Texas Holdem - Being a Pro Isn't Just About Winning
Poker has been around for a few hundreds of years. Though no one is sure where it started, it is believed to be from the French poque, which descended from the German pochen (meaning to brag or knock). The English actor Joseph Crowell reported that poker was played in New Orleans 1892. At this time the card decks contained only 20 cards. It wasn't until poker made its way up the Mississippi on the riverboats (where poker was a favorite passtime), that the english 52 card deck started being used. One of the most popular poker hands known by even the novice poker player is the dead mans hand (Ace of any suit and 8 of any suit). The Dead mans hand was derived from being the cards that Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot in the back by Jack McCall. Collectively the many variation of how poker is played is called "Community Card Poker".
Texas Holdem is believed to come from Texas and was (according to the Wikipedia: free Encyclopedia online) first played in Robstown, Texas. Over the next few decades Texas Holdem spread from Texas to Los Vegas, then the world. Texas Holdem Poker is by far the most popular poker variation today. In Tournement play today a person taking first place will be an instant millionaire (many times over in some cases). In the 2004 World Series of Poker in Los Vegas there were over five thousand players. Texas Holdem poker as been fastly growing and will likely attract over ten thousand players for the 2007 Poker Tour in Los Vegas. This will mean that the top prize will be well over $20 million dollars.
In 1998 the movie Rounders (starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton) gave us a look at the game of Texas Holdem and the possiablity of making it a way of earning a living. Earning a living playing Texas Holdem and playing for fun is by far two very diffent things. There are many things to consider and even more things you should know before making a jump at becoming a pro poker player. Some of the best pros today will figure the odds, count cards, or use any number of other stragities to calculate their chances of winning a hand. Some depend on luck or chance. Do you have what it takes to be a Texas Holdem Poker pro? Maybe you do, maybe you don't.
All Texas Holdem tours have what is called a "buyin". This is money that will be used as part of the over all prize pool. Buyins can vary from as little as $100 for small tours to over $10,000 for the World Series of Poker tours. Tournement sizes will vary from just a few hundred people to over five thousand. The bigger the tour, the more time will be needed to actually make it to the final table. World Series of Poker tours can last up to week. With all of this there is the mental and physical stress of playing for that long of period. Even this takes its toll on the pros.
If your don't think you want to commit to a big tournement there other options available. Cash games are played regularly at a lot of Casinos today. You could likely find a few cash games in private home around where you live. Also available (depending on the state or area you live) there are small tours that have small buyins and fair payouts for first. Some places that once only hosted bingo now may offer Texas Holdem Tours (as is the case around where I live in Michigan).
You can also find a lot of free poker sites online. Some of the most popular sites are: Pokerstars.net, Partypoker.com, Ultimatebetpoker.net. There are hundreds more out there. Check them out and find the one that you feel is best. Most of those site along with Texas Holdem may also offer Omaha, Omaha high/low, Stud, Razz, Horse, etc. These sites are a great source for learning the game and improving your skills. Most of them have tournements you can also compete in for "play money". Play money is what these poker sites give you so you can buy into a game. If you run out of play money, they give you more. Tours on these site in most cases range from 9 players, to a maximum of 10,000. However even in the 10,000 player tours the average time to finish is only around 5 hours, compared to the week at a live event.
As mentioned above the pros factor in many different things when playing each hand. If your not good at math or don't fully understand how to count cards or figuring out odds, there are websites that can help. One such site is CardPlayer.com. This site overs a few Texas Holdem Odds calculator, as well as Omaha. CardPlayer.com also offers other useful information you might want to check out. There are also other wedsites that may be useful. Each one has a little different take on how to play and what to play.
Before you start looking at quitting your job and heading to Vegas you may want to consider a few things first. Do you have the money to invest the time and energy needed? Do you have the skill and confidence to play against some of the best in the world? Are you physically and mentally able to handle the toll of playing Texas Holdem or other poker games that a tour will take on you?
The best possible way to increase your chances of becoming a pro would be to play a lot of cash games locally. Even start your own games in your house with some friends. Play in some small tours held by casinos or other gambling venues near you. Work your way up to bigger and bigger tours. Doing this will prepare you both physically and mentally for the biggest tours arounds.
Word of warning and causion. Gambling in any form can be addicting. Some people get so wrapped up in gambling that they go without paying their bills. They borrow money from friends and family. Some even steal just to be able to gambling. If you or a friend or love one has a gambling problem there is help. You can start off by going to the "National Council on Problem Gambling" (http://www.ncpgambling.org/). On this site you will find a self test that will help you determine if you or someone you know has a gambling problem. Also you can contact at:
The National Council on Problem Gambling, Inc.
216 G Street NE, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20002
(800-522-4700)
Published by BIRD NAMED JEFF
Most people that know me know that I am called Bird by my friends online. It comes from my nickname that I have used online for most of the last 10 years - flyingbird65. I have used that nickname in Pogo.com... View profile
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3 Comments
Post a CommentVery nice article. Informative and to the point. Looking forward to more great reads like this.
Not a bad story. I think one thing that you forgot to mention is that most people think just because they win a few games that they are good and ready to play higher stakes. This is a huge problem. People before you play and way before you ever decide to throw the rest of your money on and play for real money go read some books and spend a year playing everyday at low stakes learning all the different situations that occur in a poker game. You will go broke in a day if you don't do this. Also be sure to learn bankroll management so you know how to grow your bankroll. You might not start out making thousands of dollars but once you have learned you will have a great chance. The amount of money you can win in poker is all relative to the size of your bankroll and knowledge of the game. About me: I picked up poker 2-3 years ago and played pro my senior year of college. I made a great living. I am currently working in sales and on my way to building a bankroll to play pro again. W
Great story Bird. I am one to play for fun or just my spare change. I worked in Winnipeg, where they had slots on the opposite side of the bar and there was many regular players. There was this one family, mother, father, and son spent way too much and kept loosing, yet kept playing. I was floored to see that. I'd have to say I was a little disgusted that the parents had there son involved in this problem.