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(Hopefully we can get this sticky-ed?)
Beginners Limit Holdem Welcome/FAQ
Hey! Welcome to DeucesCracked and the Beginners Limit Forum.
This forum is meant for Limit Hold'em poker discussion from the lowest limits all the way up to 3/6 or 5/10.
In this forum you will find a variety of Hand History discussions, theory posts, a fun NC/LC (no content or low content - stuff that doesn't deserve its own thread) thread for all your crazy hands, and a community of poker players looking to help you better your game.
I'm New to DC and/or Limit Holdem - Where Should I Start?
First, you should check out the DC episode guide, which is located here: http://www.deucescracked.com/forums/7-Research-Development-/topics/28164-DC-Video-Guide-Updated-Se#posts-1017801
Generally, beginners in limit holdem should start with "The Price is Right," "Real Life Microlimit Grinder" and "Passing The Torch." Once you have a thorough grounding, there are more advanced 6max LHE videos to watch referenced in the previously linked guide, as well as videos targeted at heads up and full ring players.
Posting Hands
-Posting hands is the heart of our discussion forum. This is one of the best ways for you as a player to improve your game and to help yourself look at poker the way many of the top players look at it.
Some Tips:
-For Posting Hands
* Use the DC hand converter located conveniently on the right when you are making a post.
* Include all reads you have on the players involved.
* Stop your post at the point of your question... for example, if you are confused about what to do on the turn after getting raised, delete everything after the action gets back to you on the turn. delete your action from the hand and put a '?' to indicate this is where you are stuck.
* It is also a good idea to try to keep your post as neutral is possible when you are asking a question. The community's response to your hand can be influenced if you give away the results of a hand.
Making Videos
-Videos are a great way to for you to get help with your over all game. Other posters will be able to see the same reads as you, experience hands in the same order and, if you record your thoughts while you play, get inside your decision making process.
Some tips for making and posting videos:
*Shorter videos get more replies. 15-20 minutes seems to be the optimal length.
*Making videos requires screen recording software. CamStudio, which is such a program, is available at no cost and is spyware free.
*You can upload your videos to the DC servers here
*You can post a video and then ask specific questions regarding situations if you are looking for specific feedback
Making Theory Posts
-Theory posts take a specific situation and analyze it in depth. A good theory post should:
*Have a clear thesis.
*Integrate logical and mathematical arguments
*Draw on your experience
*Have concrete examples
*Draw conclusions
Stats
What do all those numbers mean when people post? Where do they come from?
Most (not all, there are definitely exceptions) serious players own either PokerTracker3 or HoldemManager. These programs are used to track your hands and results in a database. They also track the results of all your opponents in hands you play with them.
When you use one of these programs, you are able to have a Heads Up Display (HUD), which shows the stats of your opponents in real time. The basic stats that people will post in their threads will be: Voluntarily Put Money In Pot (VPIP), Pre Flop Raise (PFR), Aggression Factor (AF) or Aggression Frequency (AQ), and often a 3bet stat (3bet%).
There are many ways to be successful at poker and many different playing styles. A very loose and broad idea of where stats 'should' be for a TAG or LAG/TAG player in a 6max game is having a VPIP of 26-34% and a PFR of 17-26%. There are absolutely winning players with stats lower than that and higher than that range.
It should be noted that as games get shorter handed your opening ranges will increase and these stats will change dramatically in a 3 handed game and a 6 handed game.
Bankroll and Bankroll Management
An important factor to consider when starting out is your bankroll. This is the total sum of money you have dedicated to poker. The stakes you play should, in part, be dictated by the size of your bankroll and your comfort level in terms of a Risk of Ruin.
Some generally accepted guidelines for a poker bankroll in Limit Holdem:
*500BB seems to be the generally accepted size needed to play at any given stake. so: if you have a $500 bankroll, your stakes should be .5/1 or lower. if you have $10000 you should play 10/20 or lower.
*When considering becoming a professional poker player, the need for a safety net grows exponentially. Poker is a swingy game, and winning and losing 100BB-300BB in a very short period of time happens with some regular frequency. When thinking about playing for a living, having 1000BB for your stake and 6 months living expenses seems to be the standard, though more is obviously better. for a 5/10 player you should have $10000 for poker and enough money on the side to live even if you lose your entire bankroll. This will vary person to person.
*What about taking shots? If you're feeling good about your game and want to try out a new limit, go ahead! These bankroll requirements are guidelines, but nothing is ever set in stone. DeathDonkey once wrote that if you have 300BB its perfectly acceptable to take a shot at a new limit (you currently have $600 and want to try out 1/2). You should, however, be prepared to move back down if things go poorly, as playing on a short bankroll will increase your variance and your RoR significantly.
