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Some people advocate just putting practical time in at the tables over time spent pouring over strategy articles, forums, hand posting, and training videos. I think I work better when I take a methodical approach to advancing my knowledge and understanding of the game and then consider its practical application and add one buidling block at a time.
A few people, myself included, have used the Black Belt Poker fourm to share their frustrations of either playing bad, running bad, or a bit of both. Some have confessed to putting in hours upon hours of time working on their game and having nothing to show for their efforts by way of an inflated bankroll or financial withdrawls. I certainly had a frustrating time when playing 1300 single-table tournaments since last Summer, with not a single dollar to show as a profit.
Firstly, I think that one area that poker players really need to learn and understand is the variance associated with the games that they play. Learn and accept that as part of the game and you will play with a clearer mind that if you are playing a winning strategy, you will come good. I think it"s also very important to have some realistic expectations, without setting financial goals, in poker. If you expect, because you have won say $100 over 30 $5 STTs to make $3,000 over 1000 games then you need to think again.
Also, I think it is important to think about the type of poker you play and whether or not you have the ability to live with the variance that that particular game-type and format delivers. 6-max cash or full-ring cash? PLO vs NLH vs FLH. Turbo STTs, 180-mans, DoNs, or MTTs. There are lots of options and it pays to spend some time understanding why one may suit you over another. Also, if you only have one or two sessions per week and play only one table, do not expect to make much money at micro-cash, for example.
For me, I played STTs for a few reasons. I wanted to reach and attain Orange belt level on the Black Belt Poker rewards system and felt this would be achievable multi-tabling in the time I had made available for poker each week, but only if I played the turbos, rather than the standard format. I also felt comfortable with the structure as I was working on my ICM game and wanted to get to this stage of the tournament more quickly where I felt my edge would be.
I switched to MTTs afterwards, as I had started to learn how the variance worked and realised I would really need to be playing a much larger volume of STTs than I could now commit too and could not live with putting in another 6-12 month period with the potential to make little or no money. If I have the time to play somewhere nearer 500 games per month than I might return to them.
With MTTs I"ve found that, at the lower-stakes, I have started to spin up a nice bankroll and observing the play of my average opponent in these games, feel that I can sustain a pretty high ROI and actually see some money in the bank.
So now you have considered variance and found a game that can deliver you some considered and realistic expectations, what about developing your game? Well, as I alluded to earlier, I firmly believe in a careful and methodical approach.
I think some players, as I certainly have, may suffer from trying to swim in the ocean of poker knowledge that exists out there, rather than firstly putting on your armbands and getting in the learners" pool. I have been watching some Deuces Cracked videos. It is not just about listening to the ideas and watching the hand examples. It"s also about really understanding when to apply that knowledge, and when not to. What are the nuances to look out for that signal now is the time to pull that particular move? What will you do when something from left-field comes at you that was not covered in the classroom representation you have been shown? I have watched each video twice, going back to take some personal notes and find that this is when the new information really starts to click into place.
Like all good theory it is not an answer in itself and this is where the advocates for learning by putting it into practice comes into the equation for me. Now it is time to start to adopt your new knowledge and to allow the teachings to influence your in-game decisions; little by little. If you are playing MTTs, like I am, perhaps you might want to begin by looking at whether you"re always c-betting when you should and considering all the various factors that the board, pre-flop action, position, stack sizes, and opponent reads can throw into the mix and influence that choice. Maybe you want to learn how to use a Heads-up Display like Hold'em Manager or Poker Tracker. Or you may want to get into calculating equity and utilising pokerstove. Whatever area you choose to work on, focus on that area alone.
I am certainly not afraid to strip my game bare and never over-estimate my ability in any one area. OK, I think my ICM game and short-stacked game is pretty good from having played a good volumes of STTs, but it could improve. I think my pre-flop hand selection is good, but I definitely don"t play optimally pre-flop. Be honest about your game and it"s weaknesses.
When adopting new strategies also ensure that you are not getting ahead of yourself by building a complex game strategy where a more simpler approach will be more effective. No point in adopting level four thinking when you are playing someone who only understands level one or two thinking. As Nik Persaud tells us in his excellent Fundamental Theorem of Poker lecture series on Black Belt Poker, always play at one level above your opponent.
The other learning material I have been educating myself with has been Nik"s lecture series. I take a highlighter, read and re-read the section that I struggle with first time round (some of the maths takes me two or three reads) and then I take my own notes to refer back to. Again, I"m prepared to put in the time and effort to properly understand each concept and not just read it once and claim to have been elightened as to a new way to win at poker.
Currently, my biggest driver has been my self-motivation. I think that this brings everything together for me. I know what I want, I have a fair idea of what I need to do to get it, and I make a committed decision to do just that. I also make sure that I keep a balance and ensure that there is time for other important achievements.
I have just returned to learning Spanish, so have a couple of sessions per week teaching myself something which I should have done long ago, being of Spanish descent. I am also ensuring I have time for some physical exercise after too many years being mostly inactive. The nursery and other home improvements have taken up a fair amount of time too and the expenditure has been one of the motivating factors behind my focus on improving my poker game and delivering some returns. Having a new addition to the family less than four months away certainly has provoked me into taking action.
Good luck to anyone who continues to work for their goals. Just remember also that the road to success is littered with failure. As long as you remain committed to the end result, but flexible in your approach to achieve it, and learn from the mistakes you make on the way, then all of us can get what we want from this game of poker and life.
To finish with this month, I am very excited to announce a partnership between Black Belt Poker and Northern Poker Stars of West Cumbria. I have worked with the private members" poker club for several years in a number of areas inculding, hosting live tournaments, promoting events, running their Facebook page and delivering web content. I first contacted Neil Channing when he was at the Aussie Millions 2010 to tell him about Northern Poker Stars. I wasn"t sure at this stage what I wanted from him, but Neil assured me to be patient as there would be something of interest to us in the future.
I contacted Neil again some months later and then waited until after the Aussie Millions 2011, and the appointment of Chris Edwards to make progress towards a deal. I convinced NPS owner, Ken Johston, that Black Belt were the coolest kids on the block and some eighteen months later we have agreed a partnership for BBP to not only host our online games, but also to bring some very exclusive live events to the poker players of Cumbria. We have some strong players who have had some decent live tournament results at DTD, UKIPT, GUKPTs, etc.
I have endured a lot of criticism, obstacles, and much worse in my endeavours to bring legalised poker tournaments to various locations within my local area. Northern Poker Stars have continued to enjoy increasing success in the West of Cumbria and in Carlisle, culmintating, this July, in our largest, and Cumbria"s only ever five-figure, prize pool (our nearest casinos are in Tyneside or Lancashire).
I now believe that all the hardwork and knocks have been worth taking and I look forward to being at the forefront of continuing to bring the best in live and online poker to our local players.
