The Poker Pro

There have always been poker pros, but in the old days of prohibition, these brave souls were forced to make the rounds in secret, playing in illegal cash games and underground clubs. Poker legends such as Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, and Sailor Roberts came up the hard way, playing dangerous games in dangerous places.

This latest expansion of legalized poker has given rise to a new breed of player—the legitimate poker pro who makes a living playing cash games and tournaments around the country (and around the world). These days, top-tier poker professionals like Howard Lederer, Kathy Liebert, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, shown in Figures 3.5 through 3.7, can make a legitimate (and rather healthy) living without risking life and limb. (Mostly. Depends on whether you’re at a table with Phil Hellmuth)

Once again we find ourselves on the new frontier of the online game. As Chris Moneymaker and many other Internet players have ably demonstrated, online play can lead to fortune and glory, with a little skill and a lot of luck. Will we see the emergence of the Internet poker pro? Maybe. Maybe it’ll be you! Maybe it’ll be me! Probably, it will be my Mom—with her unearthly luck, I wouldn’t bet against it.

Poker has a long and rich history that has informed in many ways the game we play today. So let’s jump back into the practical and procedural end of things and in the next chapter, begin the task of assembling the basic poker know-how that you need to win.


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