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Forums - General - Ask me about playing poker for a part time job

fkusumot on 15 November 2007
Emmitt2222 said:
@fkus

I, at the moment, play at very small stakes because I am switching from limit to NL, but for the most part, if I am not the best at the table I get worried. If I am third best at the table I should be playing very high stakes where there are no mega amounts of fish of I should be moving tables. Being third best at the table is a bad sign for the most part and you should not be comfortable.

However position, especially in NL, is so important that if you have other good players at the table it may not matter, if you have one awful player to your right. It's a game of positions and varies table to table, but to be good at the game you also need to know what the best tables are.

Okay, makes sense to me. My friend plays limit at the Borgata for a living and he has one game that he is really good at. The game rotates between hold'em, stud, Omaha and something else so a quarter of the time he is usually the best at the table. I guess his advice has to be put into some context. Thanks for that insight.



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twesterm on 15 November 2007
Emmitt2222 said:
twestern, you seem like a cool guy but coming from the statistical background, I must tear apart your statement. Every time you sit at the table and you aren't counting cards [thus giving you a statistical advantage] you are losing money. Just like every time you buy a lottery ticket you are basically paying $1.00 to win .99cents. Every bet you make is theoretically losing you money. The only time you can beat a casino is when you have the statistical advantage [which is rare]

So, like you, I like to play BJ for fun every once and awhile, but I walk away expecting to lose money because I theoretically should. Please don't mention walking away at the right time when you are actually theoretically losing money every hand. You don't have the edge [I can look up the numbers if you really need them] so its a game you play for entertainment, not for money.

Don't worry, I know the house always wins.  I would have more faith in poker except I'm just bad at it.  With Blackjack, I'm actually decent and have a better chance and can generally figure out the chances of my getting what I need and what the dealer should get (though there's always the chance I'm wrong).  The chances are against you in any game you play at a casino-- that's how they make money.  The worst probably is craps, you start at about a 49% chance of winning and then chances just start going down dramatically with every roll after the first.

 

ssj12 said:
twesterm said:

I know that system is bad, just playing around :-p

Blackjack isn't too bad, just like any other card game-- you just have to know the probabilities and have some luck. Last trip to vegas I came out up about $250 just on Blackjack (and about $40 on video poker). Not saying I was never in the red or that I ended every night in the black, but it's not real hard to come out on top as long as you know when to walk away from a table.

@SSJ12
I'm not sure what kind of Blackjack you're talking about. I've never played any version other than just all the players against only the dealer. True, there's a lot of strategy in there, but the only time you care what the other players have is when you're just figuring out about the probability of what you're going to get. The most important cards you pay attention to (other than your own) is the one card the dealer is showing.


Please watch World Championship Black Jack on ESPN sometime please. You will realize that it is you vs everyone else.


 Ah, that could be why.  Playing card games is good and fun but God, watching them is about as boring as watching baseball.

 



 

stranne on 15 November 2007

Craps is actually one of the best games in the casinos. I think that asian dice game is one of the worst, can't remember it's name now.



Jerk007 on 15 November 2007

I'd like to start playing Limit Hold 'Em, what good books should I give a read? I've read "Getting Started In Hold 'Em" by Ed Miller a while ago, but it seemed pretty basic and definitely not enough for me to be able to hold my own online if I remember right.

Also, are there any websites with nice perks to join for someone from Canada (that's me!)?



stranne on 15 November 2007

I like the Lee Jones book, Winning Low Limit Hold'em.

Poker Stars has some nice canadian free rolls.



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ssj12 on 15 November 2007
twesterm said:
Emmitt2222 said:
twestern, you seem like a cool guy but coming from the statistical background, I must tear apart your statement. Every time you sit at the table and you aren't counting cards [thus giving you a statistical advantage] you are losing money. Just like every time you buy a lottery ticket you are basically paying $1.00 to win .99cents. Every bet you make is theoretically losing you money. The only time you can beat a casino is when you have the statistical advantage [which is rare]

So, like you, I like to play BJ for fun every once and awhile, but I walk away expecting to lose money because I theoretically should. Please don't mention walking away at the right time when you are actually theoretically losing money every hand. You don't have the edge [I can look up the numbers if you really need them] so its a game you play for entertainment, not for money.

