How do you get to or maintain your "A game"?

[USCTrojans]

How do you stay sharp and improve your game, what kind of steps do you take?

[johnpoker]

a good poll

[USCTrojans]

a good poll

Thanks John, just really wondering the approach we all have towards getting better at "the game"

[Buster]

How do you stay sharp and improve your game, what kind of steps do you take?

I believe that observating good players and reading a lot can make you great

[USCTrojans]

I believe that observating good players and reading a lot can make you great

Observation is a great tool, but practice will make you perfect!

[NeverWinHere]

I do a little of all of them so didn't vote!!

[Lilred36]

wow you guys come up with some good polls.I am not going to tell my answer, you may see how I voted but.........

[Buster]

wow you guys come up with some good polls.I am not going to tell my answer, you may see how I voted but.........

I have to agree here with you, USC and others have posted some nice polls which actually keep you locked into them, its nice

[USCTrojans]

wow you guys come up with some good polls.I am not going to tell my answer, you may see how I voted but.........

I have to agree here with you, USC and others have posted some nice polls which actually keep you locked into them, its nice

Both of you, and everyone else as well, thank you I really appreciate the nice comments

[dabber1]

Just found this old post and thought I'd vote as I was not a member when originated. I think the longer you do something the better you get at it.......as long as you back that up with watching and studying 'The Game'.

[USCTrojans]

This poll is not for members who were here before I posted it, I actually would like all new and old members to reply to all my polls.

You will find some cool ones and there are lots that you have yet to complete

Polls are here to stay to get a big voting sample in return after a longer time, they aren't just for a week or anything like that.

Feel free to vote and post on every poll you want

[eejit101]

time to add 2cents.

While all of them are helpful, evyerone is different.

For example, i have NEVER read a poker book, the only kind of advice ive got from that is a forum, just general hand questions that kind of thing.

Doing nothing and just playing is a daft answer, as thats called experience. No way can you be a great player (and No-one on this forum is great, i mean really great) and take say 3 years off and not play 1 hand, and come back playing your "A" game, things change, youll forget a little etc.

Discussion is great, thats why a couple years back id post hands i'd or other regulars had played, with or without hole cards, and get some thoughts on how they were played or what youd do different, it gives you multi-way advice which is priceless, as a tight player and an agressor will both win tourneys, but if you can use both sides of their games..... your golden.

Observation is fun. If you watch poker on TV you will learn nothing, they show maybe 5 interesting plays an hour, and none of them are that great often, sometimes youll pick up a tip or 2, but not often, TV = entertainment. BUT - watch online is different. Ive watched many guys play tourneys, mainly NDN and Borgo and Ed. While learning some things from them while enquiring abouty their cards, you should also try and put people on hands. Borgo will back me up here when i say ive watched him play and gone on a sick "run" of calling peoples hole cards he is against either spot on or vyer damn close. You can learn alot from observing, but its boring

Coaching is weird. A few sites out there offer coaching videos, which are good and will improve your game, so the investment of the PPV side is worth it. Apart from that i dont know much about it so i cant offer advice.



Generally i use a bit of all except the book side. IT works, im doing well live at the moment. 10 tourneys, 3 cashes (11th, 5th, 2nd), and more impoertantly, got knocked out either ahead of 50/50, so im playing well i think.

I hope at least 1 person reads this and thinks a bit

Have fun


(back in 2 days im told)

[USCTrojans]

I read it eejit, thanks a lot you are damn right about learning from own experience

[Lilred36]

What we always read your posts there "GOLDEN", alot of info that all players should read, I to have not read a book, my system is very close to what Eejit just described.I have done okay lately, so I say he's spot on!!

[NeverWinHere]

Yeah definitely some good info there! Thanks eejit!

[ffcowboy76]

I'm gonna agree with eejit on most of his post. I disagree that you don't learn from reading books. While reading forums will provide you with knowledge, not all of it is correct. I've only been on this site for a day, but most of the information I've read is spot on with what I've read on other sites and in various books.

Me personally,

I read books, use experience, and poker tracking software to help maintain my "A" game. I took some time off, but in the last 2400 hands of cash game I've maintained 11.6bb/100 hands profit. I went back and looked at my other data base and I've shown great improvement. Over 21,000 hands I was maintaining 1.93bb/100 hands. The biggest improvement for me was through the tracking software. I've tightened up my game and got more aggressive.

[herlis]

yes experience will be the best way to learn it and a good rest conditioning yourself before playing.

[USCTrojans]

Tracking software is in fact a great addition to the online poker. It will help you on any flaws you may have

[twenty47]

to get to my "A Game" i just tell the hubby to sit down and shut up and leave me be......... Once he stops trying to "coach" me, I do awesome, lol

[eejit101]

to clarify on ffcowboy's post, a good win/rate is 3bb/100 hands.

Meaning if your playing $1/$2 cash game, after 100 hands on average you should have won $6. This isnt obviously true for all times, as you can bust on tables and take someone else all in - but averaging it out over time.



p.si love how people like my posts! ship it

[USCTrojans]

Yeah, most people wont feel good if they only make $6 after playing 100 hands on $1/2 LOL

But this works for people who play it correctly multitabling and BR management, thats when $6 pops a table every 100 hands and you playing 10 tables, thats when it gets profitable

[NeverWinHere]

When I propped, I would play 4 tables and average about $40 an hour, not bad!

[Lilred36]

Ok sounds like you guys are alot better at this than me,I prefer tourneys when I'm sober but cash games, well.Okay if ya play tight 6 bucks for 100 hands is ok, but don't see me ever doing that so play aggressive, win a few you should'nt.Then yourAA flops Akk and you lose it all to quads? I guess with cash games I prefer aggression. However, ring games all Imostly see is poker rooms raking not alot of swing over time, most players just passing cash.THATS just my opion could be wrong.I really prefer trneys.

[USCTrojans]

Dont get me wrong, I do prefer MTTs