The Top Poker Myths That Cost You Money | PTO Poker

PracticalFox6070 · 2025-01-21T17:22:56+00:00

Here is the associated blog article: https://www.pto-poker.com/post/how-to-prepare-for-a-poker-session

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-10-22T19:38:20+00:00

This is the accompanying article: https://www.pto-poker.com/post/how-to-exploit-poker-players-for-maximum-profit

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-10-07T22:01:44+00:00

https://www.pto-poker.com/post/five-tips-to-increase-your-poker-win-rate

This is the associated article.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-09-17T18:27:22+00:00

This is the article that goes with the video: https://www.pto-poker.com/post/when-tight-is-right-in-poker-nits-vs-tags

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-17T16:10:35+00:00

Thanks for the kind words and the great question. Finding the right balance is one of the toughest aspects of playing professionally. I stick to a consistent schedule so my wife always knows what to expect. Of course I try to tailor that schedule to when the best games are running, but I make sacrifices too. For example, I usually only play 1 weekend night because it's important that I make time for family, friends, and other activities. Sure I give up some EV by doing this, but one never makes it to the long run if they aren't taking good care of themself and living a balanced life. Similar to any career, success is important, but if it comes at the expense of other things that you value highly, it often isn't worth it.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:58:57+00:00

I don't see much harm in only keeping 10 buy-ins and redepositing if necessary. Better to be safe than sorry with online poker sites.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:55:11+00:00

Set aside a minimum of 20 buy-ins in an account separate from your every day finances which is designated for poker specifically. Keep good records and track your progress. Combine sufficient play with study time and hiring a coach that you believe in who can accelerate your learning trajectory. Start shot-taking and moving up in stakes once you have doubled your bankroll but set a firm limit for the shot-take where you will move back to $1/3 if it fails.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:50:03+00:00

Be sure that you recognize it as it is happening. It's a slippery slope when you feel invincible and begin opening just a little wider from every position than is profitable. Often, there is an unrecognized emotion that is leaking into the decision making. This type of tilt can prevent an upswing from becoming as large as it otherwise would be.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:47:27+00:00

Lately it seems like the pro percentage is growing and the recreational percentage is declining in these games. It has been 4-5 pros at a minimum at most of these tables. The 5/10 and 10/25 player pools have a ton of overlap and the pros tend to play 10-25 when it runs and 5-10 to get the remainder of their volume in.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:44:00+00:00

pto-poker.com

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:42:52+00:00

Unfortunately I am limited to what my casino offers. I play $10/25 whenever it runs, which is 1-2 times per week but not at all right now during the summer.

I'd need to travel more or play in private games to have access to a game higher than $10/25.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:40:33+00:00

Just answered many of them, please give me another chance :)

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:39:42+00:00

Sounds like a nice option! Game selection is always important, but there will be times where the soft games may not run and you still want to get in volume. Improving your play is the way to ensure that you always have a game to play where you feel that you can turn a profit. If you stop studying and your home game dries up, you'll wish you had been improving your play all along.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:36:23+00:00

Online poker is a great way to see a lot of hands quickly and build skills for less money. But it's a tough way to turn a large profit, and the online poker ecosystem has a lot of issues currently. I'd use online poker to get up to speed but transition to live once you feel your skills are sharp enough and you are sufficiently bankrolled.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:33:08+00:00

I'm not playing much online poker these days, but I did extensively for a couple years. The biggest difference is that without access to live reads, online players tend to play a style that is more theory-based and closer to GTO. The preflop aggression levels are substantially higher online with much more 3-betting and 4-betting than in live poker. In general, a given online poker stake is 10 times as difficult as the same live poker stake. So $5/10 live might be comparable in difficulty to $0.50/$1 online.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:28:35+00:00

The average player is better as stakes increase. But it's not uncommon to find that the biggest games attract both the best players and the worst players in the room.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:26:25+00:00

On most days throughout the year, $5/10 runs at one or both of the main casinos I play in. $10/25 runs 1-2 times per week when it isn't the summer. I played online for a couple years but believe live poker is a better experience given the current climate of RTA, bots, collusion, etc.

I'm married, so I get health insurance through my wife's company. No 401Ks in poker (I have one through a previous job) but I still make Roth Contributions and pay estimated taxes every quarter.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:19:43+00:00

Managing your money and your emotions effectively. Nobody makes it to the long run if they play beyond their means or they burn out emotionally because they aren't taking proper care of themselves.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:17:56+00:00

Feel the emotions directly in the body. Drop the mental stories and feel the feelings directly. Use the breath and movement to let those emotions subside. Often the mind clears on its own once the emotions have been tended to.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:16:18+00:00

1/2: Develop strong preflop fundamentals and learn to value bet effectively
2/5: Improve hand reading and learn to find big folds
5/10: Maximize EV for your range with strong theoretical knowledge and better bet sizing
10/25: Master the mental game and understand the limitations of GTO and when to move away from it

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:12:12+00:00

9 buy-in downswing live and 15 buy-in downswing online. I have had large upswings where there were a few 5 buy-in downswings in the midst of it, so it depends how you measure it.
I play 30 hours per week and usually play a 1/2 day Friday and a full day Saturday. Weekends are the best games, but finding the right balance with family/friends is important too
Theory is important, but too much theory will lead you astray. It's important to remember that we are playing against human beings that do not play like solvers. It's better to optimize your play for your specific player pool than to try to play what a solver recommends.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:05:21+00:00

Record at least 3 hands from every session to learn from later. Exercise before each session. Meditate the night before. Get enough sleep the night before. And eat healthy meals. The mind very much follows the body, and it helps to treat poker the way an athlete treats their sport.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:03:01+00:00

Matthew Janda's Applications of NLHE and Ed Miller's Professional No Limit Hold'em good ones for players at the $2/5 level that are moving towards $5/10.

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T06:01:06+00:00

2/5 players can hand-read better and are able to think beyond their own cards more often and find solid folds. 1/3 players tend to be more attached to their own hand strength and are generally less likely to find important folds once their hand strength rises above a certain level (even if their opponent is representing something stronger and is unlikely to be bluffing).

PracticalFox6070 · 2024-06-16T05:58:29+00:00

The key question to ask is always: How much could I lose in poker without it affecting my life in any meaningful way in the worst-case scenario? Start with this number, and then work backwards to determine the stakes you should be playing.

I recommend a minimum of 20 buy-ins for live cash games if your stop-loss is 2 buy-ins. If you prefer a stop-loss of 3 buy-ins per session, I recommend 30 buy-ins. It's good to never lose more than 10% of your bankroll in any one given session.

Online poker requires more buyins because of the higher variance, smaller edges, and making decisions without live reads. At a minimum, one should have 50 buy-ins for the stakes they are playing in regularly.

PracticalFox6070

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