I love the site, but with no money to deposit, and bombing on the bubble in the last tourney, I cannot play there. When you go to freeroll, a lot of the tourneys still requre Buy in with 150 PokerPoints. Still I like the site. Just got to wait for a break. The tourney tonight was canceled because there was not enough entrants. Hope the next one does better. Who does'nt like a freeroll? Never seen to many freerolls with not enough entrants. X
What holds you back from being a better poker player than you are today?
It seems that my income/bankroll, both live and online is my main issue.
I built a nice bankroll online of about $1300. I decided to remove $1200 to purchase a car. (Long story as to why I needed to purchase a car.) After I withdrew the money, I felt I had made a big mistake. It put me back to playing lower limits, where the ATC players play. LOL. Once I did the withdrawal, it seemed I could not win a hand online. I ran through the $100 even though I was using proper bankroll management. I even won $43 in a freeroll that put my bank back at about $97 and still I either played horribly or got my money in good and got outdrawn. I have learned patients, position and putting players on a range of hands, and still I have to step back and to see what I am doing so wrong to not be successful at poker. Doyle's says, "You can't look at your poker bankroll as a house or a car." I have a hard time doing that because I want those things with a passion.
What are your shortcomings and weaknesses?
Reading the cards on the board is my weakness. Below is a hand that proves you cannot
predict what someone will call a raise with. I always try putting a player on a range of
hands after about six rotations or more, but there is always the surprise call.
Example: I was 1/65 with 18 making the money. I had 100k and the next largest stack is 68k. Blinds are 2,000/4,000. I am dealt 
in SB. 68k is BB. Of course you raise and you notice the other player always call any raise to protect his/her blind. The flop comes three hearts all small. 
. You are playing in a big game and with a big payout. Now I'm sure you are thinking I have the nut flush draw. True? True. But you also only have one pair. If your raise said "big hand alert", guarantee someone is calling with ATC (any two cards). Now you need to look at the flop and ask what can beat me, if the heart does not come. At this point any random card on the turn should be a scare card, but you got aces right? Right. Just one pair.
Betting after the flop is just as important as preflop. You have to make some decision here for sure. Well the turn is another heart, 
. Your mind is going Woo Hoo! I got the nutz! But do you? NO! Look at the board again and their are several single cards that now have you dominated. 
. Reason being if they have either of these cards you cannot win on the river. You have the nut flush and they have the straight flush. You have to be willing to fold any hand other than a royal flush. If you have the lower end of a straight flush, it is possible they have the higher end of the straight flush with one card. Holdem is like that.
Your hand: Ace high flush
Winner: 
Straight flush
Before that hand I was truely seeing my self take down that tourney. Reading the board is sometimes misleading. Some players like playing gapped cards, suited cards, suited connectors, ATC. So be prepared for what we may see as a bad beat. Trying to get a read on a player in online tourneys is harder than some may think. How can you put a player on a range of hands when they call every raise in any position. Just cross your fingers and hope for the best?
Complaining about the sneaky players is useless. You just have to get sneaky back. Will you check you trips when a flush draw is on the board or will you push all-in with one pair if you feel weekness? This may be a strategy that works for some. If you hesitate when making a decision, you probably need to fold. But it is called gambling and that is part of poker. Bad beats will come and go. I am sure I have given just as many as I have recieved. Keep being patient and the wins will come, along with the loses. Can't win them all, but never stop trying to improve your game.
