One of the problems when it comes to playing poker is the fact that there are many poker myths that go around. They may be fun and you may learn a lot from them, but the thing is, some of them can be very misleading that it will bring you nothing but headache, especially if you employ it as a part of your strategy.

For this reason, here is a short list of the myths that you should definitely not believe in.

The Myth of Bluffing

Bluffing has always been a strategy of some poker players, but just because a player is good at bluffing and gets away with it does not mean that he is a good poker player. Bluffing is not the only thing that this game needs, especially since you should also have a clear understanding of all the basic rules of poker. Yes, this should be a part of your strategy, but this does not mean that you have to rely solely on bluffing to make your way to the top. Furthermore, bluffing works best when you play at live games, when you are face to face with your opponents, and if you are playing online poker, then you will notice that bluffing is one of the last strategies that you should employ, unless, of course, your cards are excellent.

The Use of Tells

There are a lot of poker players who will advice you to look at the poker tells of your opponents before you make a decision. Now, this will do you good, provided, of course, that your opponent is not bluffing.

Similarly to bluffing, reading poker tells may be a very good strategy, especially if your opponent does not notice that he is making those tells, but this does not mean that it is foolproof because, as stated above, this may be just a part of your opponent’s bluffs.

The Best Players

Just because he is an excellent poker player does not mean that he will always win the game. In fact, this is one myth that can easily be dismissed right away because when you ask just about any poker pro who has had good records and million of dollars in poker winnings, he will admit to losses.

Remember, although poker needs a lot of skill and good strategies to be able to come up with the best hand as well as beat your opponents, poker is, after all, still a game of luck because you will never know what your cards will be.

Just because you lost a round or two in poker does not mean that you have to scowl all day. It will not help you win back the money you lost, and it cannot also help you have a winning streak. Now, if you smile a little, even though you are on a somewhat losing streak, then you just might change your luck.

Here are some quick facts to think about if you need that quick smile.

No Cards?

Did you know that when Christopher Columbus first arrived in North America he and his men played cards? They brought no cards with them so his men became innovative and collected wild leaves. On those leaves, they drew the numbers and the suits of the cards, and with their makeshift deck of cards, they found a way to while away the time.

Fifth Card

It was in 1937 that someone thought of adding a new suit of card into a regular deck. This might have been very unique and would have changed the game a lot, but sadly, this new addition to the regular deck of cards never caught on. In fact, many opted not to play with the new deck of cards for one very practical reason.

A new set of cards would have meant that people who regularly play poker will have to purchase this new type of deck. Furthermore, many rules in the game of poker as well as in any other card games would have been revised just so the fifth suit would fit. Of course, this would lead to confusion, which many wanted to avoid. Thus, the death of the fifth suit of card.

Terms to Understand

Did you know that there are funny reasons why poker terms came to be such?

For example, the Jack or J is called the fishhook for one very simple reason, and it is because J has the appearance of a hook. Now, if you hear somebody saying “glimmer” when you are playing poker, this pertains to money.

There are other fun terms that go around at the poker table. You have the mechanic which is the term that pertains to a cheater, and the mechanic’s grip is the way they hold the card to make it easier for them to cheat.

There are other fun facts that you can learn about in the Internet, and you can bet that these can put a smile on your face.

Hosting a home game of poker is more than just calling your friends and inviting them over. Furthermore, it is more than just sitting at the table, waiting for the cards to be dealt, and hoping to have a winning hand, instead of a losing one.

To truly make you enjoy the home game all the more, you have to prepare the area in such a way and set the amounts.

Setting Up the Area

The very first thing that you have to do, of course, is to set up the area. This means that you have to have the poker supplies ready, and these include the poker chips and the cards. You would also need to have dealer buttons and poker tables.

To find out more about the products that you would be needing for your home poker game, it would not hurt your cause to read forums so that you will know which products are better.

However, if you want to save some money, then you could divide the task with your guests. For example, you provide the venue; your friend provides the poker chips; while the other one can pro vide the felt table. The rest could bring the snacks as well as the drinks.