Don't worry, I know the house always wins. I would have more faith in poker except I'm just bad at it. With Blackjack, I'm actually decent and have a better chance and can generally figure out the chances of my getting what I need and what the dealer should get (though there's always the chance I'm wrong). The chances are against you in any game you play at a casino-- that's how they make money. The worst probably is craps, you start at about a 49% chance of winning and then chances just start going down dramatically with every roll after the first.

 

ssj12 said:
twesterm said:

I know that system is bad, just playing around :-p

Blackjack isn't too bad, just like any other card game-- you just have to know the probabilities and have some luck. Last trip to vegas I came out up about $250 just on Blackjack (and about $40 on video poker). Not saying I was never in the red or that I ended every night in the black, but it's not real hard to come out on top as long as you know when to walk away from a table.

@SSJ12
I'm not sure what kind of Blackjack you're talking about. I've never played any version other than just all the players against only the dealer. True, there's a lot of strategy in there, but the only time you care what the other players have is when you're just figuring out about the probability of what you're going to get. The most important cards you pay attention to (other than your own) is the one card the dealer is showing.


Please watch World Championship Black Jack on ESPN sometime please. You will realize that it is you vs everyone else.


Ah, that could be why. Playing card games is good and fun but God, watching them is about as boring as watching baseball.

 


 well im not saying watch the whole game just watch a few rounds so you understand what I'm getting at and how to actualy paly the game efficiently. 



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stranne on 15 November 2007

I think you're talking about different things. Cash BJ is a losing game in the long run unless you count cards, but tournament BJ is another story. The basic rules are the same, but the tournament aspect makes it a lot more complex than just following basic black jack strategy.



king_of_the_castle on 15 November 2007

Super System is my all-time favorite Poker Book, second are the Harrington on Hold'em books.

I play PokerStars too, started with a $40 deposit and have cashed out over $2000 in the few years I've played. I've always stuck to low-limits though like $25NL ringgames, .25/.50 limit, and $5 SNG's, even though my bankroll would let me move up. I haven't played very much lately though, mostly because of time, free time is a precious comodity for me these days...



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Emmitt2222 on 15 November 2007

@stranne

I think the NL book you speak of is decent, but not great. It just isn't clear enough all of the time. Right now I am reading Professional NL holdem I by Matt Flynn and others. It's published by 2+2 and so far seems to be one of the best starting books on NL that you can find. It is my favorite NL by far.

@rage

I play 2-4 tables now that I am learning NL. 1 table makes me so bored now. When playing limit I played anywhere from 4-8. I like 4 a lot though. I have dual 20" monitors so I can 4 table and do something else or 8 table. It's great.



Emmitt2222 on 15 November 2007

@ jerk

stranne's suggestions of WLLH is good, but is actually a pretty simplified book too. The absolute best limit book you can find for starting out and getting serious is Small Stakes Holdem by Ed Miller. Although he suggests a very aggressive style that may not be as big a winner in todays tighter online games, the book just has some great advice. That is my most read poker book and the binding is cracking. I was a very solid winner up to 2/4 limit just using most of the advice in that book.

To find a site with good incentives for you, I would check out bonuswhores.com. They have some good material on who has what bonuses when and such. I wouldn't know off of the top of my head what the best site is for you though. Back in the day Party Poker was king and I think Canadians can still play there, but I'm not sure it is still as juicy.

Also, one final note. Limit is a very good game, but with the current situation of online poker, NL is a better bet if you are looking to make some serious cash. Limit is much swingier naturally and you can have a much bigger advantage over horrible players in NL. So if you want to learn limit, go for it, but I would suggest learning NL to most people today just because it will be easier to grow in that area.