I want to start with poker ! - Need expert advice..

I have tried to play a bit of NLTH online at 0.25-0.5 blind levels and I seem to break even without proper knowledge about poker.

I am thinking to learn some ebooks from Roy Rounder: "Poker Math made easy", "Holdem Secrets" and "Costly Mistakes in TH"

And after assimilating these 3 ebooks, to hit the tables and see how I am doing. Now, for the advices I need and questions I have:

1. Should I start with mini (6-10 player) Sit`n`Go tournaments or with Cash Ring Games ? - Also, NLTH, or Limit THoldem ?

- Can you (experts) give me some good and easy to learn ebook names for each poker type (enumerated above) in part ?

2. What bankroll I would need and how much I should bring at table and when I should leave the table in a No Limit cash game ?

3. What bankroll I would need for playing in $10 buy-in Sit`n`Go`s in order to have a Risk of Ruin lower than 1% ? (but 0.1% ?)

Also, I would need some very good articles on about how to play a head to head NLTH Cash Game and a head to head Sit`n`Go ?

I know that the last question, might be (part) contained in one of the books I have, but I don`t know as I did not read them yet.

PS: - If I am unclear with some/any details in my post, please point me at it and I will try to explain it in more detail. Thank you !

1) It depends what you do best in. I prefer 10 players @ cash games and have met people who like and do better with 6-10 player tournaments. Playing will tell you what works for you.
2)While there are many different views the most important issue is what you are comfortable with. I set my limit for a 1-2 NLH @ max buy-in ($300-500 depends on casino), win/loss @ $100-200 a session (If I don't preplan multi sessions then it's just 1 for the day) HAVE WIN/LOSS LIMITS.
3)For the bankroll I have no idea, as for heads up, what I do is practice by playing in free online sit-in-goes.

PlayHunter,

If we ever meat @ the tables I would have no problem with you giving me all the pots!!!

If you really break even at 0.25/0.5 NLHE online, you'll probably be fine playing live at the lowest blind level at the casino.

For live cash games, I think "Professional No-Limit Hold 'em" has good ideas on how how to play low-limit cash NLHE.

As for RoR on $10 SnGs that really depends on your ROI, the number of players in the tournament, and the places/amounts paid. For single table SnGs (10 players), a BR of 50 buyins would keep your RoR quite low though (<5%) if you are a modest winner longterm (~9% ROI). If you really want 1% or less, you'll probably need to make it ~65 buy-ins. For 0.1%, ~100 buy-ins.

Although none of your specific questions are answered in this article, I suggest you read
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/poker/7713-introduction-to-poker-in-a-casino-poker-room/
It covers some basic but important details that are often overlooked in the poker books.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Although none of your specific questions are answered in this article, I suggest you read
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/poker/7713-introduction-to-poker-in-a-casino-poker-room/
It covers some basic but important details that are often overlooked in the poker books.

Wow, wish I was able to read this the first time I bothered to play live poker. At least I played online beforehand though.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but if you claim to have played "a bit" of NLHE online and that is all the experience you have, you are most definitely NOT a break-even player. Anybody can break even over a few thousand hands. 99% of poker players will claim to be break-even or better. 90% of them are either lying or deluding themselves.

It takes many thousands of hands worth of experience for someone to even have the ability to claim they are experienced playing poker, let alone being good at it. In today's poker economy, which is much smaller and tougher to beat than it was 5-7 years ago, most people will be a fish for a very long time.

My advice to you would be to read books (you seem to have made a good start) and visit a few POKER forums (this is a general gambling forum- expertise in poker is relatively rare hear IMO). Most poker forums are bursting with great articles from expert online players who have worked their way up from the micros.

Start small! IMO $50NL (this is the proper terminology for stakes in online cash games, always expressed as 100x the big blind) is too high for somebody starting out. While you are learning you can expect to lose 50-100 buy ins before you can gain enough experience where you might be able to start breaking even, or maybe having a small positive win-rate. I would suggest starting at $10NL cash games ($.10-.20 no-limit) with a bankroll of AT LEAST $250. You can expect to lose this eventually unless you are an extremely quick learner.

Once you start making money, don't even think about moving to bigger games until you have at least 25 buy-ins for the next level. Even expert players can go on swings big enough to wipe out a bankroll this big. Bankroll management is the single most important factor in being a successful poker player. Also, never make the mistake of telling yourself that people at higher stakes will "respect my raises" more than the idiots at low stakes, and then move up the ladder because of it. If this thought comes to mind, you are bluffing too much. At low stakes, value bets are going to make you the money. Bluff against good players, value bet your good hands against bad ones.

Also, buy a program like Hold'em Manager or PokerTracker. These will keep track of every hand you are involved in and will help you learn where you are making mistakes. It also tells you every move your opponents make, which is a huge help when keeping track of other players.

Now for your questions:

1. Sit-n-go's are fun to play but you will ultimately be wasting your money. There are people playing them that are far better than you and the rake will eat you alive. Cash games are the way to go for two reasons- Lower variance and you can play more hands in a shorter time.

2. Most online sites have a max buy-in of 100 big blinds. Bigger stacks tend to benefit better players because the fish can make bigger mistakes. I would recommend starting with a half buy-in until you are a little more experienced. When you are experienced you should always make a full buy-in to take advantage of the mistakes of others. As far as cashing out, there is no hard science to this. You never want to have too high a percentage of your bankroll at risk. If you lose a large stack you risk going on tilt. There is no shame in squirreling away your wins when playing online.