Setting Up the Games

Of course, you have to list down the games that you would want to play, may they be poker games and its varieties, especially Texas and Omaha Holdem, or blackjack and other types of card games. In conjunction with this, you also have to set up the payout structures, which include the blinds, the antes, et cetera.

The main thing that you have to think about when it comes to setting up the game itself is to choose the amount of money that you and your friends are comfortable playing at, and to avoid any conflicts and confusions during the home game, you and your friends should also discuss chipping up, if you want to include this in your game.

Of course, since you are going to host the game, you have to maintain fairness in each of the rounds. Furthermore, you also have to exercise authority over the table, especially if you are the dealer, that the other players maintain proper and correct manners during the games. It will not do your home game any good if your players trash talk during the games as it can spoil the fun.

Losing in poker may be a huge dent in your pocket as well as in your ego, but that does not mean that you really have to take the game very seriously, especially if you lose a round. In fact, you can go beyond the fame and fortune that the game provides and appreciate the humor that is behind this very popular card game. Laugh even more when receiving rakeback on your players account even after a crappy month.

Fun Facts Behind the Cards

Did you know that the suits of the cards have some meaning to it, aside from being just simple diamond, heart, club, and spade?

The diamond is said to symbolize merchants, while the spade is said to symbolize royalty. The club symbolizes the peasants, while the heart symbolizes the clergy. This is all thanks to the influence of France.

In 1937, a fifth suit was created and was included in the regular deck of cards, but this proved to be worthless and never caught on because it meant that people have to buy a whole new deck of cards just so they could play poker. Furthermore, it would have changed the rules, thus, confusing a lot of people.

Famous People Playing Poker

There are also fun facts about people playing poker that you can learn about. For one, did you know that President Richard Nixon used a big portion of his poker winnings to fund his first campaign to gain a seat into Congress? Hard to believe, right, but this is, in fact, true. Nixon won a whopping six grand while playing poker against his Navy buddies, and he utilized a big part of his winnings to get into the office.

Now, let us take a look at the history of the poker variant Texas Holdem. Did you know that a very famous poker pro who is still very much active in the poker world as of today was one of the people who brought the game of Texas Holdem to Las Vegas? This famous guy is Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson, and together with three other people, they introduced Texas Holdem to Las Vegas where it became so popular. The game was first called Holdem, and as the game rose in popularity, it was then changed to Texas Holdem.

So, the next time you lose a round, think of these fun facts because, without these, poker would not be that interesting.

WSOP 2010, is it going to give the same thrill that last year’s did, or is it going to give more? Here is a sneak peak at the 2010 WSOP.

The Schedule

The 2010 WSOP is set for May 27 through July 17, 2010, and as usual, it will include 57 events. Again, these events will be held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.

There were some changes made for the 2010 WSOP, so you can expect to see more of the $1,000 buy-in tournaments. In fact, there are about six of them for this year, so those who wish to participate in the 2010 WSOP but are on a limited budget have the chance to purchase a seat into this major poker series.

However, if you have the money to burn, then you should definitely look into participating at the new $50,000 player’s championship event. This event will kick off the whole poker circuit as it starts on May 28, 2010, which is a Friday. But, of course, if you are after the grand prize and the world championship title of the 2010 WSOP, then you should definitely try your luck out at the $10,000 No Limit Texas Holdem event, and this will start on July 5 through July 17. Again, nine contestants will meet once more in November for the biggest title and the biggest prize as they play at the Main Table Final Event of the 2010 WSOP as the November Nines.

No More $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Event

One other big change that this 2010 WSOP will be seeing is the removal of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, and the new event that will take its place is the $50,000 Player’s Championship. Although the games are relatively the same, there is the addition of the 2-7 Triple Draw, the No Limit Holdem, and the Pot Limit Holdem. Of course, you can still expect the same big prizes that the old event gives out to its participants, and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy will still be given to the winner of this new event.

