"People would be surprised to know how much I learned about prayer from playing poker" – Mary Austin

My Poker System is Hard Work

I’m often how I make money playing poker and if there is a "poker system" that I use to profit every time I play at the tables. My answer which inevitably disappoints is that "my system is hard work and decication." This is because they are looking for an easy way to make money not the hard work takes work to win at online poker. If you find a poker system that promises you to win money at online poker without trying, they are either over-promising or flat out lying to you. It’s been said that “Poker is a hard way to make easy money.” No matter what you do in life, getting people to part with their money requires effort. You either have to trade your time in at work for money, sell something valuable or work hard to become better than your opponents at the poker tables. There are no shortcuts. The effort required to learn poker is a different type of effort than what it takes to dig ditches or sit in a cubicle all day. You are learning to make a living playing a game after all. The freedom and sense of self determination that is shared by professional poker players and entrepreneurs alike more than makes up for the long hours and frustration that it takes to either build a business or a professional poker career. There will be times of drudgery when you will feel like giving up; but the satisfaction of building something out of nothing can’t be measured against anything in the nine to five straight world. Think about how hard professional athletes work. They work as hard as anyone else in the world but do you think they hate that work? No way! It's freedom! Putting in that hard work is rewarding when you are the direct beneficiary of that hard work. That's what makes playing poker for money so rewarding. Yes, it can be hard work and yes, there will be ups and downs along the way but it's all done in the name of making your own way in the world. Poker Resources Featured Poker Rooms: Absolute Poker Full Tilt Poker UltimateBet PokerStars Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker

Over the next few weeks the Modern Grinder Staff will be reviewing and updating all of our 180+ articles. We are doing this for two reasons. First, as always the Modern Grinder strives to provide the absolute best poker content on the web and we want to make sure that every article is up to our standards. Second, we will are preparing for a future update that will make it even easier to find what you are looking for. What this means to those of you that have subscribed is that as articles get republished you may receive duplicate articles. This is temporary and will only happen as we do the updates so feel free to ignore them. But then again it never hurts to revisit useful information. As always we wish you the best of luck at the tables.

Poker Stars Review (Update)

PokerStars has long been one of the Modern Grinder's favorite poker sites and continues to improve with new features and a solid track record of reliability and excellent customer service. If you are a tournament poker player who aspires to one day win a WSOP bracelet then Poker Stars is the place to play as the have the most and the best deep-stack tournaments with structures that closely mimic that of major big buy in poker events. In fact if you are a tournament player a PokerStars account offers the best return of investment in both the quality of practice and in potential profits. If it's been awhile since you've played on PokerStars then you'll be pleasantly surprised by clean intuitive interface. It's very easy to find the exact game you are looking for in the lobby. The game interface is much more attractive the old client and again it's intuitive and easy to use. More reasons to play at PokerStars? They are the world's largest poker site They accept players from all over the world Free to download and play Award winning 24/7 support Fully licensed and regulated Some of the best software and game selection Secure deposits, fast cashouts For a more in depth review Click here to check our our oiginal Review, or go to PokerStars now and sign up free accout or Deposit $50, get $50 free! If you join now.

Controling Pot Size in Deep Stack Poker Tournaments

An important strategy to surviving and thriving in deep stack tournaments is learning how to control the size of the pots you play. In other words play big pots when you have big hands and small pots when you don’t. When you and your opponents have a lot in chips in proportion to the blinds in a tournament pay close attention to your opponents’ playing style and the texture of the flop before you enter the pot. Before you commit any chips to the pot, you want to identify the types of players who are likely to be in the hand with you. If you’re at a loose table where your opponents are playing a wide range of hands, you’re going to want to play smaller pots unless you’re sure that you’re way ahead or, preferably, holding the nuts. Play tight against lose players and lose against tight players. The other factor to consider when betting is the texture of the flop. Is the board suited or paired? Are there potential straight draws you need to consider? Even if you’re confident your hand is ahead after the flop, take a couple of seconds to study the board before you act. Think about what hands could possibly beat yours and then try to determine if any of your opponents could be holding cards that would give them reason to call your bet. Don’t become too attached to a hand than can be easily dominated or is likely to be a dog in the long run. Remember keep an eye on your opponents and the flops the next time you play. Time and experience will help you develop a feel for different situations and what whether you hold, fold check or raise will become second nature to you. Try your best to control the size of the pot and you’ll have more control over your tournament life. Poker Resources Featured Poker Rooms: Absolute Poker Full Tilt Poker UltimateBet PokerStars Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker

