The first thing that you are going to have to do if you want to become a professional poker player is to realistically assess how good you are. Obviously if you are thinking about becoming a professional you must win fairly regularly when you play. The question that you have to ask however is how good are the guys that you are playing against? There are a lot of poker rooms that are filled with pretty mediocre players, if you are going to play for stakes that are large enough to allow you to make a living you will be playing guys who take the game pretty seriously, do you think that you can beat them on a consistent basis?

The next thing that you are going to have to become a professional poker player is a large bankroll. You will need at least a few thousand dollars in money that is just intended for poker, you will also need money to cover your living expenses until the poker money starts rolling in. In the early days you will be primarily focused on building your bankroll to the point where you can play in games with high enough stakes that you can live off of your winnings. Expect this to take a few months at a minimum.

The next thing that you are going to have to decide on is where you are going to play. It is unlikely that you will become a poker professional playing in tournaments, you will have far better chances playing in cash games. There are cash games available in casinos in most cities these days but in a lot of cases the number of players and the stakes available are not large enough to allow you to make a living. If this is the case you will have to move to a major gambling center like Las Vegas.

At this stage all that is left is for you to start playing poker for a living. The big thing that you will have to make sure of is that you protect your bankroll. If you end up losing all of your money you are finished as a professional so this is a critical step. Remember you don’t have to win big your first time out, the key to being a professional is to win steadily and for constantly increasing amounts. Eventually you will get to the point where you are winning huge sums of money.

Remember that these small pocket pairs are well ahead of other cards before the flop as long as the other players will not have a higher pair. The situation gets tricky though after the flop especially when you do not improve your hand.

The strength of the small pocket pair is when upon flop, you make a set. Let’s say that on the flop, you get another card to make what you have as a three of a kind. This sets are very strong hands and has a big potential to make a lot of money since most opponents will not suspect that you have a 3-of-a-kind.

The best way to play your small pocket pairs is to see if you can make a set during the flop. If you do not make a set, the wisest move will be to fold. Take note that it will be very difficult to play these cards after the flop and when you do not make a set. If you cards do not improve upon flop, then do not push on and fold.

The odds of hitting a set upon flop when you have a small pocket pair is not that great. The odds is 7 to 1, but still it has a very good potential that is worth checking out. Remember the cardinal rule for playing small pocket pairs, fold when you do not make a set upon flop.

Duh, right?

Well, come on. I didn’t really know that there was any difference at first myself.

But there are all kinds of different chips: clay poker chips, metal poker chips, and plastic poker chips.

Clay chips are considered the best of the best. They are pretty hefty.

Metal chips also contain plastic. They weigh about the same as clay poker chips. They are considered to be incredibly durable.

It comes as no surprise that plastic poker chips are both insubstantial and significantly less expensive. They are ideal for more casual games, especially if you tend to lose a lot of chips.

In general, for three to four players, you need about two hundred trips. For five to six players, four hundred will do. For seven to eight players, make it six hundred chips. Finally, for eight to ten or more players, you will need about eight hundred chips.

First and foremost, you need to be honest about why you are playing. If it is to win money, to polish your game, or to have fun with your buddies, just be truthful with yourself.

You also need to be able to afford to play. Can your bankroll handle the level at which you are playing? If it can’t, just try a lower level.

If you are playing at a casino, whether online or bricks and mortar, make sure you are aware of any bonuses.

Sticking to a budget whenever you are dealing with poker can be difficult but it can be done.  Just remember that if you are playing with your friends, why play for money at all?  After all, it is just a game that you can play for fun and you do not have to spend any money.

If you insist on playing poker for money, why not set yourself a budget and just take a few bills with you to the table?

Next, get there early.  That way, you are not stressed out and you are not rushing to get yourself there and ready to play poker.  Stressing out can actually lower your concentration, which is something that you do need in order to win the game.

Finally, make sure that you get yourself settled into the game.  While it might be nerve-wrecking the first game that you play, the more comfortable you are, the better!

The last thing that you ever want to do is get in on a poker game and then not know what a lot of the terms mean – especially if you are playing for a lot of money.  Poker terms are not easy to follow either; I am going to be honest with you.  That is the reason why you will need to do your research.

Reading up on all of the poker terms and the poker jargon is a fantastic way to make sure that you not only learn what the terms are but that you are educating yourself on poker as a game.

So let’s begin at the beginning: a pair. Any pair. Two pair: beats one pair, but not as good as three of a kind. A straight, which contains five cards of any suit in a numerical sequence, beats three of a kind. A flush — five cards in the same suit — beats a straight. A full house, consisting of three of a kind as well as a pair, gets it on a flush, and four of a kind does better than a full house. A straight flush — five cards, in order, same suit — beats four of a kind and a royal flush — the ten, jack, queen, king, ace, all in the same suit — takes everything.

And if deuces or treys or jacks or any other card is wild? Baby, the game gets a little wild too.

While most of the time, I will be the first person in the world to tell you that having an ego is not something that you want to do – however, in poker, it is definitely the best thing for you to have.  Having an ego in poker is something that all poker players have in one way or another and if you are just starting out and have some raw talent for the game, you might want to develop one too.

However – you do not want your ego to come back and bite you, so you definitely want to make sure that you have not only talent, but you can back up whatever your ego says to other people.  Poker is a tough game with some tough people and these are people that know the game inside and out – remember that.

If you have an ego already – you probably know all about this.  Just remember, having an ego is not a bad thing at all in poker!

If you are an avid poker player, you already know exactly who Dan Harrington – but for all of those people that don’t, I have to say that Dan Harrington is the best poker player out there.  He is a former bankruptcy lawyer that has actually held a lot of different positions over the years and right now … he has switched it all up and has become a celebrity poker player!

Dan Harrington is super-well-known and he is actually known as ‘action Dan’ for he is not about to just sit there.  He is one of the tightest players at the poker tables and when he won the WSOP in ’95, he was actually the biggest underdog there.

So if you are looking for a challenge, Dan Harrington is definitely the challenge that you have been looking for!