However, if you want to participate at the same old H.O.R.S.E. event, then there is also the new $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship event.

There are more that the 2010 WSOP offers, so you better keep your eyes and ears open for the events that you could participate at.

Poker may be just a game, but there were important and very memorable events that took place last year. Some grabbed the attention of many and earned snide remarks, especially from those who have participated in major poker events, while some grabbed the respect and admiration of not only poker players but most especially poker fans all over the world. So, here is a recap of these memorable events that took place last poker 2009.

Julius Caesar

Always an attention grabber, Phil Helmuth walked into the WSOP 2009 wearing a Julius Caesar costume, complete with soldiers, dancing ladies, and horse-drawn chariot. Those who do not know Helmuth raised their eyebrows in disgust at his show, and those who do know him knew that he was going to pull such a stunt like this when he walks into the WSOP venue, especially since he is known to always set up elaborate stunts when he makes a WSOP entrance. Of course, many poker pros also raised their eyebrows at Helmuth’s antics.

Nude Poker Pros

Again, the attention-grabber Phil Helmuth was once again a participant of this event wherein Helmuth together with four other poker pros posed nude for the “The Body Issue” of ESPN’s Magazine. The other three players included Jennifer Harman and Daniealk Negreanu as well as Scotty Nguyen. The photograph showed the four players playing at a poker table, dressed in their birthday suits. Of course, the poker table hid their private parts appropriately.

The Poker Playing Priest

The poker playing priest was another incident that sparked the interest of many, and it even became a bit controversial. Father Trapp joined in a major poker tournament and won himself a fat hundred thousand dollars, which he has promised to put into the renovation of his church. He might not have won the million dollar first prize, but his accomplishment did show that there is a quirky side to priests, not just serious preaching.

New Member in Full Tilt Poker

It is not a common occurrence that Full Tilt Poker invites poker pros to become a member of their team, but last year saw the addition of  into the Full Tilt Poker elite team. Dwan, already recognized in the online poker world, has also gathered the attention of the poker world when he issued the million dollar challenge.

This is just some of the major events that took place last 2009 in the poker world.

Last year, the man who got into the Poker Hall of Fame is Mike Sexton, and he is the 38th man to be introduced as a member of this prestigious association. It is not surprising though that Sexton made it into the Poker Hall of Fame, especially since the fifteen living members of this prestigious body all had a vote that Sexton make it into their coveted group, proof that Sexton is indeed a man worthy of the title.

So, what are the reasons why Sexton was chosen to be included in the Poker Hall of Fame, and let us take a look at how he came to be in included in this very prominent body?

The Poker Player

Sexton has proven to himself and has shown to the poker world that he can be a very formidable opponent when it comes to the felt table. For one, he has earned a WSOP bracelet in 1989 when he participated at the seven card stud event. Sexton also earned a whopping 3.18 million dollars in poker winnings when he participated at the 2009 WSOP Main Event. All in all, Sexton has gathered 47 WSOP cashes, coming in at the 11th place when it comes to the all-time list.

Sexton is not only a formidable poker player and a fair opponent but he has also created a big name for himself in the poker world because of the contributions that he has given to the game of poker. He worked as an anchor for the famous World Poker Tour, and, at the same time, he also writes articles for the Card Player.

With all the income and the poker winnings that he has gathered throughout his poker career, he has the time to share his blessings. He donates to many charities as well as a variety of organizations. In fact, he extended a huge helping hand to a start-up organization called the pokergives.org, which is an organization that lends a hand to poker players who want to donate to commendable charities.

Sexton’s contributions to the game do not stop there as he has also become a supporter with an impressive say when it comes to poker laws and its legal rights. In fact, he became an expert witness for the five poker players from South Carolina who were convicted with illegal gambling for having played at an illegal $20 Texas Holdem tournament.

There are more that Mike Sexton has done for the game of poker, and all his efforts have been recognized by many. He is indeed worthy to be included in the Poker Hall of Fame.

