Many people believe that poker is a game of luck, well that is true only to a certain extent. Poker is all about skill and reading the body language of your opponent. Apart from getting good cards, in poker you also need to know when to hold and when to go for the jugular. The most interesting aspect of poker is that poker requires more than just good cards to win. A good poker player can calculate the probability of winning a hand without looking at the opponent's cards. There has been much debate if poker is a game of skill or not; the truth is that if poker was not a game of skill how come year in and year out experienced poker players do well?



If you are looking to learn poker or take up poker as a profession (yes there are professional poker players) then there are a few things you need to understand before you make up your mind. The first thing to understand is that poker comes in various flavours and depending on the type of poker game you should isolate your strong and weak points. It is an openly acknowledged fact that some players are good at some forms of poker than others. The only way to find out your strong suite is by trying your hand at poker.

Any successful poker player will tell you the reason they are as good as they are is because they eat, live and breathe poker. Like any sport there is not substitute for dedication. If you are looking to play poker professionally then make sure you are ready to devout a lot of your time to learning and playing poker. However if you are still not sure if you want to play poker professionally then the best option is to join online sites that teach poker. In addition it is also a good idea to join a specialized poker blog like the one on www.pokerjournal.com.

Apart form using the internet to enhance your poker playing skills you should also consider joining a local poker club. As a sport, poker is highly evolved in the US and chances are there will be a poker club in your locality. If you are serious about your poker it is important to get lots of practice, as there is no substitute for experience in poker. Professional poker players will tell you that there is no substitute for experience and you should get as much practise as you can. Remember it is not a good idea to assume that you are naturally gifted and can take up poker professionally. It pays to be prudent, only once you are confident that you can sustain a livelihood using poker should you turn pro.

The best place to start is by joining local poker competitions and then work your way up till you get an opportunity to play in the world series of poker. Remember just like any sport poker requires patience, hard work and skill, don't assume that luck is the only factor.

The world series of poker

The world series of poker was started by Tom Moore in the year 1968; the first tournament was a purely invitational event. Today the WSOP (World Series of Poker) event has a minimum buy in of $10,000 and the winner takes home close to $2 million. The 2005 WSOP was one of the largest ever, there were 560 finalists and the first prize winner won $7.5 million in prize winnings. The WSOP recorded more than 23,000 participants last year and the WSOP is now currently looking to expand its operations the world over, to create a world wide poker event. The WSOP has started a WSOP circuit; people can qualify for the main event without having to pay the mandatory $10,000 buy in.