Tips for newbs (1 Viewer)

[DrStrange]

I have taught this class several times. I found it fun to teach but ran into some pitfalls.

No one truly understands how clueless the participants are. Please don't attempt to introduce strategy beyond a starting hand card (I did not even do that) What they do need is a hand ranking card. The instructional objective is have fun! Strategy can come later.

This will take longer than people think. Basic information will eat up your time. These are a host of issues we don't even think about that will grind a class to a halt while you try to figure out what people don't understand. (One class I had to explain there were no trump suit and no tricks . . . )

In twenty words or so, explain there is a difference between tournament style play vs cash style but teach only one. I recommend tournament.

Ideally the bulk of the class time would be a practice game. Not only will the class learn more from a "practical" type class, they will have a better time. Your students will be thrilled to play rather than listen. And in the end that is why you are doing the class - teaching people that poker is fun and easy to get started in.

I limited my classes to 16 people which became two 8 player tables. The tournament was an ultra turbo - blind go up every three hands. Each table had one winner who got a prize. No one cared that this is nothing but a "luck box" game. (I thought that was a feature rather than a fault. That way even the absolute newest player had a chance vs the most experienced person in the class.) This took 90 minutes to get to two winners.

Have fun! -=- DrStrange

 

[Mrs Poker Zombie]

I already have it in my back pocket to throw out all the prep work and wing it with an actual game as I agree people learn best from doing. The plan, however, remains a presentation since I could have tons of people decide to show up to listen. This forum has been awesome for enhancing the content. Now, if only my day job would finish so I could get home and work on content!

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

You could cover some poor etiquette and rules violation with a single video clip from WSOP this year of stealthmunk talking during a hand and trying to induce Butteroni to raise or shove over Negraneau's river bet.

I dont think he received a penalty but he should have. Unbelievable.

Stealthmunk just looks like he smells bad.

 

[courage]

It might be worth a point to mention that there are other forms of poker, including a difference between cash game and tournament strategies, but focus on just tournament poker. 1 hour is not a lot of time, so we may have to cut out the section on the finer points of SOHE.

This is more what I meant, just a sentence or two putting poker in historical context and noting it didn't start with Chris Moneymaker.

 

[Ben]

1 hour is not a lot of time, so we may have to cut out the section on the finer points of SOHE.

Why? You can cover that in 1/3600th of the hour:

"Shove."

 

[Socraticd]

Why? You can cover that in 1/3600th of the hour:

"Shove."

I think i read that in an Ed Miller book

 

[Mrs Poker Zombie]

Teach 'em hand rankings, basic mechanics of how the game is played and etiquette. But good lordy, don't teach them anything about strategy, importance of position or pot odds.

Well... I'm going to have to teach them that. That's one of the goals of the panel. They want an "expert" (lord knows how it became me) to discuss how I became "good".

 

[abby99]

Among the basics, the one-chip rule is worth mentioning.

 

[MeridianFC]

Yeah, for beginners I'd definitely focus on the mechanics of the game rather than strategy, player types, etc. Not to mention, I want to teach people to play, but I don't want them to play well

This (and what Dr. Strange said). Though for that later part I do like newbies to come back, shearing v. slaughter of sheep and all that.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Technically, the presentation is being called "Tips and Tricks of Poker". Since none of these players are ever expected to appear in my home game, I'm not interested in saving them for fleecing - which as a teacher of the game, I find that concept reprehensible.

The tough part is going to be putting together something that won't bore people that are already familiar with the game out the door, but won't be conceptually over the heads of someone completely new. I seriously doubt anyone would attend a 1 hour "Tips and Tricks of Poker" presentation if they had already read books on the subject or were a winning poker player.

 

[Strike1st]

Can't wait to hear how this went and possibly get a copy for the wifey?

She doesn't learn squat from me.

 

[links_slayer]

Tip #1: get samples

 

[Poker Zombie]

Thanks to everyone for their input, especially @Socraticd and @lnlver. the panel went off extremely well. We had far more attendees than expected, and all had a fair amount of experience. That said, once we got into position and pot odds, you could see we were really bringing info most of these players were new to. Only one guy seemed to be a know-it-all, believing there really weren't bad times to bluff, and insisting he could identify an opponent's 2 cards every time ("she's got AQ, because she raised 200 - on about the 5th hand of the celebrity session"), rather than even trying to learn how to build a range. Some people you just cannot teach - you just want to meet them in a game someday.

The celebrity session also rocked it out, and we've been tapped by another convention in KY to run the celebrity session there now. To allow for audience participation, I would peek at players hole cards and show them (using a different deck) to the audience. We also shuffled 3 jokers into the deck, and the audience was allowed to declare what the wild card would be, but only after it was face-up (thus a player with a joker in the hole had to count on the audience to give them the love. A lot of trips came up that game...

Highlight came when down to 2 players. Player jammed with K-joker, expecting to pull KK out of the gate. Got called by A-x, and when the cards were exposed, the audience turned and gave the King a Deuce. Luck hung with him though as the board gave him trips.

It was a good time, and thanks to the PCFers that helped us focus on what was most important in the training presentation. We used every bit of the 1 hour time period, even though we just breezed through the most elementary topics (like hand rankings).

 

[Anthony Martino]

the audience turned and gave the King a Deuce.

Ouch, and I thought lady luck was cruel!

 

[links_slayer]

Glad to hear it went well!

 

[Mrs Poker Zombie]

I also want to add my thanks. I was certainly more comfortable walking in the room with a deck I could speak to built with the addition of ideas from the group versus what lives in my own head (and what I borrow from PZ). I even got my picture taken with two attendees as if I was a real celebrity.

 

[Socraticd]

Glad it went well! Sounds like it was a blast!