Despite the recession, the 2009 WSOP still enjoyed a fairly good run as the said event had attracted not only some of the world’s famous poker pros but also a number of celebrities. Last year’s WSOP was held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. All in all, 57 WSOP bracelets were given out as well as the huge first prize of the final table, the $10,000 NLH Main Event.

The Events

The 2009 WSOP had 57 events all in all, and the games included Texas and Omaha Holdem games, and they both have no limit and pot limit games. Aside from these two, the 2009 WSOP had also offered seven card stud as well as mixed events, and as expected, the H.O.R.S.E. and Razz events were also offered. The Main Event though, which is the most anticipated event of all, was, of course, the World Championship No Limit Holdem tournament which had a buy-in fee of $10,000 where Joe Cada took home the grand prize worth more than 8 million bucks.

The November Nine of the 2009 WSOP

Nine lucky players got into the Final table of the Main Event, some of them big names in the poker world while others newcomers to the scene like Darwin Moon. Although much hope has been placed on Moon winning the grand prize, especially since he has one of the biggest stacks of chips, the first prize and the championship title went to Joe Cada, as stated above, but Moon got to take home the second prize worth five million dollars though.

Other players in the November Nine include Antoine Saout who landed the third place and took home the prize of more than three million dollars. Eric Buchman won the fourth place, earning him 2.5 million dollars, while Jeff Shulman bagged the fifth place and almost two million dollars in cash prize. Sixth place went to Steven Begleiter and seventh place goes to Phil Ivey, and they took home 1.5 and 1.4 million dollars respectively. Kevin Schaffel got the eighth place and won 1.3 million dollars, and lastly, James Akenhead, at ninth place, won 1.2 million dollars.

The Main Event’s Final Table started last November 7, 2009, and it saw one of the poker circuit’s biggest prize pools. Last year’s Final Table had seen a total of 364 hands, 88 hands of which came from heads up plays.

Steven Lipscomb, the television producer, started the World Poker Tour in the United States of America. It is a series of international poker tournaments that feature many of the world’s renowned poker players.

In 2002, people saw the first series of the WPT on the television. It was aired in the spring of 2003 on the Travel Channel on American cable TV. The World Poker Tour series have led to a visible boom in the table game.

The most attractive part of the World Poker Tour is that anybody who can afford the “buy-in” or has been a winner of a “satellite” tournament” is eligible to compete against the professional poker players.

Poker has become such a religious game that people have forgotten its fun part. Here are some interesting facts about poker.

Playing cards was introduced in the 1300s in Europe. The first Texas Hold’em was played in 1900s in Texas. A group of Texas gamblers brought the game to Las Vegas. Doyle Brunson is the first poker player who won $1 million after winning the 1976 and 1977 World Championships.

The famous poker player Groucho Marx got this name because he carried his money in a “grouch bag”. Due to the French influence on the game, Hearts represent the clergy, Clubs represent the peasants, Diamonds represent the merchants and Spades represent the Royalty.

Maybe not a poker player, but yet an important figure in the poker scene. Norman Chad is a well known sportswriter who was born in 1958. Chad is a Cuban from his maternal side. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1976.

Norman Chad is also known as one of the best commentator of the World Series of Poker on ESPN. He is also a syndicated columnist whose each column has something for the reader. Recently, he has published his own book that talks about his views on the ESPN as a sports network. It also has his criticism on different sports program.

Chad has been making NFL predictions for the last 11 years. When asked he simply shrugs off by saying that he just tossed the coin to know the winner!

Just remebered I haven’t made a biography of Daniel Negreanu! A couple of months back I wrote a blogpost about his WPT/WSOP performmances, but no real biography.

Well here it is: Like many people, Daniel Negreanu’s passion was conceived at a young age. His parents had both left Romania and made a permanent stop in Toronto, where Daniel’s father became an electrician. Daniel Negreanu, however, didn’t want to follow in his father’s electric footsteps, and decided to venture out into the world of poker. He taught himself how to play poker at the meager age of 15, and at 16, turned his passion into a financially pleasing hobby, playing at pool halls and betting with other gamblers. The pleasantry ended when he found himself incapable of graduating high school, which is why Negreanu, at 17, dropped out. When he was 21, he made the decision to move to Las Vegas in order to pursue a career in poker. Unfortunately, luck abandoned him, and with his financial state awry, he moved back to Toronto.

Fortunately, luck, along with talent, re-entered Daniel Negreanu’s life when he won a couple events at the World Poker Finals. Since then he’s started his own poker-friendly website, signed with PokerStars, the largest online poker cardroom, and has racked in thousands of dollars by participating in various Tournaments.

Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu was one of the first celebrities borne out of the WPT/WSOP poker era. Negreanu’s boyish good looks, charm and talent made him a natural to represent the new, more clean cut, more acceptable face of poker. While by 2004, long before he had his Poker Stars, Negreanu had WSOP bracelets, tournament wins and plenty of poker earned cash to his credit, he still didn’t have one of the things he coveted most: A World Poker Tour victory.

Negreanu’s WPT Chase

Negreanu was determined to nail down that WPT crown, playing in every event he could to give himself his best shot at a title. Finally, in September in Atlantic City, Daniel got his chance. He made it to the final table of the Borgata Poker Open as the chip leader.

No Easy Road

As good as his position seemed, it would be no easy road to victory. Far from being packed with amateurs, this final table was a murderers’ row, containing WSOP main event runner up David

Williams, main event final tablist Josh Arieh, talented pro Chris Tsiprailidis and feared top pro Phil Ivey. In the end, it came down to Negreanu and David Williams, and Negreanu’s well-timed pocket aces were enough to give him the victory.

Keeping the Momentum Going

Not one to let any momentum go to waste, Negreanu was back at the finaltable a few months later for the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. With the winning experience under his belt, Negreanu went all the way again, defeating the colorful Humberto Brenes for his second WPT title.

Negreanu rounded out the WPT season with a third place finish at the World Poker Open in Tunica, earning him WPT Player of the Year Honors, the respect of his poker peers and a much-deserved sense of poker satisfaction.

Another quite long post from Jepepoker. I really don’t like those small posts . How to prepare for the head’s-up ring game? That’s the question am asking myself.

Almost everything inside the head’s-up tables, in every games form, is fixed-limit. Pot-limit and no-limit head’s-up ring poker games are rare compared to their fixed-limit cousin. Although many head’s-up ring poker game actions you come across is the $0.02/$0.04 variant, you may find $10/$20 fixed-limit Omaha and Hold ’Em and $8/$16 Stud head’s-up games if you really look for them.

One main reason poker sites don’t support plenty of larger limits, nor no-limit variants, of head’s-up ring poker game is that those games don’t get too much action; but even more importantly, laws where the host sites are located geographically put a great deal of legal pressure on poker site owners to not tolerate money laundering practices (the passing of capital from one person to another – commonly for illicit reasons), so the bet size is capped on head’s-up ring tables to keep large amount of money from changing hands easily and quickly. More money change hands during head’s-up tourney play, but not in the ring-game (five thousands dollars buy-in tournament on demand is possible). Site staffs watch big-dollar traffic in head’s-up tourneys extremely carefully for possible money laundering activities.

The first few head’s up games can be the most nerve-wracking moments of your poker career. It is not just for the low-limit rule of most of the games; the stress is also completely unnerving.  Luckily, having less money at stake, takes off some of your headaches.  Since you deal with just one other player, you may take your losses personally. But you shouldn’t. As a matter of fact, the first Zen-like rule you should grasp about head’s-up games is to not take it too seriously and personally.  View this self-control attitude as just another facet of your primary poker skills.

