Folks, today I am a little concerned about the subject of luck vs skill in the playing of poker? I get these emails all the time, asking me if I ever run bad for a long period of time at the poker tables.
The answer is "Yes! Of course I do!" I put my pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else. In Oklahoma we have many sayings, but the one that comes to mind when people ask that question is "If the horse throws you off, get back on and ride that horse again!"

The most important skill in limit hold'em is blind defense. Even players who are fairly tight from the blinds usually end up playing more hands from there than from any other position. That means that improving your play in this area will have a huge impact on your overall results.

The first article on the subject gave some general information and a few of the basic steps that should be taken if you have decided that you want to try to make poker your career. This article will delve deeper into the process so that you are better prepared to make the change from poker as a hobby to poker as a living...

Charles returns today to talk to us a little bit about the big differences between tournament limit hold'em and tournament no limit hold'em.

Make sure you don't miss it as Charles talks about efficiency and opportunity, and how they play a vital role in tournament poker.

So, you want to learn to play poker? Wait, you say you know how to play poker? Excellent. I’m glad you already know, because I’m a bad teacher for this particular game. The reason I’m sitting here talking to you today is because many people want to go from playing poker to making money playing poker. Today, I hope to start you down that path.

It is very difficult to calculate the exact odds of hitting a drawing hand when you're sitting at the poker table. Unless you're a genius with a gift for mathematics like Chris Ferguson, you will not be able to do it. That leaves two options for the rest of us: The first option is to sit at home with a calculator, figure out the odds for every possible combination of draws, and then memorize them. That way, no matter what situation comes up, you always know the odds. But for those of us without a perfect memory, there's an easier way. Here is a simple trick for estimating those odds.

Tournament poker can be very exciting, but like many exciting things in life, it can also be terrifying. There is nothing quite like the thrill of playing at a big money final table. I am often asked how I handle the pressure of playing for such big money.

Many people fall in love with A-K pre-flop in No-Limit Hold 'em because they know that they can rarely be much worse than 50-50 to win the hand if they get all of their money in heads up. While this is true, the reverse is also true: Rarely will you be much better than 50-50 to win an all-in showdown.

No matter how you slice it, poker always revolves around this primary relationship: Will the pot offer enough money once all the betting rounds have concluded to overcome the odds against making your hand? "Beating Poker: Volume 1" owners get an exclusive strategy article by one of the greatest minds in poker....

Accomplishments: Lou Krieger is one of the most renowned poker writers ever.

If you’ve been keeping up to date with my journey thus far, you have visited three Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, and Windsor), and two American cities (Las Vegas and Los Angeles). From Las Vegas, it’s about a four-hour flight to our next destination, Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut.