So after doing the micros digest for over a year and going on a binge the last 3 days, reading all those posts I had missed the last few months made me think about what makes some posts really really valuable.
The micros is a great place to learn to play ABC. You will get your fundamentals down good. On the river, you learn to b/f profitably, just because nobody is ever sophisticated enough to pull out a bluff raise at these levels, even 2+2ers. You will get to play in a winning way against the competition up to the 2/4 level, just because there isn't that much to think about in terms of reads and tendencies.
But poker is a situational play. As you move up and up, simple hand posts will be very difficult to grasp without context, hence videos or session reviews are the best way to go. Or going over your play with a buddy (afterwards, I know how much you hate ghosting around here ;-) ). Hence a lot of HU or BvB posts here will be very difficult to address in a vacuum.
How do I grasp what a really great post is? I don't know, but maybe here are a few examples of what's not a post we learn from. That's not to say, it's not a tough spot for OP and he shouldn't make the post, it's just that it will usually not make the digest.
- Hands that only get 2 replies. Yes, I'm sorry if your question was really good, but apparently it wasn't of interest to the whole community, they didn't learn that much from it. That is not to say, your post wasn't good, it just didn't meet that much resonance.
- Quad hands, flopped sets, straights, boats, on dry boards, etc.
- When your high pocket pair faces overcards (these spots are really really common). While I feel everybody needs to work through them, it is a fundamental step in your learning ladder, most of the micros posters have achieved that step and the people reading the digest can therefore consult previous digests or the Wiki.
- Winrates, tilt, bankroll, when to move up, statistics. While definitely important to calm ones fears and get reassurance, most of the stuff is mentioned in the FAQs. Other stuff might be suited for psychology, beginner's, poker theory, internet gambling forums. Last, but not least, the stats thread is very good.
- Posts with more than one hand. Unless, and really unless, they are really similar or you absolutely need the first hand as a read for the actual hand you are questioning about. Unfortunately I have rarely seen 2 hand posts that are really similar, yeah, they are somewhat similar, but even putting villain from MP to CO while having KK makes the hand different.
- Hands that have not been converted correctly. When skimming through hundreds of hand posts, I don't have the patience to really sift through the stuff. Kudos here go to non-self-weighter for transcribing his live hands just like the DC converter!
- Locked threads, NL hands, meta stuff (the secret to the micros).
You'll know the good posts when you see them. Posts that make you go mhmmm, and made a lot of people go mhmmm. It's just the right balance. For example, I know a lot of Rookx posts are difficult and I have to think hard about them, but not all of his posts get a lot of replies, which I find interesting. Others get tons of replies just for being OP
I have learned to respect a lot of posters more and more for their strategy content. I've even seen posters get really good in a matter of time. Snitch used to post weird strategy, now he actually makes a lot of sense most of the time
. I know I'm not mentioning a lot of people here, just the ones that stood out to me in some way or another to emphasize my point.
What is my point? Just that you contributions are not in vain. When you put a lot of effort into writing a hand post or when you grunch something very insightful, somebody out there is reading and is thankful, even if they don't say it. But I will say it right now:
THANK YOU MICROS
Two Plus Two
about "how much equity you need to cap" in your last digest. May it help others like these digests have helped me (and xylocain in that particular post) to work on my game.
oz
Linear Mode
