Or, we have made it available to you directly, simply by clicking here.

Finally, keep us posted on your PBRs beforehand and after, by either leaving comments on this post or sending me an email at: llenz@ptnsoft.com

We may even post a recap of your PBR on this blog.

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I got invited to this old timer’s game.  I was about 20 years old, and everyone else in the game was at least 50 or older.  They took no mercy on me, which is exactly what I needed.

But poker players in this era are quite lucky to have so much information at their fingertips.  Also, beginning players have the opportunity to learn in online settings at micro limits without dealing with the initial terror of learning at a live casino, which can be quite intimidating for a beginner.

Since I have been immersed in the game for so long, it is quite easy to reflect on the mistakes I have made in the past, as well as the mistakes I continue to make.

Here are some common beginner, and not so beginner, mistakes:

Bad Bankroll Management

Or more correctly, lack of bankroll management.  In my opinion, this is by far the biggest problem for poker players, in general.  What stakes to play, when to move up, when to drop down… these are questions that every poker player has struggled with at some point in time.

There are some good rules of thumb for this. For instance, I like the rule that says never to risk more than 10% of your bankroll at any one point, and also the one that says you should have at least twenty buy-ins for any one particular game you want to play. Unfortunately, this is something that a beginning player will just have to struggle with.  It’s not easy.  The best advice I can give is to try and stick to games you can afford.  This will ensure that you play your best game without the hindrance of worrying about going all-in with the mortgage money.

Thinking You Know Everything

I’ve been guilty of this plenty of times.  I just have to keep reminding myself poker is always evolving, so it’s impossible to know EVERYTHING.   Some things about the game that were true three years ago are no longer true today.  Those are just the facts.

Once you accept that you do not know everything about the game, you will be able to learn from others more easily.  It’s pretty hard to find one poker player who does absolutely everything wrong.  So if you learn from observing the strengths of other players, at the very least, you’ll never be trapped into one way of thinking.

For example, I have one friend who is horrible at poker. But one thing he is exquisite at is bluffing.  I have watched him and how he moves people off big hands and it’s the only thing he does well at the table.  Knowing this, and having an open mind to what I was observing, I was able to sharpen my own bluffing techniques just by watching him.

Poker in Excess

Making consistent money from playing a game can be very addicting. I once played 57 hours straight in a live cash game because I felt like walking away from the lambs I was playing against was the equivalent of throwing away money.

But that is clearly too much poker for any sane individual.  There is no right answer as to what constitutes “too much,” but if the diamonds and hearts begin to look the same to you, or you see wicked patterns on the cards, or hey if you’ve ever had a dealer wake you up, it may be a good time to call it an evening.

In all seriousness, the games will always be there, so even when you find a game you really like, it’s important to find a balance between the real world and the poker world.

When your life revolves around poker, when you take time away from your loved ones to get in sessions, it becomes a very unhealthy lifestyle. Whether you are winning or losing is almost irrelevant.

To play your best poker, you need rest and time away from poker. You might even make more money in that soft game if you got your rest and attack it when you’re fresh and sharp rather than grinding out day-long sessions at half capacity.

Not Controlling Emotions

Most of my friends would think I am a hypocrite for writing about this and attempting to give some kind of advice.  This is admittedly very hard for me, especially because I am very passionate about the game.  Also, my style of play makes it hard for me to control my emotions, because I play a pretty tight game so it unbalances me when I get sucked out and lose.  But as a general rule, you shouldn’t let the flow of the cards dictate your mood. If you are getting bad beat after bad beat or cold deck after cold deck but are still playing your best, you shouldn’t get upset. Unless you have the best hand when the cards get turned over, you don’t just deserve to win because you did everything perfect.

THERE IS NO JUSTICE IN POKER!  Life isn’t fair, and poker is just a modicum of life, and it clearly isn’t fair either.  It’s a psychotic game and that is just the truth. If you let the cards dictate your mood, you will lose your mind, along with your money and any edge you may have had in the game you’re playing.  Also, and this is very key as well, you can’t let your big wins effect your moods either!  You’ll become lax and worse – too attached to the money if you begin to lose it.  Variance is just a natural part of the game.  No poker player wins ALL OF THE TIME so it’s important to separate your poker playing from your outside life. Playing within a bankroll will go a long way in helping with this.  You have to play in your comfort zone to play well. The chips at risk should never be an issue for you.

- The PTN Team

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/ptnonline

http://www.facebook.com/ptnonline

http://www.myspace.com/pokertrainingnetwork

Here is one of the photos, just to serve as a teaser:

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The Tele-Prospector contains a host of recorded calls that are all designed to help you talk to a prospect at any time, any place. We highly recommend that all PTN Affiliates keep this phone number stored in their cell phones in order to have in your reach at all times

The Tele-Prospector phone number is: 507-726-3949.

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If you are serious about building your PTN business, you should be familiar with the term “High Roller.” Are you wondering what a high roller is? Are you wondering how you can become one? The answers to these questions and more will be provided during one momentous PTN event. Please read below for all of the details.

On Saturday, November 21^st, both PTN corporate locations (Dallas, TX and Pompano Beach, FL) will be hosting its own “High Roller Event.” Each of these events will feature an opportunity meeting (so be sure to invite your prospects) from 10:00am to 11:00am, an exclusive High Roller Training seminar from 11:15am to 4:00pm and a Pot Luck and Free Roll Poker game from 6:30pm to 10:00pm.