Head’s up, in some ways, is known as the purest poker type. Given enough time, head’s-up games determine who owns the better poker skill.  It can be hard to swallow when you lose, and you can feel bad or defeated.  Just shake it off and dig a bit more into yourself and identify the person who beats you over a long game session or beats you continuously over many poker sessions, you may have an invisible crack in your poker skill. Determine the exact problem by researching your playing style, going over your daily journal, and practice diligently on the micro-limits. If you finally find the crack, immediately shore it up, even if you will never face that particular player again. Any crack in playing skill that one player discovers can certainly be found by other players.  Head’s-up ring poker games generally fall into two main categories: playing for just a couple of hands before a player leaves (generally because he gets scared, bored, or has some emergencies) or moving back and forth for a while (say, 30 minutes or more — which in head’s-up games can be over 50 hands). Some game sessions may last for “medium” time duration, like 15 minutes.

It’s been awhile since I published my article “Mistakes commonly made in Poker“. Here’s some more thoughts, as it’s vital to remend yourself of what often goes wrong. Texas hold ‘em is vastly considered the most popular form of poker, where winning comes from wit, plus strategic and mathematical observation. So it’s no wonder mistakes will occur–here are a few to try and avoid.

First, a huge mistake is playing too many hands. Think before you play a hand, and ask yourself ‘Is this going to help me in the long run?’ if your answer is Yes, go for it, but don’t go unless you can explain why it will be good. If your answer is No, well…then don’t play. This goes the same for playing too few hands. If you spend more time waiting and less time actually playing, you might miss on some good opportunities. Never bet more than you have to, because betting a lot is a common mistake. This may seem like common sense–you bet only what you have–but you’ll be surprised how many times people find themselves with high numbers, but with a negative in front. Poker games could take a while, and patience is a virtue you need to possess. Spacing out is a huge mistake, seeing as, with hold ‘em, you’re playing a non stop game that requires non stop strategies. Focus, focus, focus. Don’t let your mind drift onto something else, because you’ll find your money drifting into someone else’s wallet

Many films involve a game of poker in one context or another, but the number of films that deserve to be called poker films are not so many. There are a few really good ones, though. Below are the top three poker films. All were done before the first poker sites opened their business on the internet. But one of them is modern, while the other two show a more traditional picture of poker.

Cincinnati Kid (1965)
A young poker gun called Cincinnati Kid (played by Steve McQueen) comes down to New Orleans to take on the undefeated champion and card-sharp Lancey Howard. The battle of the giants is played out as a game of five card stud with very high stakes. On doubtful grounds the Kid trusts that he can defeat “The Man” straight up in an honest game without cheating. It’s just that other people at the table are actually cheating, and the Kid is losing to the Man.
The Kid finds out about the cheating and manages to have the dealer replaced. With a clean deal, the game turns and the Kid starts winning back his money. But in the final hand he loses a huge pot with a full house against the Man’s royal flush. The film contains a lot of pretty darn realistic poker footage. Of course it’s the old school kind of poker played with cash on the table and players bringing more money to the table in the middle of a hand.

Rounders (1998)
In the cult film of the poker boom in the early twentieth century, five card stud has been replaced by no-limit holdem, the Cadillac of Poker.

Again we meet a young and brilliant card player (Mike McDermott, played by Matt Damon). In the beginning of the film he loses everything to a man with “connections all the way to the top of the Russian mob” (played by John Malkovich). After losing his tuition money, Mike McDermott is forced to sustain his laws studies by delivering groceries in the graveyard shift. Then his best pal, (Worm played by Edward Norton) comes out of prison and a crazy hunt for fast cash begins, the old friends using all the tricks in the poker book as well as some not so honest tricks from the book of card magic. Much against his will, Mike returns to the game he loves, and while his pal makes one final mistake and is forced to leave town and the film, Mike uses all his poker talent to pay back his friend’s debts and save his own life. Then he packs a bag and goes to Vegas for the big bucks, in the realization that the card table is where he’s supposed to be.

