Online Poker - A Career Opportunity Or the Gamblers Bane?

 

Does anyone really make a living playing online poker? We have all heard about big wins different players have had but does this mean they can quit their day jobs and rely solely on online poker to provide for them? Or are we only hearing about the gamblers successes, while they in reality are melting their finances?

Online poker has exploded in recent years with hundreds of thousands of people playing on many different poker rooms. The majority of these players will never experience any long term gains from the game, while a select few will learn their trade and employ various tools to ensure their success. The truth is that in every poker room there are "professional players" making a living from their online poker winnings. How is it possible that a game which clearly involves sometimes large elements of luck could be played in a way that secures a pay check at the end of every month? Also is it possible for just anyone to achieve this lifestyle? Many of the online poker players I have met fall into 3 different categories in terms of their poker careers.

1st the part time player.

These players play for enjoyment and accept that any given hand may be a gamble and sometimes they win and sometimes they don't. They have no real interest in learning different techniques or skills to change their game style.

2nd the ego based player.

These players often claim to be "semi pros" telling others about their skills at the table without ever achieving any long term success. These players are the at home gamblers we hear most often from, telling us how well they done in any one game while secretly they drown themselves. This group of players are mainly ego based and need other people to believe they are achieving, they will seldom ever offer to help other players out or talk strategy with you. They may have many of the skills needed to benefit long term from poker but without the proper instruction seem doomed to remain in this category.

3rd the professional player.

I hesitate to use the word "professional" because the player which qualify for this category very rarely claim to be professional. However yes there actually are players out there that rely entirely on their poker winnings to live their lives. The difference between the players and the other categories is their attitude towards the game. They never think they know everything about the game or they believe they are as good as they need to be to win. These players treat poker like any other professional sport; they learn the game inside and out. They practice, poker, they read about poker, they commit themselves 100% to their desired career path. These players will always be keen to talk poker with others, help them learn the game also.

Over recent years I have been in contact with hundreds of different online poker players and I've often wondered what differences there are between the long term profitable players and the at home gambler looking for a quick buck. The differences remain in the level of commitment to the game and the eagerness of the successful player to learn and develop constantly. They treat the game like it's an ever changing playing field employing different tools to ensure they are always at the forefront of poker knowledge. Even during their downtime the career poker player is thinking, talking, and basically living poker. This has often become a detriment to their personal lifestyle, conside carefully the effect on family members and loved ones before committing to a career at the poker tables.

The successful online poker players will use a combination of self discipline, patience, statistics, probability, psychology, and experience along with many other attributes to gain their edge at the poker tables. The ego based players will generally only have limited control over many of these elements. In a nutshell online poker is both a gamblers bane and a career opportunity. The difference will always be in a player's commitment to improve their game as opposed to their commitment to convince others of their success. A truly successful player gains no benefit by bragging about their wins, but would rather discuss different strategies or poker news.

Read More

After a Bad Beat, Avoid Going Tilt

After a Bad Beat, Avoid Going Tilt
Picture yourself looking down before the flop and finding you are holding two aces in your hand. And even before you get to act on your hand there are a number of raises and reraises. Checking around the table you see three other players remain in the game after the flop, and your are feeling confident as you have the best pre-flop hand.
There is what appears to be a harmless set of community cards - Jack of Hearts, Two of Diamonds,Three of Spades heading into the flop. Everyone folds after the player before you moves all in. You call... your opponent has a Jack, Queen of Spades. That gives you top pair. Now the turn and river brings two more spades. No improvement on your pair of aces and you loose to a flush. You immediately know the feeling.
The term itself comes from a pinball machine where aggressive players physically lift the machine after a difficult play. Famous in the 1980s, the term carries over to overly angry poker players today who let their emotions get the best of them. Tilt can impact your play, and inducing tilt in other players can be an effective strategy to keep one step ahead of your opponents.
If you have ever faced a bad beat like this, it is key to stay calm, and not to get involved in a spiral of over-betting in the next few rounds. There will always be bad luck in poker, but, when luck is not on your side, keep your emotions in check, and make sure you don't make poor bets based on impulse. Take a deep breath after losing a hand on the basis of luck. Then continue playing knowing you used your best judgment - and in the end those kind of smart decisions will ensure you win more than you loose, keeping your play ahead of the curve.
How to Avoid Tilt Betting
For beginning players tilt is not unusual and will form a part of their learning curve. At that beginning level ensuring tilt doesn't bankrupt you requires yo play within your limits. Only choose to play at a table where you can actually afford to lose your entire stack. When you start at a low buy in table you limit the chances of your going tilt and your chances of rebounding from a bad beat are greatly improved.
Successful players based their poker games upon likely outcomes - they play "positive EV" strategies which put them in the best possible position to win. Even if a given pot results in a loss, making the right bet will help turn around your luck eventually. While you might have a good or bad night, a long term mathematical strategy is the best opportunity for success.
Remember the frequency of bad beats, especially in multi way pots where your chances of losing are greater. Although you may have the best hand at that point, the odds are you could still lose to a drawing hand like a straight or flush based on the board. Keeping your maximum bets low and carefully studying each bet can decrease your variance over the long haul.

Read More