Abbreviations You Will Find On The Forum
AF- aggression factor. a pokertracker statistic with an odd definition.
ASB – attempted to steal blinds. usually expressed as a %
bb – big blind (customarily, bb refers to "big blind" where BB refers to "big bet)
BB/100 – big bets per 100 hands. common unit for winrate
BB/hr – big bets per hour common unit for winrate
BDFD – back door flush draw
BDSD – back door straight draw
BPGK – bottom pair good kicker
BPNK – bottom pair no kicker
BPTK – bottom pair top kicker
calling station - someone who plays very loose and passive
CC – 1. coldcall 2. check and call. also c/c
CF – check and fold. also C/F
CR – check and raise. also C/R
CI – confidence interval
Clarkmeister – to bet the river first to act when a fourth flush card comes
CO – cutoff seat. the seat one to the button’s right
Donkbet – to bet out before the last aggressor on the previous round has a chance to act.
FD – flush draw
Float – to call a bet on the flop (with no hand) with the intention of trying to win the pot on a later street (either by raising or by betting if checked to)
FPS – fancy play syndrome
FYP – fixed your post
HEM - Holdem Manager
HEP - holdem poker by david sklansky
HEPFAP - holdem poker for advanced players. also hpfap
HH – hand history
HJ – hijack seat. the seat one to the cutoff’s right
HU – heads-up
HUD - heads up display. program that displays opponent/ table statistics
HUHU - Heads Up at a Heads Up Table.
IMHO – in my humble opinion
IMO – in my opinion
LAG – loose aggressive
LC – low content
LPP - loose passive preflop, passive postflop
LRR – limp reraise
Meh – intj. implying indifference
Metagame – the play of future hands.
MHIG – my hand is good
MHING – my hand is no good
MPGK – middle pair good kicker
MPNK – middle pair no kicker
MPTK – middle pair top kicker
NC – no content
Nit - an excessively tight and generally weakish player. See "rock"
OESD – open ended straight draw
OOP – out of position
OP – original poster
OT – off topic
open - to raise preflop when no one else has entered the pot. also open raise.
PFR – 1. preflop raiser 2. raised preflop, expressed as a %
POTD - post of the day
PT - pokertracker, a program that keeps poker records/ statistics
rock - a (perhaps excessively) tight player
S & M - poker writers sklansky and malmuth
SB – small blind
Screwplay – to go for a checkraise after betting and being called on the previous round
SD – 1. showdown 2. standard deviation
sexy - link
shania - link
SSHE - small stakes holdem by ed miller
stop n go – betting and calling a raise out of position, and then betting out again on the next round
TAG – tight aggressive
ToP - Theory of Poker by David Sklansky
TPGK – top pair good kicker
TPNK – top pair no kicker
TPP - tight passive preflop, passive postflop
TPTK – top pair top kicker
UI - unimproved
VPIP – voluntarily put money in the pot, expressed as a %
WA/WB – way ahead or way behind.
W$SD – won money at showdown, expressed as a %
WTSD – went to showdown, expressed as a %
For an even more extensive list of abbreviations, check out KeepYourChips
Other Topics
What about...
* Rakeback? - get it. DC has a great rakeback provider - Click Here. Consider giving someone in the forum your referral, then multiple people can benefit from it.
* Different Sites? - There is much debate over the idea that players play differently on different sites. Try them out for yourself to see what you think. Factors to consider when making a decision about a site: Rake structure, rakeback, other bonus opportunities, size of the player pool, will games at your limit run, how strong is the competition (it is generally accepted that the non-US sites tend to be softer, but also have less players so the games do not always run at all stakes)
* Heads Up Play? - There's no money heads up, everyone's solid. Just Kidding. HUHU is a great way to learn about hand reading. It is also quite profitable. The games above 5/10 are harder to come by in recent times, but when you can get action, there is a lot of profit to be had. Always start your own table when playing HUHU. The good players are all waiting at their own table, so sitting with them is likely a significant mistake. WARNING: heads-up poker is very complex, and can be very swing-y. It is highly recommended that you become proficient in 6m or full ring before attempting to play HUHU. Also, it is generally accepted that cash games on the major sites below 2/4 are pretty much unbeatable due to the high rake. If you aren't comfortable playing 2/4 and don't have a bankroll of at least $1200-$1500, you might want to start playing heads up LHE sit n go's.
* Game Creation? - It has been widely accepted on DC that game creation at 6max and FR tends to create games with more crazy player and some of the most profitable games to be had. some knowledge of HUHU is required at the beginning of a game creation though.
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