The Sting (1973)
As a poker aficionado you’ll be alarmed of learning that in this film too, the story revolves around the prospect of making money in poker by cheating. Maybe straight up, honest poker games are not exciting enough for the film industry. In any case, in this film we follow two petty gangsters as they try to set up an elaborated scam against a big gangster, Doyle Lonnegan, without him even noticing the scam. After losing a lot of money in a high stakes poker game where the cheating mobster is being outwitted by a better cheater, he jumps on the opportunity to con his foe, Lonnegan is lured into an even bigger scam set up against him. In the end he loses an enormous amount of money in a scene where everybody from betting clerks to FBI agents are part of the scam. It’s often been said that watching poker is as fun as watching paint dry. There’s probably some truth to this if you’re not a true poker fanatic, and film makers dealing must handle this problem. These three film classics manage to balance realistic poker scenes and exciting stories.

It is a dream closely nurtured by many aspiring poker players: To ditch the dreary 9-5 job to make a living from a game that thrives on infinite skill, knowledge and, above all, wit. What freedom!
Across the world, millions have tried and failed their hands at earning a crust from the infamous game. Ever since the internet revolution a new evolution of online players have spawned across the globe.
But is a run of Big Slicks enough to give up the day job?
Winning $140,000 (£100,000) might be enough to take a long, well earned sabbatical – but will not put bread on the table for a lifetime.

The good news for wannabe poker entrepreneurs is that the payouts from many casinos are uncapped, claims Richard Prew, media director of poker association, APAT. He says there are ‘no winning limits’ in licenced UK venues. APAT also advises there is no substitute to vast pots of money and playing experience when it comes to bringing home the bacon from poker.

Having the right psychological makeup and personality is also a trump card when playing for small fortunes. Players must also have the mettle and money to ride out the bad times when suffering streaks of bad luck, he stresses.
So who actually makes a living from poker? Prew believes the ‘majority’ of poker players play the game for fun and/or to supplement their income, with a small nucleus of professionals doing so to make a living. Traditionally, online casino don’t offer much value for money for recreational players, he says. But for high stake players, wanting to gamble on high stake tours, there are enticing yet risky opportunities to make fast and furious bucks.
The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, launched in 2007, is a series of poker festivals that take place across venues and online. Each festival features several warm up events with buy ins ranging from $140 (£100) to $1400 (£1000) for the four-day main event. The stakes are raised to $4199 (£3000) at the end of the year for the tour’s Grand Final. As with the scale of poker played across the world, its winnings are far from loose change: Prize money for the televised main events in the tour’s first year topped $4.9n (£3.5m).
Professionals, amateurs and internet qualifiers number those who have pitted their wits for a place in history and life changing amounts of money.

With one player winning $105,000 (£75,000) for the first event this year, livelihoods can clearly be made – but for how long? Surely the odds of winning such sums over a lifetime are slim? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever the chances, it is vital the player knows the game inside out before he or she endeavours to pay off the mortgage. Again, having a king’s ransom in cash reserves goes without saying!
For online poker players, Prew advises there is no best global region in which to play poker, provided the site is international and properly licensed and governed. Legally above boards sites, he says, are carefully regulated, and display terms and conditions for banking, fraud prevention and account protection.
Those who play online or at casinos every Friday night will not need a maths lesson to realise that poker can be a slippery science to make a living. Likewise. APAT advises that cheap ‘Rebuy’ poker tournaments, which enable players to buy more chips when they lose them, are not recommended as poker gold mines.
Organisations such as APAT, Sky Poker, Virgin and PKR aim to provide recreational players with professional online and poker tours with ‘many starting chips’ and buy ins for under $140 (£100). Such events sell out within minutes of going on sale.

Inevitably, these sums are not enough to live on for a year; the art of poker playing demands a seasoned rounder not only to make a living, but to cover losses.
Unlike other games, practice makes viable, but not perfect poker. This, of course, is the substance of dreams. Few of us will be lucky enough to take home $8.5m (£5.8m) as won by Peter Eastgate, at last year’s World Series of Poker final. But there’s no harm in dreaming is there?