How to become a professional poker player?
Poker movies such as Casino Royale or Rounders ignited the imagination of poker fans and brought the popular game firmly into the spotlight.
Many people decided to make the transition to online poker and spent a lot of time trying to learn the game, hoping to become professionals.
Only an insignificant minority succeeded in their quest and that’s perfectly natural, since this is a game easy to learn and difficult to master.
While there is no guarantee that you have the qualities needed to become a professional poker player, these tips will greatly increase the odds to succeed.
Spend as much time researching as playing
Accumulating theoretical knowledge about the game is not even remotely as exciting as playing it on real money. That’s why many people choose to jump on the bandwagon as soon as possible, instead of spending the time needed to learn it.
Research goes a long way and if you put long hours into studying poker, you will have a better chance of starting on the right foot. The thing about research is that it never ends and you should double your efforts to improve your theoretical knowledge while you play.
“Learn while you earn” is more than a popular saying and should be a mantra for prospective poker pros.
Aggressive poker is winning poker
Once you learn how to play the game and firmly understand the rules and the core game mechanics, it is time to play on serious cash with popular websites like playUK.com.
The higher the stakes, the stronger the competition, so you need to adjust to the new reality quickly. Aggressive poker is winning poker, so whenever in doubt about how a hand should be played, scratch “calling” of the list.
You should either raise or fold your hand because if you simply call, you will gain no information and concede the initiative. The beauty of this rule is that it applies at all stakes and levels, so you can use it both as a casual player and as a poker professional.
Keep your hands range narrow
Everybody loves a little action at the table and many players are tempted to play more hands than they should. The problem with playing too many hands is that you put yourself in dangerous situations where you end up losing unnecessary funds.
By keeping the range of hands narrow and playing position aggressively you will be in control of the game. Most of your losses will come as a result of bad beats, but in the long run luck, evens out and poker professionals emerge victorious.
Don’t give into the temptation of bluffing
Bluffing wins money only in the movies, because in real life, players rarely resort to this mechanic. Going all in with nothing is a serious error of judgement, as you take huge risks for debatable benefits.
It goes without saying that bluffs are necessary and should be used every now and then, but much rarer than people think. Instead, choose the less flamboyant, but more reliable path of playing the odds and use maths to get an edge over your opponents
