Quitthedoner – There is a wide variety of poker forums out there today, many of which have been in operation for years and have a wide following of people. However, why are these so popular, and can they actually help you improve your own poker game?
The fact may surprise you that yes, they can. Poker forums are superb online venues that allow players from around the world to gather and share tips and advice, much like the original game itself. The fact that games are often played in rooms, called poker forums, allows players from diverse locations to chat with each other and share their opinions on hand selection, betting, and generally anything related to the game. The fact that people are able to sharing hand thoughts allows the players to override the typical poker advice of “play this hand slow” or “Stop thinking before you act.”
The crucial idea is that the players at the poker forums are not offering “free” advice. Instead, they are doing their own reviews, analysis, and commentary, helping each other along as much as they can. As the saying goes, “oup off your own hand” to each other. The poker forums are rich with information as it relates to both general play, and specific hands of particular players.
If you have friends or coworkers who play poker, or want to find out more about the game, you should never hesitate to reach out to those individuals and ask them questions about hands that you or your friends have played. Much like you may expect to get poker tips from your older relatives, your friends and coworkers may also give you some excellent poker advice of your own.
The benefits to reaching out to fellow poker players you know are many. First of all, you may be able to learn a thing or two about a particular player that you may not have even known and won’t know for years, or decades, unless you’re a regimented poker player and have dozens of friends in the same city, or neighboring city. Email them, and ask them what they think of your play or what they think of your specific hand. You should receive speedy responses, and usually people are too busy playing to bother to engage in a debate with you.
But the best thing that you can probably get from the poker forums is the effect that they can have on your poker game. Even though you’re interacting with actual poker players, you’re still doing so face to face, and thus can learn a lot more about them. You can see their facial expressions or verbal responses and terms, which are not always publicized by the televised poker tournaments that are shown on television.
Don’t be afraid to ask people what they think of your hand, especially people that you don’t know that well. They know it’s just a hand, but they’ll give you more than just a “like” or “tv” to take in remipoker. They may share some private information that you don’t want to see revealed to the world. The worst that can happen is that you cause a player to fold, but you’re more likely to upset an opponent by challenging their complacency.
Just as you should be studying your opponents, the other person should be studying you. Both Daniel Negreanu and poker star Chris Ferguson have said that when you’re new to the game, simply looking at your opponents can be very beneficial. Look at Chris’ profile. He’s been playing the game for over a decade, but seems to have gained celebrity status because of his ability to analyze opponents and determine their gestures, hand movements, and even their “tells” (if they have any).
Not everyone can do this, though. The difficulty lies in learning what to look for and how to use it. Every poker player has a different style of play, and you should respect that. If you respect the game, you will get respect. If you don’t, you’re just another fish… riding the wave… or something similar. The game’s maker, the director of the show, needs to know that the players are acting in accordance with the basic strategy, but they’re also out for themselves.
Even with that in mind, there are still some guidelines you can follow. First of all, you don’t have to play every hand. Many people get too excited with a good hand and they play it every way. If you have a hand that’s good, don’t get carried away and try to make a good use of it in a three-handed game. Others look at their hole cards as ” intrinsically” strong and they treat them as such. Be patient, and be selective. Don’t gamble.
If you have a good hand, you should try to see the whole game before deciding whether to play it or not. You can’t judge a book by its cover. You need to know what the game is all about, before you approach it.