Hand History Reviews

This is a really powerful way to improve your poker game and something many players neglect. I should do more hand analysis sessions than I currently do. You can buy Poker Tracker for around $80 and this is a great investment for any player wanting to improve to the next level. You can configure the program to automatically put your hands into the program for analysis.

The program helps you see which hands you struggle to win and in which position, what hands are your most profitable and you can even replay the action in a specific hand to analyse how you could have played differently and if this would have been better or worse for your results. Reviewing hand histories is something only the serious poker players do and something recreational poker players should be doing.

Study Poker Strategy

Learning the required poker strategies to win in certain situations is paramount to your success. Rather than just playing your cards, learn to play your opponents. Read the poker books on spotting tells made by opponents that are written by the likes of Mike Caro and Joe Navarro, particularly if you play live poker. For online poker specialists, learn to multi-table and employ proper conservative bankroll management. If you have aspirations on becoming a professional poker player than doing this type of thing is a real step towards achieving your goal in poker.

Goal Setting & Planning

Take some time to write down everything you want to achieve in poker. Be realistic and practical. I would prefer to see players write “Win $5000 per month for the next six months” or “Play 2000 hands per day for the next month and show a profit” than “Win the WSOP Main Event”. But if this really is your goal then write it down. Think practically about making enough for a living and then start thinking about prestige achievements and raising your profile.

Next write down exactly where you are right now and devise a step by step plan for achieving the goals. Then go and do it. Each day check that you are attaining your goals and if you look after the small achievements then the bigger achievements will follow. You automatically become a more dedicated poker player and in turn the improvements in your poker game will be evident in your long term results.

All of the above techniques for taking poker more seriously should improve your level of poker play. Nothing comes easy and doing things the easy way is known as the easy way for a reason. Dedication requires effort, but it will be worth it when you start regularly beating the cash games and winning the bigger online poker tournaments. Your bankroll and lifestyle will thank you for the change you make from being a recreational poker enthusiast to serious poker player.

By Malcolm Clarke

Before I reveal it, consider what makes a good blog topic. It needs to be specific yet loose enough so you can always have something to post about and it must be interesting for both you to write and for your readers to read. Imagine a poker blog about the colour of poker chips, after one or two posts there would be nothing left to write about!

A great poker blog topic is “How to Make Money from Poker Starting with $0.00″. Most poker rooms have freerolls and then low stakes cash games and tournaments progressing through the stakes. A blogger wishing to chronicle their Durrrr-like rise through the limits in a great looking poker blog will get readers. They can write about their cash game encounters, hands that are interesting and use a poker hand replay tool that can be found for free online to illustrate their hands, and discuss their tournament results and thoughts on bankroll management. Good results or bad plays, every poker player can relate to your story and you will get regular readers.

Every single online poker player can relate to starting with no money and increasing their bankroll slowly but surely over time. Even those with a lot of money can relate to it and will probably be interested by a player trying to start from scratch and build up. It is a theoretical possibility for everyone who plays poker and those that do not that could take part in a challenge like this and potentially succeed, so you may find new poker players use you as inspiration.

Since Chris “Jesus” Ferguson did a bankroll challenge online turning $0.00 into $10,000 in around eighteen months using strict bankroll management techniques thousands of players have tried to do likewise. It is not easy, but if you can do it you have proven you can beat the lower stakes and in theory you should always be able to get your hands on money should you suffer some bad beats. A healthy skill to have I am sure you will agree! Note that this sort of gain can be done in a shorter time but Chris Ferguson has other commitments other than grinding a bankroll.

The best poker blog is one that go on and on. It takes time to develop a loyal readership and the worst thing is if you suddenly stop posting. It does not take longer than around fifteen minutes to do a good posting and once you start getting comments on your posts and discussions starting by readers on what you write the effort will be worthwhile. Poker is a game where playing on your computer when you are alone with every table member trying to pinch your chips can seem lonely at times, so having the support of your readers and good luck messages can really help.

If you are reviewing your favourite poker room you could even brand your theme and have links to the poker site that earn you money when a reader signs up through your poker blog via their affiliate program. That could earn you extra money that you can add to your growing bankroll. One day you may win one of the big tournaments and succeed in turning no money into a lot of money. Whatever happens, keep blogging and you will enjoy the opportunities that a regularly read poker blog can offer and you may even be contacted by sites wanting to advertise on your website. That can be profitable too.

By Malcolm Clarke

Ever since, I want to play at $10/$20 no-limit holdem ring game and at the same time win a certain really huge tournament in WSOP or WPT. That’s why maybe I decided to focus more on higher level games.

Once I encountered stuff about bankroll management. I learned that to be successful you need to meet the buy in requirement of different tournaments or events. For SNG tournaments it’s 5 times buy in. For MTT, 100 times buy in. And for ring games, 45 times buy in.

For an instance, whenever a sit n go entry fee is $5.50, be aware that you have to secure a running bankroll of min. $250.00. And in 0.01/0.02 no limit holdem, $125.00.

I’ve also encountered some stuff about skill level by which I learned that at some point when you have one player at the table that is playing incorrectly, it is easy to adjust but if everyone at the table is playing badly or whatever, it is impossible to go for some adjustments.

As of now, I’m wondering if what am I suppose to do to build my bankroll so that I can play in whatever limits and skill level I desire. Any thoughts on this? Somehow, saving money from my compensation seem to work but I am not sure.

Thank you.

Johnson

Johnson,

How do you get to Broadway? The same way you build your bankroll, practice, practice, practice. You need to start at the lower limits and build your way up through the limits. If you are at the $1-$2 NL and are successful and are building money, move up to $2-$5 and so forth.

Building your skills and working your way up through the limits are really the only way to build your bankroll and to properly prepare yourself.