Poker Quotes

"I must complain the cards are ill shuffled till I have a good hand." ~Jonathan Swift

Which Poker Room has the Fastest Cashouts?

It's been a rough couple of years for US poker players, first Neteller pulls out of the US market and then ePassporte pulls out leaving us with fewer and fewer deposit options and the worry of not being able to withdraw our money again once we've made our deposits. The safety of your poker funds can be assured by dealing only with large, reputable and well established poker rooms (Such as those featured on this blog). While your money is safe; gone forever are the days of instant access to your poker funds. Expect cashouts to take days not hours like they used to. And as always never deposit more than you can afford to be without and plan ahead. Over the last few months I've been keeping track of the time it takes me to recieve my cash after requesting a payout from various poker rooms. Results have varied widely from remarkably fast to agonizingly slow. Here is the short list of safe, secure poker rooms in the order of how quickly they get your cash into your hands. PokerStars and UltimateBet tied for first place with checks arriving in my mailbox in about 5-7 days after approval. Full Tilt Poker was 2nd with checks arriving in about ten days. Absolute Poker took a respectable 10-14 days. The absolute worst was Doyles Room once one of my favorite places to play was by far the slowest with a typical delivery time of 30 days or more! Doyles Room is still a great place to play and your money is safe with them just be patient when you need to cash out. Other Poker Resources Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker

Poker Quotes

The poker player learns that sometimes both science and common sense are wrong; that the bumblebee can fly; that, perhaps, one should never trust an expert; that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of by those with an academic bent. ~David Mamet

Keys to Poker Success: Game Flow and Concentration Part 1

It may seem obvious but one of the great challenges in becoming a long term winner in poker is maintaining your concentration. You must keep your head in the game from hand to hand, hour after hour and day after day. If you lack concentration you start making more and more mistakes at the poker table and losing more than you should. It's true that if you have a solid understanding of the game that most decisions are very easy to make and can be made even if you are distracted. The problem with lack of focus is that you miss out on all the little gems of information from other players.  Missing these tells cost you opportunities to either save a few chips or win a few chips. Either of which can have a profound effect on your bottom line over the long term. For example, a player is prone to bluffing on the flop and has a tendency to fold when reraised. You would only know this if you were into the flow of the game and paying attention. If you just played the cards you'd end up folding a lot to this aggressive player and lose a lot of chips instead of stealing a few pots from him and coming out ahead. Or say that a player that has been tight all night suddenly raises 3 times the big blind. If hadn't been paying attention and didn't realize this was a tight player you might not realize the danger you'd be in by calling with anything but a very strong hand. Saving or gaining a chip here and there may not seem like much but over the long haul it can mean the difference between being a winning poker player and going broke. Maintaining concentration and staying in the flow of the game is critical to your long term success but is much easier said than done when boredom sets in.   In part 2 of this this article I will discuss some techniques to help you maintain focus and keep your edge.  Be sure to subscribe using the form in the upper right so that you don't miss out. Poker Resources Featured Poker Rooms: Absolute Poker Full Tilt Poker UltimateBet Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker

Poker School Video, Become a Profitable Poker Player

This morning I found a video that I just had to tell show you. Check it out if you are serious about playing professional online poker for a living. Are you a poker player who's interested in learning the skills needed to becoming a winning poker player but not sure exactly where to start? Perhaps you don't have the time to even skim through hundreds of books and manuals that claim to reveal the insider secrets to playing poker? You may have been trying to make a go of making a living online by playing poker and hit a few barriers along the way. The truth is that making a living from the comfort of your home by playing online poker is very difficult. DON'T get me wrong. Books and manuals telling you how to play poker are still essential learning tools but UNLESS you want to jumpstart and explode your Online Poker playing career in the fastest time possible, you're going to need more than that. You have an opportunity to take charge and start making money today from the comfort of your own home. A savvy internet group of pro online poker players who usually lay low have opened up a poker training school filled with poker strategy to help you become a profitable poker player. Click here to learn to play poker professionally By watching a professional poker player take you through their thought process as they go through each street and each hand, you will get the knowledge it takes to become a successful poker player. When I discussed the new site with Tim he was so excited about how much he is looking forward to help people become profitable poker players. Very rarely do opportunities like this come along and there will be nothing left out. Remember you don’t have to play poker for a living. If you just want to make extra money on the side this is fine! That’s the beauty of the internet and Online Poker. You can play as little or as much as you want! Get over to Outstanding Poker School NOW. Regards MG.

New Poker Training Center

I have just found out about a new Poker Training School that's taking the poker market by storm! Tim, Errol and the rest of the team are the real deal.. They recently launched the "Outstanding Poker Training" Site. Click Here To Check It Out... Heck, you can even watch them put their strategies to work. They have recorded their success on Video and now you can take a peek at every hand and understand why they pay the way they do. The only way to successfully learn how to make money off of playing poker online is by actually sitting down and watching videos of online professional poker players. Imagine if you can watch and listen to online poker pros while seeing their hole cards. Act now and as a special Launch Bonus you will Get a FREE Full Length Training Video from an Outstanding Poker Pro. Click the link below to see their stats...pretty impressive I'd say. Check Out These Stats... You owe it to yourself to take a look... Again, here's that link. Start making money today! All the best, MG

Profiting from mistakes in poker.

I'm sure you've heard that "poker is a game that takes minutes to learn but a lifetime to master." The rules are relatively simple and easily explained and most people become proficient at the basics fairly quickly. With basic strategy almost anyone can become a break even player fairly quickly. Understanding the nuances of the game and being able to recognize opportunities to exploit your opponents weaknesses takes experience. Ten thousand hands would be a good start. It is this experience that gives you a the sense that your opponent will lay down a winning hand if you come over the top with a big reraise or tells you that your pocket aces just aren't good enough and to fold. The problem is that if you aren't careful experience can fool you. Because there is an element of chance in all forms of poker much of the outcome of a decision is out of your hands. Some percentage of the time you will make the right decision and lose the hand. Suffer a bad beat in other words. Bad beats aren't necessarily a bad thing, because if you can keep from going on tilt, it means your opponent was putting his money in when he was an underdog. If your opponent do this consistently then over time they will make you very rich! Sometimes you make a bad decision and benefit from it. In other words you make a play that over time is statistically a loser but win the hand anyway. Mistakes are part of being human and will happen no matter how good you become. Occasionally you will get lucky and not pay for your mistakes. The problem is when you either don't recognize the error or chose the believe that it was your superior skill instead of dumb luck that allowed you to win the hand. If you make a routine of this type of hubris you will develop habits and leaks in your game that will cause you to go broke no matter how developed your other skills are. Remember to evaluate your decisions independent of the outcome. Going when your pocket aces trip up on the flop is rarely a bad decision. Calling an all in bet from a strong player with your middle pair is almost always a bad idea even if you catch a runner, runner straight and win the hand. Getting lucky from time time is one of the greatest pleasures in poker, just don't make getting luck a key part of your strategy. Poker Resources Featured Poker Rooms: Absolute Poker Full Tilt Poker UltimateBet Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker