Ever since seeing Chris Moneymaker win the ‘03 World Series of Poker a lot of relatively new and young poker players have been trying to make it as professional poker players. A lot of them have failed and PPP Poker explains to us to great extent what it takes to become a poker pro — and what it doesn’t take too!
It’s a great article and we really feel like everyone with the intention of turning pro should give it a read!
Haha somebody actually sent me this article explaining me how poker works. Try reading it, I wonder if you learn something… OR NOT! 
- Poker rules vary with each game in which newcomers should learn No Limit poker rules before joining tournaments or other poker games online. The rules are prepared so that you understand each method or action taking in poker to win the game and to play fair gaming.
-Hand ranks are often considered in many poker games because they are valuable assets. Hand ranks are important in No Limit games, such as Texas Hold’Em, Seven-card stud, Omaha, Omaha HI/Lo and so forth.
- Most poker games have set rules in which the players with the highest-ranking hand win the round. In some instances, the player with the lowest-rank hand wins the game.
-During some of the poker games, such as the Pot-Limits and No Limit, the rules apply. Throughout the game betting is essentially understood by most professional poker players who intend to challenge each hand to win the game; they often consider No Limit Poker rules, but they consider terms, blinds, buttons, all-in, buy-ins, position, check raise, calls, bets, and other essentials in poker as well.
ROFL! Phil Ivey needs to read this one…
Still running cold since the last post, and no sign of recovery. I realize it WILL turn around ANY TIME now. Could be next session, and I’m making sure I’m not letting this cold streak turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it sucks.
Have had two winning sessions since last post. Others were down, some bad ones. Had one session in which I lost 4 times in a row with a flush. Went in ahead 3 times, went in on the river when some guy made a boat against me after making bad calls throughout the hand when I flopped the nuts.
Anyway, I’m keeping my head up. Bankroll is still alive, and I guess that’s all that counts — I’m not Gus Hansen yet. 
I’m running cold. In the last 3 days I’ve had a guy pull a ONE-OUTER on me to make a STRAIGHT FLUSH against my nut flush. I’ve lost flush over flush big pots twice with a jack high flush and a queen high flush, twice with only 3 flushcards on the board. Lost set over set twice, once with middle set against top set.
Anyway, add not making any flushes except for when someone else has me beat and I’m good. 
Oh… One more: pocket jacks. Flop TJK rainbow. I bet right out afraid of all sorts of straight draws and hoping for someone to have flopped two pair. I get called. Turn it a blank and I bet out the pot. Get re-raised all-in and call. Had KT. K rolls off on the river.
Good stuff, innit?
… at pokertables.
I’ll give you the rundown of a hand I almost cried about.
I have AK suited under the gun and I raise 4BB. I flop the nuts with QJT with two of my suit too so I’m on the royal draw on a jellyroll. I bet out knowing one guy behind me is a calling station — bet 70% pot. I get two callers. Turn is a blank and I check. Player behind me bets and I shove all in for about two pots. Player behind me calls with jack and the blank that fell. River pairs the board with another 5 (the blank) to make donkey a full house.
I busted him two hours later.
Ha!
Twice a month I sit down in the restaurant of the casino I usually play at with a friend I met at the blackjack tables and now plays in the same poker room on a regular basis to talk poker. We discuss our results and talk about key losing and winning hands and about how we could had minimized losses or maximized wins on them… It’s good, as it keeps us focussed on the game but also allows both of us to talk openly about playing hands badly and letting go of these hands once they’ve been discussed.
Anyway, this time we ended up discussing something that was clear to me but my friend wouldn’t believe/grasp — the huge difference between AT and A8 as a starting hand. He generally folds AT’s and A8’s in early position due to the difficulty of these hands after the flop, while I usually raise the AT and fold the A8 — why? Not only is the ten a kicker, it also opens straight possibilities. The Ace-Eight looks for an eight-high board or an ace. The Ace-ten looks for an ace, a ten-high board or even an ace with two high cards. It opens chances of sucking out on better aces with more than just your kicker-cards — the 3 out you have with the A8.
It might be a small difference, but to an aggressive player like me that’s enough to go ahead and raise it up. 
Alright so David Sklanksy has mentioned the Gap Concept in quite a few of his books but Phil Gordon does a good job explaining it a little more in this video… I haven’t seen Phil’s Learn Poker with Phil Gordon “Final Table Poker” in full but I’m planning to do so… His green book was pretty ok.
Like every poker player, I dread the days on which I know I play bad, or on which I realize afterwards I was tilting without actually realizing it, thus losing way too much money due to donkeyplay.
Anyway, last night was such a night. Playing $2/$5, luckily, so only losing about $200 in the process. A perfect hand:
I’m in early position with A9 suited, and decide to raise 3BB (a play I don’t usually make). I get minreraised and nobody calls — I do. A play I usually wouldn’t make again. Flop comes AJ3 rainbow. I bet right out (a play I would usually make hehe) and get re-raised about 3/4pot. I call.
Turn comes a queen — I check, villain checks behind me.
River comes a ten. I check, villain bets 50%pot, and i call. Villain had AK.
MEH. Tilt play.
I don’t speak ANY Italian, but for anyone looking to see Porsche-winning Dario Minieire in a “I just got beat in the first round mood, you’ve got to see this movie! In the end the tournament was won by Andrea Binda (whoever that might be) — but like I said, the fun is in the defeat of Dario.
Full Tilt does such a great job in making poker look glorious — making poker look glamorous — making poker players look and sound like rock stars.
Pros in the video: Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Erick Lindgren, … and the whole crew in the final cut.