KNOWING YOU SKILL LEVEL
I know I may not be ready for the noise bleed tables, but I play a solid game of poker. Playing at the lower limits because of my bankroll, causes me to run into newer players and players that just don't mind losing $10 on a long shot. This online scene is a big struggle. I don't have a big head about my poker skills. I know I need improvement. I am willing to put in the work to become a better or the best poker player. Nothing wrong with dreaming, right? X
I decided to play the USA donkfest. I ended the tourney in 64th for a whooping .50. Free money is free money. I folded some monsters along the way, and made some great calls. I like to play tourneys and this one really gives you some great practice without risking your own money. I probably was 100% sure he was pushing with a smaller PP or AK-Ax. I hate jacks. LOL. I actually should have folded here. Knowing how Foolstilt likes to pit pair vs pair, that should have been an easy fold. I was thinking if I hit a jack or my pair just holds up I will have a better chance at the final table. Guess that did not work out right. Also, thanks for the rail swa22. X
Full Tilt Poker Game #14019480382: $250 United States Freeroll (103144871), Table 253 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:26:14 ET - 2009/08/14
Seat 1: drivingalone (51,807)
Seat 2: XPOKERCHIC (89,904)
Seat 3: imprezax95 (101,720)
Seat 4: buffalosabres2 (131,702)
Seat 5: locochaser (427,535)
Seat 6: nasnas (68,919)
Seat 7: holdem q1 (563,562)
Seat 8: Diamondeye15 (76,723)
Seat 9: atorre (127,653)
drivingalone antes 750
XPOKERCHIC antes 750
imprezax95 antes 750
buffalosabres2 antes 750
locochaser antes 750
nasnas antes 750
holdem q1 antes 750
Diamondeye15 antes 750
atorre antes 750
holdem q1 posts the small blind of 3,000
Diamondeye15 posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to XPOKERCHIC [Jh Js]
atorre folds
drivingalone folds
XPOKERCHIC has 15 seconds left to act
XPOKERCHIC raises to 27,750
imprezax95 folds
buffalosabres2 raises to 130,952, and is all in
locochaser folds
nasnas folds
holdem q1 folds
Diamondeye15 folds
XPOKERCHIC calls 61,404, and is all in
buffalosabres2 shows [Qh Qs]
XPOKERCHIC shows [Jh Js]
Uncalled bet of 41,798 returned to buffalosabres2
locochaser: gl chic
*** FLOP *** [2s 9d 2c]
*** TURN *** [2s 9d 2c] [Th]
*** RIVER *** [2s 9d 2c Th] [8d]
buffalosabres2 shows two pair, Queens and Twos
XPOKERCHIC shows two pair, Jacks and Twos
buffalosabres2 wins the pot (194,058) with two pair, Queens and Twos
atorre: lots of QQ JJ today
atorre: gg
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 194,058 | Rake 0
Board: [2s 9d 2c Th 8d]
Seat 1: drivingalone folded before the Flop
Seat 2: XPOKERCHIC showed [Jh Js] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Twos
Seat 3: imprezax95 folded before the Flop
Seat 4: buffalosabres2 showed [Qh Qs] and won (194,058) with two pair, Queens and Twos
Seat 5: locochaser folded before the Flop
Seat 6: nasnas (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: holdem q1 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Diamondeye15 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: atorre folded before the Flop
If I fold the jacks here I could have made another pay tier. I should have paid attention to that.
I really enjoyed the tourney today. I think for the most part I played my "A" game, first by being patient, and second using my position, skill and a little luck thrown in for good measure. I ended in 40th when my KK ran into AA. No luck on that one. LOL. Funny thing is I lost with KK vs 99 in another tourney just minutes before getting KO'd in the PC tourney. Kings not good for me today. I did KO Rex55, but I was informed she was not a bounty. URGRRRRRRRRRRR! GL to all players that are left. TY PC for the freeroll (Zimba)! I can use the practice. GG everyone. X
Why get a poker coach? That is the question of the day. I have been researching this for about a month. I have found several sites thru PC, and decided to look at each one. Some have lower pricing than others and some have more coaches than others. I don't think I have the income to be able to pay for coaching, so I will continue to try and win my coaching from PC freerolls and tourneys. I read a lot of poker mags and books in hope of getting more ensite on the game. I am also reading many blogs, like Rex55, degenaMatt, and others here. Keep the info coming guys.
I had a really bad month last month and a pretty bad start this month. I play very low limit and I am getting my teeth kicked out. LOL. I have to find out what I am doing wrong. I raise standard 3BB with AA and get called by 73. I go all in with 20BB with AA and get called by 22 with a duece on the river. So I am taking a little break the rest of the week to evaluate my play. I will be playing this weekend I hope. X
Skill #1: Mathematics
• A solid poker player knows the general probabilities of the game. For example, they know that you have about 1 in 8.5 chance of hitting a set when holding a pocket pair, and that you have about a 1 in 3 chance of completing a flopped flush draw by the river.
• Good players understand the importance of outs. Outs are simply the number of cards that will improve your hand. Count your outs, multiply them by two, and add one, and that's roughly the percentage shot you have at hitting.
• Good players can figure out the pot odds. Knowing outs is meaningless unless it's translated into rational, calculated betting. Knowing you have a 20% chance of hitting, what do you do then? If you're not sure, check out our Pot Odds article.
• Math skills are the most basic knowledge; it's day-one reading. Anyone who doesn't understand these concepts should not play in a game for real money until they do.
Skill #2: Discipline
• Good poker players demand an advantage. What separates a winning poker player from a fish is that a fish does not expect to win, while a poker player does. A fish is happy playing craps, roulette, or the slots; he just hopes to get lucky. A poker player does not hope to get lucky. He just hopes others don't get lucky.
• Good poker players understand that a different game requires a different discipline. A disciplined no-limit player can be a foolish limit player and vice versa. For example, a disciplined limit hold'em player has solid preflop skills. When there is not much action preflop, he or she only plays the better hands. When a lot of people are limping in, he or she will make a loose call with a suited connector or other speculative hand.
• A disciplined player knows when to play and when to quit. He recognizes when he is on tilt and is aware when a game is too juicy to just quit while ahead.
• A disciplined player knows that he is not perfect. When a disciplined player makes a mistake, he learns. He does not blame others. He does not cry. He learns from the mistake and moves on.
Skill #3: Psychology
• A good player is not a self-centered player. He may be the biggest SOB you know. He may not care about anyone but himself, and he may enjoy stealing food from the poor. However, when a poker pro walks into a poker room, he always empathizes with his opponents. He tries to think what they think and understand the decisions they make and why they make them. The poker pro always tries to have an answer to these questions:
1. What does my opponent have?
2. What does my opponent think I have?
3. What does my opponent think I think he has?
• Knowing the answer to these questions is the first step, manipulating the answers is the second and more important step. Suppose that you have a pair of kings and your opponent has a pair of aces. If you both know what the other has, and you both know that you know what the other has, then why play a game of poker? A poker pro manipulates the answers to questions #2 and #3 by slowplaying, fastplaying, and bluffing in order to throw his opponent off.
• Good poker players know that psychology is much more important in a no-limit game than in a limit game. Limit games often turn into math battles, while no-limit games carry a strong psychology component. Thus, poker tells are much more important in no-limit games.
Skill #4: Understanding Risk vs. Reward
• Pot odds and demanding an advantage fall into this category. Poker players are willing to take a long-shot risk if the reward is high enough, but only if the expected return is higher than the risk.
• More importantly, they understand the risk-vs.-reward nature of the game outside of the actual poker room. They know how much bank they need to play, and how much money they need in reserve to cover other expenses in life.
• Good poker players understand they need to be more risk-averse with their overall bankroll than their stack at the table.
When you play in an individual game, you must value every chip equally at the table. You should only care about making correct plays. If you buy in for $10, you should be okay with taking a 52% chance of doubling up to $20 if it means a 48% chance of losing your $10.
However, you should be risk-averse with your overall bankroll. You need to have enough money so that any day at the tables will not affect your bankroll too much. If you worry too much about losing, then you will make mistakes at the table. You need to leave yourself with the chance to fight another day.
Full Tilt Poker Game #13751707804: PokerCurious Rex55 Bounty 2 (101057641), Table 6 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:17:40 ET - 2009/08/01
Seat 1: The_Answer48 (1,440), is sitting out
Seat 2: STATE_CHAMP285 (1,805)
Seat 3: XPOKERCHIC (1,530)
Seat 4: Smilie 13 (2,140)
Seat 5: catfly (5,560)
Seat 6: CA1RNSY (915)
Seat 7: TomPokeris (1,395), is sitting out
Seat 8: eeeeewu (3,030)
Seat 9: DaMortician (3,320)
DaMortician posts the small blind of 20
The_Answer48 posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to XPOKERCHIC [5d 5s]
STATE_CHAMP285 calls 40
XPOKERCHIC raises to 240
Smilie 13 folds
catfly folds
CA1RNSY has 15 seconds left to act
CA1RNSY has timed out
CA1RNSY folds
CA1RNSY is sitting out
TomPokeris folds
eeeeewu calls 240
DaMortician has 15 seconds left to act
DaMortician has timed out
DaMortician folds
DaMortician is sitting out
The_Answer48 folds
STATE_CHAMP285 calls 200 (WHY CALL A RAISE WITH K6 OFFSUIT?)
*** FLOP *** [4d 5c Kc]
STATE_CHAMP285 bets 1,565, and is all in
XPOKERCHIC calls 1,290, and is all in (IN BAD POSITION, DUH!)
eeeeewu folds
STATE_CHAMP285 shows [6c Kd]
XPOKERCHIC shows [5d 5s]
Uncalled bet of 275 returned to STATE_CHAMP285
*** TURN *** [4d 5c Kc] [Kh]
*** RIVER *** [4d 5c Kc Kh] [4h]
STATE_CHAMP285 shows a full house, Kings full of Fours
XPOKERCHIC shows a full house, Fives full of Kings
STATE_CHAMP285 wins the pot (3,360) with a full house, Kings full of Fours
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,360 | Rake 0
Board: [4d 5c Kc Kh 4h]
Seat 1: The_Answer48 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: STATE_CHAMP285 showed [6c Kd] and won (3,360) with a full house, Kings full of Fours
Seat 3: XPOKERCHIC showed [5d 5s] and lost with a full house, Fives full of Kings
Seat 4: Smilie 13 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: catfly didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: CA1RNSY didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: TomPokeris didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: eeeeewu (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: DaMortician (small blind) folded before the Flop
