The highest edge you will get in vanilla card counting is a couple of percent. While knowedge of your or the dealer's first card can give you a very high edge, such opportunities seem difficult to find. These opportunities are everywhere at the poker table. It is not uncommon to get your money in as a seventy, or even ninety percent favourite.
The card counter has a number of advantages over the average poker neophyte. For one he understands the concepts of variance, ev and bankroll management. Since the EV in poker can be so much higher (OR lower!) often times bankroll restrictions are not so severe.
Poker is a variable game. Since you play against nine opponents, all of who design their own strategy on the fly (as opposed to the house, which always plays by the same strategy), you are often dealing with unexpected situations.
The first step you can take to mastering no limit hold'em is practicing. I recommend playing on the internet at the absolute lowest stakes - 1 cent and 2 cent blinds no limit. This is a very inexpensive level at which to gain experience and skill, and I believe you will find that these opponents are actually more difficult to beat than people you play against at the casino. With practice comes theory, so you can read any of the poker books by David Skalansky (who has made a decent amount of money off blackjack as well) or any poker book in general so long as you remain skeptical and critical.
Aside from that, good diet / exercise is important and I would say alcohol is an absolute no-no. At the table you want to stay alert and focused. Your strategy will generally be to fold almost ever hand and to take note of your opponents actions in the past to predict their actions in the future. Try not to get tricked! But if you watch someone long enough it can be hard from them to trick you.
One of the most important tactics in poker is game selection. Weekends are historically a great time to play poker as you will often find many drunken maniacs at your table giving away their money. I avoid tight and tough tables like a plague and try to swim with the fishies.
At a full table you need to avoid trouble hands like A10 and KJ, or weak drawing hands like 79s or K2s. You will often be able to squeeze multiple players when you reraise with AK, making big profits because of all the dead money in the pot and the very real chance you can get it all in pf. I also like buying in for the minimum until I have a chance to read my opponents and then buying in to cover the fish.
The card counter has a number of advantages over the average poker neophyte. For one he understands the concepts of variance, ev and bankroll management. Since the EV in poker can be so much higher (OR lower!) often times bankroll restrictions are not so severe.
Poker is a variable game. Since you play against nine opponents, all of who design their own strategy on the fly (as opposed to the house, which always plays by the same strategy), you are often dealing with unexpected situations.
The first step you can take to mastering no limit hold'em is practicing. I recommend playing on the internet at the absolute lowest stakes - 1 cent and 2 cent blinds no limit. This is a very inexpensive level at which to gain experience and skill, and I believe you will find that these opponents are actually more difficult to beat than people you play against at the casino. With practice comes theory, so you can read any of the poker books by David Skalansky (who has made a decent amount of money off blackjack as well) or any poker book in general so long as you remain skeptical and critical.
Aside from that, good diet / exercise is important and I would say alcohol is an absolute no-no. At the table you want to stay alert and focused. Your strategy will generally be to fold almost ever hand and to take note of your opponents actions in the past to predict their actions in the future. Try not to get tricked! But if you watch someone long enough it can be hard from them to trick you.
One of the most important tactics in poker is game selection. Weekends are historically a great time to play poker as you will often find many drunken maniacs at your table giving away their money. I avoid tight and tough tables like a plague and try to swim with the fishies.
At a full table you need to avoid trouble hands like A10 and KJ, or weak drawing hands like 79s or K2s. You will often be able to squeeze multiple players when you reraise with AK, making big profits because of all the dead money in the pot and the very real chance you can get it all in pf. I also like buying in for the minimum until I have a chance to read my opponents and then buying in to cover the fish.
