Finished re-reading Crushing the Microstakes - thoughts

Have just finished reading Crushing the Microstakes by BlackRain79 and I'd like to record thoughts whilst the book is still fresh in my mind.

• Poker is a game of details
• Key decision points communicate information to other players.
• Poker is a game of complexity and variables
• Poker is not only about the mathematics, ratios and odds; poker is also about the people who play this game. their style, their tendencies, their impulsiveness or conversely those who don't step outside their comfort zone.

Poker is a game of details
It has struck me while reading this book how much attention to detail there is even at 2NL and 5NL level. If I am to take this game seriously then I would like to establish good habits from the very beginning of my hopeful poker career. Establish or lay the foundation. Build upon solid ground not sand. Jesus told a parable about the wisdom of building upon rock not sand. I want to build upon rock. In poker terms rock means learning and practicing correct +EV play. IT also means establishing good mental and emotional habits from the beginning. These practices include designing a daily routine of review and journalling of lessons learned, key points taken from the day, and just generally keeping a record for future reference and comparison purposes. This blog is partly about that.

Key decision points communicate information to other players
Call, fold or raise are decisions we make in response to our read on the unfolding game play. These decisions communicate information to other players just as other players decisions communicate information to us. The skill in poker is in learning to be good at interpreting the information communicated through our decisions. When we lack verbal and visual communication clues, we are thrown back onto what is present and available in a game of poker and these are our decisions which are in turn based upon our position, our opponents position, the cards we hold, our stake, our read on historical stats, and any historical dynamic relationship with another poker player. I sum it up in communication awareness. Use every means available to listen to what your opponents are telling you. Vice Versa be aware of what you are telling your opponents.