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"""How do you know if your poker skills have improved? What indicators can be used to determine if you are progressing? How can you tell when it's time to move up to higher-stakes games?""
""Unfortunately, most people will answer this question based on short-term results.
Short-term results are a terrible measure. Winning one game doesn't mean you're strong because luck is an undeniable factor in poker.
Want to know if you're getting better? You can try the following four criteria.
You no longer play a hand just out of boredom.
Most recreational players have a common problem: they play various hands out of boredom.
Almost all low-level players are influenced by the boredom factor. In live poker events, it's very common to go 20 or 30 hands without getting good cards. In reality, this could take an hour or even 1.5 hours.
After constantly folding junk hands and watching others get lucky, most players become restless, and that's when they start finding reasons to play a hand.
For example: ""I've been playing too tight, so now it's time to act,"" ""Sometimes you have to push the opponents,"" ""You can't always wait for premium hands,"" and so on.
In reality, these are not valid reasons to play a hand, and it won't make you profitable. It's all because you're too bored.
Randomly dealt cards are just that - random. If you haven't been getting good hands, there's not much you can do about it.
There are plenty of reasons to play marginal hands, even those that are weak before the flop. However, not getting good cards is not one of them.
You no longer fold immediately after the flop.
This is a crucial sign.
Skilled players often win more pots than average players because they don't fold easily after the flop and try to continue playing and win the pot.
However, because folding is often the best action, it requires players to have good judgment.
When you can accurately assess which hands to continue with and which to fold, you know you're getting better.
If you can say, ""If it was six months ago, I would definitely have folded this hand, but now I think I can do better,"" then you're definitely making progress.
You have clear and reasoned justifications for your bet sizes.
In no-limit Texas Hold'em, bet sizing is a crucial tool that can help you lose less and win more.
Nearly all your betting and raising actions, especially on the turn and river, require careful consideration of your bet size.
When you don't have a deep understanding of Texas Hold'em, it's challenging to make these decisions clearly. ""Should I make a big bet? Or a small one? Or maybe something in between?"" Actually, how much to bet depends on various factors, and your thought process should provide clear direction.
When you notice that you have sharp, well-reasoned justifications for your bets, you know you're improving
If you make different bet sizes in the turn and river and have clear reasoning, then you're definitely making progress.
You focus more on playing the cards than winning chips.
This is another trap that recreational players fall into. They lose a big pot and then fixate on the wrong aspect, constantly worrying, ""How can I avoid losing so many chips?""
When you're seeking ways not to lose, you tend to play hands more passively. In other words, you become less willing to take risks with those chips. This is a common tendency and a sign of weakness that is easily exploited.
So, when you encounter the same situation that previously caused you to lose chips, you won't see it as a big problem. Instead of worrying about results, you'll focus on playing the hand as well as possible, which indicates that you're making progress.""
These criteria can help you assess your progress in poker and whether you're becoming a more skilled player." |
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Post time 6-10-2023 14:57:59