The Dallas event will be held at the Hyatt Place Hotel. The address there is:

5229 Spring Valley Road

Dallas, TX 75254

Phone: 1-888-492-8847

The Florida event will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale. The address there is:

2440 W. Cypress Creek Road

Fort Lauderdale, FL  33309

Phone: 1-954-772-7770, ext 501

Registration is required for each of these events. Please be aware that space is limited, so we strongly encourage everyone to RSVP early to ensure a spot.

During the High Roller seminar, all attendees will learn about the following:

• How to reach the rank of High Roller
• How to maximize the PTN Pay Plan
• The power of PTN’s product line
• How to build your local market
• How to effectively promote and host PTN events
• Proven steps to building a large, successful organization
• How to target and recruit poker players
• How to make 2010 your best year ever!

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity. We’ll see you there!

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Rather than have me go over every detail here, you can read the official rules of the tournament here. Or you can click the link  at the bottom of this post to review them as well.

Below you will find the days and times for the few remaining qualifying free rolls. We hope you choose to participate and enter for the chance to win $5,000.

Qualifying Free Rolls

Thursday: 9PM EDT

Friday: 9 PM EDT
Saturday: 12 PM, 6 PM, 12 AM EDT
Sunday: 12 PM, 6 PM, 12 AM EDT

The Future Rounders Tournament
November 1st, 2009 @ 1:00 PM EDT

Future Rounders Rules

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We look forward to the coming months, and can’t wait for our complete launch coming soon. When PTN goes global, there will be no stopping us!

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Private Business Reception (PBR) Planner

As PTN continues to grow, many leaders have started hosting their own Opportunity meetings. You don’t need an office conference room to host an Opportunity meeting. These meetings, or Private Business Receptions (PBRs), can be held anywhere and at any time. To assist with your meetings, we have designed a PBR Planner which includes step-by-step ‘how-to’ instructions as well as the materials you need to prepare for the meeting and follow-up with your attendees. These PBR meetings are easy to do and very helpful as you build your business by “touching 2 each day and keeping 10 in play.”

Opportunity PowerPoint Presentation

We have added the much requested PTN Opportunity PowerPoint Presentation to the Virtual Office. This tool will help leaders comfortably and conveniently walk right through an opportunity meeting.

Opportunity Tri-fold Brochure

While PTN is, for the most part, a virtual company, we understand the need to have a brochure for that prospect who wants something to take home to review. The new PTN Opportunity Tri-fold Brochure will easily satisfy that need. All you need do is download the brochure and take to your local printer for copies. The brochure is a two-sided, tri-fold brochure. You will find this marketing piece provides details about the PTN company, products and business opportunity in a straight forward and easy-to-understand format.

Social-Media Marketing “How To” Videos

Some of us don’t understand how it works and how it can be used to help market the PTN products and opportunity. PTN has taken all of the guesswork out of social-media marketing. PTN’s Social-Media Expert has recorded a series of instructional videos explaining the very basics of social-media, what CallingAllPlayers.com is, how to write effective blogs, and how to use sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. These videos can be found in the PTN University library, under the Social Media tab.

Matching Madness Bonus

The end of the first Matching Madness Bonus promotion month is coming to a close next weekend (Saturday, October 31, 2009). Don’t miss the opportunity to maximize your check. Continue your “touch 2 each day and keep 10 in play” efforts and watch your check grow. Be sure to support your Affiliates to do the same.

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- Ray Kroc

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But are we all “equal?”  Better yet, are we all “viewed” as equals at the poker table?  I would argue, no.

We all know poker is a game of incomplete information.  Putting together the pieces of a poker hand is like solving a jigsaw puzzle: it takes some evaluation, study, and problem solving.

But I am not naïve enough to believe that people do not bring certain prejudices to the poker table, whether live or online.

I am quite guilty of it myself.  If I am in an online game, and someone is displaying a home city of “Српскохрватски” I can’t help but make certain assumptions about his/her style of play, even when admittedly I could never even attempt to point out “Српскохрватски” on a map.  The same goes for “примечательная,” “верховному жрецу,” and why not, “Как создать статью вводный курс”.

What I have found is the crazier the spelling of the home city, the more wacko symbols and the less vowels it has, the more it means you’re dealing with a hyper aggressive player.  And it almost never fails.  Same goes for Norwegians and Swedes.  Spaniards and Italians (and to some degree, Brazilians) have a more deceptive and tricky reputation online, while an American I usually credit for having a relatively straightforward “ABC” style of play until I get proven otherwise.

In live games, as a general rule, older people tend to be tight and passive, and young people tend to be loose and aggressive. I have logged thousands upon thousands of hours in live cash games and cannot remember ONE loose aggressive player who also happened to be elderly.  It just doesn’t happen.  Jamaicans tend to be chatty at the table, and play King-Jack (known to them as Kingston, Jamaica) quite aggressively.  And Asians have a very loose and aggressive reputation, going broke with top pairs and chasing flushes and straights no matter the odds.  Asian women, though, are some of the tightest players you’ll ever see.

So how relevant is all of this information? Not very.  It’s just one poker player’s perspective on some stereotypes I have encountered in my countless hours of playing, both online and live.

In poker though, it’s always helpful to judge the information you have.  And something like the way a person from a particular part of the world tends to play could be helpful in those borderline decisions where no other information is available to you.

- PTN Team

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