Re: Roy's "offensive" post: I'm not offended at all.

I think every level of poker is subtly different from the other levels. Different sites play different, too. So the best way to play $50 NL FR games at Cake is definitely different from the best way to play 5-max $400 NL games at Stars.

But that's just obvious once you sit down and play at both of those games. Not only will you get crushed playing the $50 style at the $400 game, but you'll get equally crushed if you play the $400 style at the $50 game. The $50 players will call you down on all streets with AT on an Axxxx board, every damned time. You're just burning money if you try to "rep" a specific hand. If you can't beat AT on that board and you've CBet the flop in position, it's time to check behind on the turn and then fold the river to the inevitable half-pot bet. If you're that predictable at the bigger games you're going to get eaten alive.

As you move up levels, you have to change your style of play. Obviously. But I think that the feedback and the various discussions that have been posted here on BTP prepared me to make the changes that were required. I won money and felt comfortable at the $400 games (comfortable with my skill level vs my opponents, at any rate -- not always with the stakes). If I had any trouble at the $400 games, it was mostly overestimating my opponents' skill levels --> I would think they were making a move because it was a perfect board to make a move, but no, way more often than not they had the hand they were repping.

So I agree with Roy that it's important for everybody to realize that advice at one level doesn't necessarily stay good advice at a different level. But I think BTP is a great site to read and learn from because all the NL strategy posts are in one place, and you can see how the advice at one level differs from the advice at another.

If the problem is that we have too many players posting mediocre advice, OK fine. Jump in and give some better advice. Post some higher stakes hands and explain why you played them the way you did. When replying, don't just type "I would bet all my chips" with no explanation. Maybe it's obvious to you what the right play is, but maybe the thinking that gets you to that point is different from the thinking that gets somebody else to the same point, and maybe that difference can help everybody learn a little bit more about the game.

I think poker forums have positive feedback loops. Good hands and good advice breed more good hands and more good advice, and more traffic from good players, and it's a virtuous circle. Once it starts to break down and go the other way, it turns into a death spiral. I'm obviously a big fan of BTP and would like to get things moving in the other direction from how they've been going lately. If it's too late, well, I'll live with that. But I think it's way too early to give up.

hmmm, four new porn links.

Do you need any help getting rid of this stuff ice?

LOL@modding Beavis

/btp