The idea of the Experiment came about after watching the "student", Ryan, play
in his first "live" poker game (during a trip to Vegas). In fact, Ryan had hardly played any poker before
that, other than the odd flutter online. I watched Ryan for
short while at a 3 /6 table at the Bellagio, and realized that he displayed a
better than basic "feel" of the game for someone who had played very
little. That's where the idea was born: why not train him to become a really
good player? I believe he had the basic instincts to make this possible.
This is not a poker training website, although you will find
an incredible amount of information and strategy regarding the game of poker. This is a website where you the visitor can follow the progress of a novice player, and hopefully learn from his mistakes and achievements. The Experiment is designed in such a way that you can get up to speed at any time by reviewing past results and comments. There are many training guides online, but very few
of them actually take place in real time, and none of them track the actual progress of a player. The Experiment is for everyone who wants to learn more about poker, who loves to discuss poker, and who wants to see whether or not a true novice can be transformed into an expert.
Objectives of the Poker Experiment
After spending countless hours coming up with a good coaching strategy, it
was obvious that it was going to be very important to set some very clear goal
and objectives. I came up with a system of "levels". The lowest level (Level
1) involves playing $5 - $10 tournaments, with a starting bankroll of $250.
The ultimate goal is to progress to Level 7 - $200 and $200+
tournaments, and be able to compete at this level. As we progress through the
levels, I will give my views in each progress report where we stand in terms of
moving onto the next level and use the scoring system below as a guide.
I believe that this system defines the goals that any novice player who want to
play serious poker should set themselves. You can read more about the
goals and
objectives.
Measurement and Scoring
Every game during Levels 1 and 2 will be scored using the criteria below. The
scoring system will evolve as we move through the Levels. These are the five
areas where most novices falter, and I believe these are the fundamentals to get
right before we can move ahead. As more advanced poker concepts are introduced,
we will change the scoring system the be able to test these.
Category 1, HAND SELECTION (30% of the final score)
Category 2, BOARD TEXTURE KNOWLEDGE (30% of the final score)
Category 3, BETTING TECHNIQUES (25% of the final score)
Category 4, STREET SMARTS (10% of the final score)
Category 5, BURSTING THE BUBBLE (5% of the final score)
A score will be posted for each game I am able to monitor and I will refer to
these criteria in my progress reports. You can read more about the
scoring system.
Process
The result of each game played is published in our results blog. I will
comment when appropriate, and score that game only if I have enough relevant
information to do so. Some of the games are monitored live, and those will
always be scored.
What about the Money?
It's all about the money! Well, not really, but the ultimate goal is to
create a profitable poker player. Our intention is to take an absolute beginner and instruct him, monitor his play, and guide him until he is capable of staring down a poker pro in a big game. In order to take a seat at that big game, and feel comfortbale, you have to be in possession of a bankroll that is large enough to deal with the table stakes. Poker has a lot of luck built into it, and in any one session those cards can be mighty unfriendly. If you can only afford to play in that one session you can never beat the game. That's why we build up slowly, gradually increasing the stakes level, always making sure that the bankroll keeps pace with the size of the game. You have to play at higher levels to improve, but you also have to remember that the focus is to make money, not donate it to the sharks!
Related Poker Articles And News Items:
> About the Student
> Experiment Playing Schedule
> Poker Experiment Scoring System
> Objectives of The Poker Experiment
> About the Coach
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