Confucius Say:

OK, I have learned a few valuable lessons in paying for my ongoing poker school tuition. Here are some I abdide by:

1. If you don't see it, don't bet it. (being able to "see" is a subjective word in this case)

2. Resist the urge to villainize a player. If someone sucks out against you, don't start a grudge match. Once you go "tilt" you will start playing marginal cards just to "get even."

3. When someone loses a big hand and then goes all in on the next hand, the chances are pretty damn good that the player has better cards than you do.

4. Folding with good cards. It is a very fine science and few have mastered the technique. I have mastered being able to fold with top pair. I need to work on learning when to fold with 3 of a kind and better.

5. "Scared money never wins and greedy money always loses."

Please click on the "Reply" button and add a few of your own and eventually we will have a collection of everything a person needs to know and then some.

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Just good enough to think I am good enough.

Don't play for more money than you can afford, your probably going to be doing it because you've just lost a tough hand and want to make it back up, which is going to be against your advantage anyways and to go along with it, your going to be playing against better players then you normally would, so if you take a tough beat, either stop and cool down for a bit or go back to one of your normal tables/tournaments, unfortunatly I can't seem to always follow my own advice, which is why I just ordered the Pokerstars Bad Beat Stress Star, heh, hope that helps

Don't play with fear, I noticed when I first started playing I was always afraid of losing money, played a very tight/passive game, lost a lot my first week of playing (BIG FISH). Anyway, found a way around it. I set a limit to how much money I was going to play each day, if I lost it so be it, no regrets. I have found now that I am playing with confidence and no fear, playing with common sense and pratical stratagies and constantly reading everything I can get my hands on. I still sometimes get that pit in my stomach but I immediately push it a side and put trust in my skill and abilities to play the game.
See ya at the tables.

My newest lesson learned is that when hot streaks end, they freefall. This may account for how some people say when they cash out and have a check sent their luck goes bad.

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Just good enough to think I am good enough.

Don't take A-K to the river if what you see on 4th street looks and sounnds like a Tsunami. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck......it's probably not a pigeon.

Grab a parachute and get off the plane.

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One bad call can wipe out five good raises.

Regards: when another player seems to put me on tilt:
usually this happens when another player is aggressive and the cards are falling all over them. i have tried to think this one through when I am AWAY from the table and in a calmer frame of mind. I have tried this little thought - for him/her nothing can go wrong therefore I MUST limit my action ( the word Position means soo much). Yes, I tighten up WAY too much, but I will either wait for what I consider a positive expectation situation (then bite my tongue and face the heat) or just watch antes disappear. NOW, as I watch this chip vacuum I evaluate his play, not on the outcome, but on the plays themselves. If I perceive a quality player maximizing his opportunies and table presence I TAKE NOTES on his plays. If I perceive a wreckless player facing a wonderful run of cards I only ask myself - would I wish to put myself in that type of fluctuation cycle and do I have the money to weather the inevitable storm that follows.

Good post ace.

Number 4 is something I am trying to get better at...getting off good cards that because of what happens afterwards, they ain't that good. It's hard to swallow your pride if your A-A is up against a bb and after an Ace falls on the flop, the way the bb bets indicates he's got that powerful A-2 in his hand!

Number 2 is good too. I have let more than one player know how I felt by saying "keep playing that garbage", "I love chasers", etc. Not very often, but once in a while. Now when I see others say that, I just chuckle. A good internet poker book I browsed through at a bookstore said that antaganizing weak players can often make them do one of two things, both of which will hurt your profits...(1) straighten up and actually take your advice or (2) leave the table...with your money.

Only thing I can think of right now to add to this thread is...

Confucius say "Never start playing borderline hands if you are losing, or getting rag after rag pocket cards..."

Got a new one I wrote in another post.

I honestly think some people subconsciously punish themselves for gambling when they lose by running their bankroll to zero. He knows when he is in the zone and playing well, and when he isn't. To play when you don't feel the game is asking for punishment.

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Just good enough to think I am good enough.