Knowing when to Hold 'Em

Costly starting hands

Wow - read this one, and then read it several more times. what's the costliest hand in online hold'em?

Even fish get good cards

I love this article - Bad Player, Good Cards. Read it carefully, and try to remember the lessons. We all get beat by bad players at times. That's poker!

More on Omaha 8/b

A very nice essay on Omaha 8/b - Introduction to Omaha Holdem Strategy. Now I need to study some more.

Reference on odds

A RGP answer linked to this page - Hold'em Odds.

This page lists the common hold'em odds, followed by a series of useful pre-flop match-ups.

These numbers are worthwhile, and I plan to learn them.

More on losing streaks

A very interesting thread on 2 plus 2 (which led to the link below) - Losing streak - when do you start to worry about your play?

Variance in low limit hold 'em

Found this thread at 2 plus 2. I believe that the message is a valuable one to internalize. Streaks

While admittedly geeky, this analysis shows the problem of bad luck in graphic short terms. Long term is not a big problem. But then who of us really keeps a long term view.

Poker by the hour

A response on RGP linked to this article by Daniel Negreanu. He talks about setting out to play poker for a certain time period each day. He makes some great points which I hope to incorporate into my routine. Play Hours Not Results

An interesting challenge

Jason has a great project going on. His description has influenced me and I am trying to meet his goals myself. Sophomore Poker

I want to become a better player, and as I enter my second year of play, I've created a project to that end. The project was originally based on the Open Internet Challenge (originally created by MikeHaven at the 2+2 Forums). The OIC is a month long "competition" where players parlay an investment of $50 into $2000 by moving up in limits at set points. The goal of the OIC is to give low limit players a chance to play bigger stakes at low risk. I was looking for something similar, but on a larger level.

So I am adopting the challenge to my own game. I am working on my bankroll on Party Poker to hopefully achieve $200 (started with $50). I will adopt just this one recommendation that I read. I will always shoot 20% higher and withdraw that 20% prior to moving up. Hopefully I can make some mad money during this process. Clearly I am becoming a better poker player, albeit slowly. The challenge defines the parameters of success. For now, you can find me on the $.5/1 tables at Party and UB. (More on the comparison between the two later this week.)

If anyone wants a referral name to UB (for a 50% bonus) please email me!

Starting a poker blog

I have bit the bullet. It is time to move into the world of poker blogging.

Blogging in general helps one organize ones thoughts. As I am slowly developing my poker skills, keeping a journal with important links should help me in my progress.

Prior to the web and the introduction of blogs, many would keep hand written journals. These journals allow one to progress down a desired path. The great journals describe the journey, and therefore influence the subsequent journey. I hope this journal helps me take a successful path.

In this first entry I must give props to Poker Blog. Iggy's fine blog has already helped me greatly in my own play. Over the next week or two I will try to develop a set of key blogs and key links that are helping me in my progress.

Thanks for reading and visiting. All suggestions are welcome.