I don't quite play like that anymore!

 

[Swodaems]

my first experience with holdem was in my high school cafeteria. We played for quarters before the principal stopped us.

 

[smedel21]

I learned on paradise poker.....i liked that site. too bad it went illegal for us players

 

[SelligDrager]

I learned playing in sit & go in play monay on Internet. My first poker site was a prima site, Gaming Club Poker. It must be six to seven years that I play.

 

[philber420]

I learned to play in the back room of a pool hall when Iwas 16 yrs old. I would win $$ inside the pool hall then go in the back room and lose it, then go back in and make some more , and go lose it again. Finally I caught on and started to rake in some $ and by the time I was 18 I was living on my own without having to work. I made my bills by playing pool and cards, and the ocassional sports bets. I wasnt rich, I was making my bills every month with about 300 left over not including what I had to spend on food. But when it came to playing pool I never had to risk my own $ the owner of the joint backed me in games for 60% The biggest being a $5000 freezeout $500 a game untill someone went broke. I still play pool today playing in the Windy City Open every year and going to vegas to play in the APA championships but there is no $ in it , once people know your game they want the world to play you. This is why I love poker, you dont give weight, you just play.

 

[steezy_one]

i focused on many of different styles from teaching myself. Could not have done it without sites like this with these great forums!!!

 

[bobboss171]

The first time I played was a house of friends,

but where was truly learned in online poker

I could check the rankings of letters higher.

playing time I want, participate in blogs

forums, it was learned that in this way and continue

learning. On PokerStars and Full tilt I learned

 

[mange]

Learn to Play on Ship in the Merchant Marines

I learned to play poker while onboard ship in the US Merchant Marines.

Back in those days, 1960s, there was lots of Poker playing on board.

After a few years they seem to get away from on board poker and it was hard to find a game.

We would start playing poker in the messhall right after Dinner was over and we could use the messhall tables to play on.

We would play all nite until the messboy would come in the morning and run us out inorder to set the tablefor Breakfast.

Buys would play all nite. Grab a nap by sleeping on the table and get up and play again.

We would get so involed in the poker games that we would pay someone to stand our watch in order to stay in the game.

We did not play Texas Holdem in those days.

We played mostly: Jacks or Better, Five Card Stud, Seven Card Stud and Low Ball. (now called Razz)

Some of the games were played for some pretty high stakes. It was not unusually to call a $50.00 bet on a draw for a low card in Low Ball.

I have been on ships where guys would be at sea for months and lose all their money in the poker games. They would have to sign back on for another trip because they did not have enough money to get home or live on ashore.

And, trust me, some of those fellows were pretty tough guys. And, you were going to pay up after the trip.

Here is a true story. My fireman wanted me to hit his hand with a hammer and break it, because he lost all his months of pay in the poker game. And, he wanted to be taken off the ship on a medical so he would no have to pay up.

I refused. But, a couple days later, the Captain came to me and said the fireman was going to be put ashore in Panama because he had an accident in the engine room and broke his hand. haha yea right. I said nothing.

OK bored you enough

 

[iluvdahate]

i learned to play on the internet and then in home cash and tourneys. i first played at partypoker until they stopped letting US players play there. then i went to full tilt and now i play on a few different sites regularly as well as live home games and the occassional trip the the casino boat. gl and play on.

iluvdahate

 

[mange]

Wow Nick. Look at all the Replies

Wow Nick,

Look at all the Replies on "where did you learn to play poker.

I bet you don't get to read all those.

Least, we know what Cardschaters want to talk about.