Best PokerTips.org Forum Threads

This Weekly Shuffle highlights some of the better content from our Forums. It was difficult to choose which threads to feature. With dozens of top-notch threads all worthy of mentioning, here are ten of the better ones that might be worth reading if you're a stranger to our community. In the future, it is likely that we'll have Weekly Shuffle articles similar to this. So if your favorite thread was overlooked this time around, keep an eye open for our next Best of PokerTips.org Forums article. online poker 468x60 Please note that this article only describes English threads. From Zero to Hero in 30 days (same thing Chris Ferguson supposedly did) Perhaps the most infamous thread on PokerTips is the one where you can follow Ishbu3116's quest to turn $0 into $10,000 in just 30 days by playing online poker. Sound impossible? I thought the same. However, Ishbu silenced the skeptics and completed the challenge in a mere 20 days. On top of the $10,000 he won at the tables, Ishbu also won $15,000 from a bet he had with a friend whether or not he could complete this challenge. Originally, he and his friend bet $25,000. Five day's into the quest, Ishbu had built $0 into $180. This made his friend nervous, so they decided to hedge the bet. Essentially, if Ishbu failed, he owed his friend $5,000. If he succeeded, he'd get $15,000. Succeed he did. With over 500 replies, the thread detailing Ishbu's improbable conquest is Grade-A entertainment. 25K 5.50rb 4-25-06 Guarantee! More improbable than Babe Ruth's point to center-field before launching a home-run to that part of the ballpark, in this thread, the legendary MRVEGAS claims he'll make the final table of a $5 online rebuy tournament that was yet to start. If MRVEGAS constantly made threads with such zany predictions, one would expect him to get lucky from time to time. However, this was the first instance where he claimed such bold foresight. Sure enough, even with a field of 1,612 players in his way, MRVEGAS final tabled and finished 6th to win $1,214. Sticking with the theory of "going out on top," MRVEGAS has wisely refrained from starting such threads since this feat. Multiple tables bankroll question Those who enjoy a good mathematical discussion will appreciate the arguments in this thread. Triggered by a simple enough question, "If $300 is a sufficient bankroll to play 0.5/1, than would you need $1200 to play four tables at once?", forum members killcrazy and xenthebrain battle back and forth while trying to settle on an answer. Amazing Skeptix Stat - Finishing Forum member 'seedload' started this thread after making the observation that another forum member, skeptix82, makes the final table in nearly half of the tournaments in which he finishes in the money. Confronted with that information, seedload asks, "What the hell are you doing?" The ensuing replies from skeptix are a great glimpse into the thought processes of a top multi-table tournament player. Player Notes This thread contains a lot of good information on how to maintain notes on other players at online poker rooms. Newbie questions One day in September of 2005, a new member by the name of Lord Mushroom decided to ask a couple of questions about online poker. His final post in this thread says "I currently have no further questions." Regulars of our forums might find that hilarious. In the two years since then, Lord Mushroom has asked hundreds of questions. Think of just about any question you'd like regarding poker, and chances are Lord Mushroom has already beat you to it somewhere in our forums. Love him or hate him, you have to admire his determination in acquiring knowledge about poker. Perhaps no forum member is as calculative and emotionless as Lord Mushroom. This thread, in particular, gives you a nice idea of how far he is willing to go to expand his knowledge. More Micro NL Thoughts One of our most contributive members, Notjitsu, shares his thoughts on why playing a by-the-book style of poker is less than optimal in small stakes games. His theory is that employing basic strategy is a risk-averse approach that will never lead to burgeoning wins. To really win a ton at poker, Notjitsu theorizes, you have to think outside the box and do more than what you've read in the latest poker book. IronLen1972's Poker Exercise Threads (Thread one) (Thread two) In each of these threads, forum member IronLen1972 offers some great mental exercises to keep one's poker mind sharp. For example, in one exercise, he suggests railbirding online poker tables and trying to guess players' hole cards based on the betting action. Another suggestion he makes is to re-read poker strategy guides. Although the "information hasn't changed," IronLen1972 says, "how I perceive and apply that information has." SNG Analyzed This thread's originator, Hustlr, is one of our forum's most cherished members. Currently he is on a leave of absence from poker while serving a tour in Iraq, but he made a great thread on analyzing sit-'n'-go tournaments before leaving. The lesson to be learned in this thread is that, in general, you can profitably call all-in and push all-in more than you might think. Hustlr demonstrates this point through the technical analysis of 20 tournament hands. Confession Anyone familiar with this thread's originator, skeptix82, might have thought his confession was going to be that he can see all of his opponent's hole cards. It turns out one of PokerTips' top tournament players had something else to fess up to, "I am a really bad poker player." Following that captivating introduction, the rest of his post is among the best content on the PokerTips.org forums. Skeptix reasons that his lack of discipline makes him a poor candidate to be a strong cash game player. However, as he theorizes, large doses of discipline are not necessary to be a winning online tournament player. From here, he shares all of his secrets in a stream-of-consciousness style post that is an absolute must-read for tournament players of all skill levels.