How to become a professional poker player : Chillout Zone

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How to become a professional poker player

im seriösen teil des boardes wurde ja bereits mehrfach beschrieben, wie man erfolgreich werden kann. Hier nun die ultimative anleitung, wie es denn wirklich geht!

Still got the day job? Wondering if you've got what it takes to turn pro? Well wonder no more! Just read my simple guide and you will be fully equipped to start your new life as a professional poker player. Goodbye job, hello Easy Street!

It is vital for any pro player to separate his or her daily finances from the bankroll. That way you can't kid yourself that your massive overdraft is down your wife buying a lot of shoes this month. The bankroll is sacred. If you are up, take money out and spend it on something nice. If it is all gone, then, and ONLY then, sell the children on the internet.

A poker pro must seek out the tables that best suit his game. The game being played and buy-in is of little importance. No. You are looking for a table with comfortable chairs and a wipe-clean surface that's close to the toilets. You're going to be sitting there for 50 hours at a time.The toilet is good for when you want to take a break from the game and have a good cry.

Where you sit on the table is of paramount importance. Take a few minutes to observe the players around the table before you make your decision. Loose? Tight? Aggressive? No matter. Try to sit next to a big tipper. Order drinks and food whenever he does. Then when the waitress brings your order, smile as he gives her a note and she'll think it's "From Both of You". A seat next to someone with sweets is also good. Ten free sweets a day equates to €80 saving over the playing year. Finally, sit as far away from the dealer as possible on a table where tipping the dealer is permitted. It's hard not to tip someone who hands you a huge pot when you are sitting right next to them.

It's crazy not to take advantage of a casino's generosity. After dropping five thousand dollars in the poker room you are slightly less likely to choke on that €3 buffet if you haven't paid for it.

Don't be tempted by flash hotels. In Europe the professional is more used to bunking down off the premises. The dedicated pro will find the cheapest place in town. After all, you will only be using your room for sleeping. The €4 it will cost you for extras such as windows or a pillow could be spent winning that big pot! A nice view will only distract you, the walk to the communal shower will provide exercise, a rubber undersheet stops you falling out of bed, and nylon bedspreads allow you to read by your own sparks and wake up with hair like Einstein - That's a great 'table image'.

You want your opponents to fold to your bluffs and call your legitimate raises. Whether they do this or not is down to your table image. If you haven't played a hand in four hours, a raise from you will be treated cautiously, and you have a good bluffing opportunity. Conversely if you have been hitting hands and haven't showed them down, the table may think you are loose, giving you a chance to raise with a good hand and get called. A much simpler and quicker way to achieve the same responses is to remove an article of clothing whenever one of your bluffs is called, and to put one back on whenever someone calls you when you have a hand. The table will fear your bluffs, and be only too pleased to pay you off if only you will replace your trousers.

For the hard core pro, patience is not just a virtue, it's a mantra. Playing more than one hand every two hours is a reckless luxury you just can't afford. Ace Queen suited may look pretty, but faced with a €2 raise? It's a dangerous wild animal ready to explode in your face. Fold. And fold quick. While waiting for wired bullets, you might like to bring something to read, listen to music, or knit yourself a pair of leg warmers. A pro friend of mine once built a 1/1000 scale model of the Sydney Opera House from empty pistachio nut shells waiting for aces at the Grosvenor in Luton.

It is important that the professional keep meticulous records of his daily activities. One day and one poker room is very much like the next in the pro's world, and if you've left your glasses in a casino or discovered a particularly tasty sandwich, it is useful to be able to look back over your poker diary and find out where that was.

There will be good times, there will be tough times, but most importantly, there will be arse-numbingly tedious times. There will be whole weeks that you go without having a conversation that isn't about either pocket pairs in the small blind or which fruit juice to have with your breakfast. But persevere! In a few short years you might have progressed to the ranks of the successful pro. Fellow pros will greet you with a grunt instead of a smile. Your wife will have her own personal tennis coach, and your kids will be proud to tell their friends: "My Dad is a professional poker player!" ("It's my stepdad who is the tennis coach").

Charlie Chimp was talking to Guy Campbell.

www.pokerineurope.com