3. In order to calculate your risk of ruin I would need to see your stats for the last thousand or so SNGs you've played, which I'm assuming does not exist. The fact is you are most likely a losing player right now so unless you have a large enough bankroll to last until you start winning, your risk of ruin is nearly 100%. If you insist on playing tournaments I would recommend having at least 50 buy-ins to take the crazy swings SNGs and tournaments can give you. I will warn you that SNGs have tilted me more than any other form of poker. It can be maddening at times.

I hope this helps a little. I always ramble on too much and seem a little harsh when a new poker player starts asking questions. The fact is poker is extremely difficult to succeed at and it WILL cost you a lot of money to learn. You need to be prepared for the losses you will take. Good luck!

SnG's will add a lot of variance, I'd start with cash games. At low limits ABC poker should be fine. I used to 8-table low stakes SnG's on Fulltilt with modest success. I started with Colin Moshman's Sng Strategy book.

Download Pokerstove. It's free, but can give you a ton of info about ranges.

I'd recommend videos over books.

However, remember that you're just reading the same info that nearly everyone else has already read. You need to avoid the better players, exploit the fish, and table selection is absolutely key.

Quote: deedubbs

SnG's will add a lot of variance, I'd start with cash games. At low limits ABC poker should be fine. I used to 8-table low stakes SnG's on Fulltilt with modest success. I started with Colin Moshman's Sng Strategy book.

$10 Single table SnGs are probably less swingy than 0.25/0.50 NL, which PlayHunter already admitted to playing.

As far as SnGs go, reading up on "Kill Phil" and "Kill Everyone" will be useful for learning optimal jam/fold play.

SNGs are much more likely to put someone on tilt in my experience. They can definitely be enjoyable at times but are also much tougher to beat these days as opposed to during the poker boom. Most people playing them seriously have pretty much mastered the relatively simple strategies behind them and there are fewer and fewer fish to feed them. There isn't enough in the pot to give anybody a big edge anymore, meaning all of the money ultimately goes into the rake.

Cash games are more beatable in the current poker economy. Overall I think it will be very difficult for newer players to succeed at poker until it either becomes more popular again or all the good players die.

Quote: Elrohir44

SNGs are much more likely to put someone on tilt in my experience. They can definitely be enjoyable at times but are also much tougher to beat these days as opposed to during the poker boom. Most people playing them seriously have pretty much mastered the relatively simple strategies behind them and there are fewer and fewer fish to feed them. There isn't enough in the pot to give anybody a big edge anymore, meaning all of the money ultimately goes into the rake.

Cash games are more beatable in the current poker economy. Overall I think it will be very difficult for newer players to succeed at poker until it either becomes more popular again or all the good players die.

This wouldn't surprise me (I haven't played SnGs for real money in a few years, and back then it was just "sparingly"), it's probably quite important to understand jam/fold and bubble play to be a winner in today's game.

Elrohir44 makes a very good point at end. But I'd also like to suggest on-line tourneys, in addition to cash ring play. Consider the 50NL Cash ring (25c/50c/100c) being above you for a moment. and try at the 10NL ring (5c/10c/20c). Let us know what you think of any differences you encounter. If your on-line site does tourneys, try a $2 NL Freezeout (NO rebuys or add-ons) during your time spent at $10 NL ring. Let us know what differences you see there. Since you have already tried SitnGoes, try a tourney with 100-300 players (For smaller sites this might be a 50c price). What I think you will notice is that the tourneys offer a nice pay for lesser $, but its the villains that you will encounter thats important.

I am not looking into playing long sessions. ~1,5 (max 2) hours is long enough for me and I can not do more than 3 sessions a day.

I like action and usually prefer turbo 10 seat tables. - How I did until now at cash ring games was to minimum buy in and go all in with any decent hand. (kj and up, pair of 10s and up - and to see flop with Ax suited and lower pairs) And stand up with 2x+ buy-in.

I have next to no experience at SnGo`s. (And I am also very interested in learning head to head cash games.. - I feel this profitable..)

Thank you Elrohir44 - you was very through and that`s what I look for - and the rest of you guys who help me with valuable advices!

Quote: PlayHunter

How I did until now at cash ring games was to minimum buy in and go all in with any decent hand. (kj and up, pair of 10s and up - and to see flop with Ax suited and lower pairs) And stand up with 2x+ buy-in.

It's an ok start, but this isn't an effective strategy against good opponents. You've just been lucky.

I started with online poker the way most people did about ten years ago. The very first time I played live poker it was a limit game with $2 and $1 blinds and the buy-in was $40. I had a great time. I had no idea what I was doing so I didn't do anything for the first couple of big blinds. After that I figured out the basics of how to play. I thought it was a great $40 investment.

Here in LA the Bicycle casino has a daily noon tournament with a $40 buy in. No rebuys. There is a $10 fee so total outlay is $50. Another great way to learn.

Back when I may or may not have played online I preferred the 1 table Sit-n-Gos since I could count on them being over in around an hour. Of course it's easier for 2 frinds to both sign up for the same tournament and team up against you.