There’s just no getting around how bad the economy has become, but that doesn’t mean that you have to just let things stay the way they are in your own personal life. Indeed, some people are taking to online gambling for one reason: it really does bring in money. Of course, if you’re going to be playing a competitive game like poker, you’re going to have to make sure that you’re really focused on just about anything and everything related to the game. You have to go beyond theory if you really want to survive, because there are a lot of very passionate poker players that are just looking forward to eating your chips. That’s not something that you want to take lightly. If you’re going to get serious about playing poker, there’s a few more things that you need to understand.

First and foremost, you should be playing a mix of different poker styles as well as tournament formats. There’s nothing wrong with using a sit and go tournament to strengthen your skills. You get to play a lot of people all of the time, which gives you the power to defend yourself against a lot of different minds. If you’re used to just playing that weekly game night with your friends, you’re used to their predictability. That’s why so many people go from offline poker to the online stuff and find that they are truly in over their heads. You want to watch how much you’re betting at the tables as well. It’s far too easy to slide into a point where you really aren’t paying attention to quality and you make big mistakes. Microstakes is far more forgiving than 50/100, to be quite honestly. Don’t worry if you have to start small. There are plenty of poker players that have to start small. They ended up becoming legendary in the industry. There are plenty of great legends that look back and even remind new players that they were glad that they didn’t expand their poker empire until they knew without a doubt they could handle the higher levels.

Everyone comes to this point in their own time. If you’re someone that isn’t thinking too much about it, you might miss out on those silent cues. Allow your mind to start talking to you. I know that sounds kind of New Age, but think about it. So much in poker is about confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself, then you’re not going to get very far. I’m not saying that you should be talking crap at the table towards everyone, but you do need to believe in your own abilities. By the way, those super cocky guys are often more insecure than you can possibly imagine. They might be relying on part of their winnings to pay the bills, which is a very stressful position indeed. It requires that you are always on the move. That’s something that’s pretty difficult to swallow, so don’t jump in those waters until you can truly swim.

You have what it takes to be great. Don’t ever forget that!