Quote:
Originally Posted by Hal N.
Hey Garrick, I do think the problem was studying (in my case) to some extent...but you’re right on in that there are other issues (I just can’t work on some things properly as, well, you know...”anti-poker” mindsets).
I mean, I can practice to graze the back, front, or sides of a rim when making a basketball shot...but in games it seems counterproductive to incorporate such precision. Just get the points, right?
I don’t think I’m the first to come out and discourage over-thinking in live low stakes.
This is an important subject IMO.
I've lost a lot of money strat leveling myself. I've thought that I'd be better off not learning too much strat. But over time, I've won way more using strat to make improvements.
I'm more of an intuitive guy. Maybe you are too. I think what happens is it takes a while for me to synthasize new strat into my thinking. At first you might find yourself trying to force it where it doesn't belong.
Overlappingly, you also have to shape it to your games and even a particular game. A lot of high level strat doesn't apply directly to LLSN. See Jon Littles absurd contention that you should always use a 3x open at any stakes in any game.
Man, I remember when all these mediocre online players were forced to do live and were doing dumb stuff like raising their button whenever limped to no matter how many times it blew up in their faces. That was awesome.
No need to balance your bet/3bet range on the river. Don't call the OMCs all in on the river because you have a spade blocker.
But, you can learn a lot to sharpen up your game as you figure out how to integrate it. An obvious example is hand selection. Who among us doesn't get too loose pre? Assuming you 3b light at least sometimes, hand selection is proably MORE important in LSNL because of the times you are called. When making hero calls/folds the blocker/range stuff, along with improved hand reading, can be pretty important. Just don't overdo it and allow it to override the things you know about Vs and the language of your game.
Make your hand reading assumptions based on what your Vs actually do, not what a well balanced V would do.
When strat does blow you up, adjust rather than discard. Yes, Vs in our games will sometimes just call with QQ, and even KK or AA when there is a weak open and 2 callers in front of them. So sometimes you will get raped when you squeeze them. So squeezing is slightly less valuable, but that doesn't make it worthless.
You learn by making mistakes. Apart from stuff like folding more UTG, you'll probably screw up a few times as you learn to do new stuff, just as in any other endevor.
Obviously, I don't know the specifics of your situation, I'm just using these examples to illustrate the point.
Ultimately, you are using the things you might learn from a Doug Polk to pick up an extra pot here and there. Maybe it doesn't happen for a few sessions. Maybe it happens 3x in one. Just don't become enamored of your shiny new toys and start acting like every hand is from a heads up match against a world class player.