I meet so many people who are fascinated by what I do, and they always ask me the same thing: "Do you think I could play cards for a living?"

My answer has always been yes. All the information you need to learn the game is out there. Given a modicum of mathematical ability, the willingness to study hard, and a touch of luck in the beginning, most anyone can do what I do. <READMORE>

But lately I've been thinking that maybe there's too much information out there. I think people are overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of poker books, magazines and TV shows They are at a loss as to what to read, what to watch, what information is valid and what is bunk. So I decided, with my partner in Pokerfox.net, Adam "Hatfield" Stemple, to write a series of articles about the different paths a player can take to making a significant income at the tables.

The Pathways series is meant for self-starters. There just isn't enough space in a series of articles to teach you every nuance of the game, or even teach you proper strategy, but we will tell you where to go for all of that, and give you all the information you need to get rolling.

We strongly believe that if you follow our advice, study hard, and make wise decisions about what role poker should play in your revenue stream, these articles will provide you with everything you need to make a significant income playing poker. We also suggest you feel free to spend money on your poker education sooner rather than later with things like books and videos, website memberships, and lessons.

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The Pathways

Before you get serious about playing poker professionally it is suggested that you read Fox's blog entitled "Taking the Plunge" and read Mark Blade's book, Professional Poker Vol. 1.

Done with those? Still interested? Okay.

The most popular way to make a living playing poker is playing multiple tables of limit Hold Em online. We've come up with a fairly simple recipe for getting started. You won't need every book we recommend to get started playing micro-limits, nor will you need a lot of money. You will need the books - and some good study habits - to advance up through the ranks to the levels where you can make a sizeable income every month, so make sure to get them before you move up to the bigger games.

You will need:

Hold Em Poker for Advanced Players (HFAP) by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. This book is the bible for limit Hold Em and the strategy section is unparalleled.

Small Stakes Hold Em (SSHE) by Sklansky, Malmuth, and Ed Miller. For the games you will be playing online this book will give you the right attitude and strategy.

PokerTracker (PT). PokerTracker is a program that allows you to track your opponent's play as well as your own, and even display your opponents statistics. You can get the program at www.pokertracker.com and we highly recommend an add-on program called PAHUD, which you can download for free at www.pokeracesoftware.com. The 3/6 and 5/10 levels have become a real killing field, especially on the Party network, with so many part time pros that without PT you will often find yourself at a table with no fish whatsoever.

You might also want -

Middle Limit Hold Em by Bob Ciaffone and Jim Brier. As you move up in levels this is book will help you deal with more sophisticated opponents.

Inside the Poker Mind by John Feeney. This is the best book we have found on dealing with the psychological side of poker. If you find yourself stressed out and on tilt this book can help.

A membership to our website at www.pokerfox.net. We answer questions on our forums every day, and provide a wealth of information on making a living at the tables including articles and downloadable videos.

A bookmarks folder in your web browser that includes the PokerTracker forums, bonuswhores.com, the forums at twoplustwo.com, and pokercharts.com. (We assume you already have pocketfives book marked.)

A subscription to Poker-Edge. This program is of questionable legality with the sites it tracks; so use it at your own risk. PT can be used to the same effect and without risking the wrath of the poker room where you are playing.

Poki's Poker Academy. This nice little piece of software won't make you an expert, but it will get you up to the intermediate level very quickly.

Getting Started -

Your first step is to hit the books. It doesn't hurt to take notes in a notebook reserved especially for poker knowledge, and after you read each book thoroughly make sure to review them frequently. Fox actually has a copy of HFAP in his bathroom for constant review. Simply reading and developing a good understanding of these books will allow you to beat most limit games online, and games below the 10/20 level will be easy money for you once you have these books down cold.

Now that you have the knowledge you can add the software. Spend a day or two learning how to use PokerTracker. The tutorials and forums at pokertracker.com should provide all the information you need, and feel free to ask questions on the forums; someone usually drops by to answer them pretty quickly. Play for a few hours while you get used to using PAHUD and make sure everything is running smoothly.

When you go to bed or to work, really any time that you are away from the computer for a significant amount of time, you can leave PT running and importing observed hands. Now when you sit down at a table there will be a good chance that you already have some statistics on some of the players. Sitting down with a player when you already have a large sample of hands on them is a big advantage, especially if they have never seen you before.

You'll also need to get used to playing multiple tables. Move down a level from where you normally play and start at two tables. If you apply what you've learned from your studies you should whip these games soundly. Once you are comfortable at two tables, and PAHUD and PT are running smoothly you can start to add more tables and move up.

Equipment -

I know many players who multi-table on normal size monitors and deal with slightly overlapping tables just fine, but having a larger monitor with no overlap will make life easier for you. Flat screen LCD will be easier on your eyes, and any monitor that can handle 1600X1200 resolution will allow you to play 4 tables with no overlap. You will also want to set your monitor to the highest refresh rate that it supports. A refresh rate below 60ghz will be much harder on your eyesight.

The Dell P1130 flat screen CRT monitor seems to be a very popular choice for multi-table play, and the price is certainly right. Although it is big and heavy this is the cheapest monitor we've seen that has a flat screen and does 1600X1200 resolution.

A nice optical mouse or wireless trackball will also make life a lot easier for you, and prevent things like carpal tunnel syndrome, and tendonitis. With a wireless trackball you can move around the house, make dinner, and sit back in your easy chair while you play. Repetitive motion problems are common among serious online players, and it's cheaper to prevent them than it is to get them treated later.

Moving up -

If you're going to make real money you will have to play 2/4 and higher. The games won't change much until you get to 10/20 and higher, and even the 30/60 level is often filled with very beatable players. At each level make sure to check your stats in PT and make sure that you are a consistent winner. If you are making less than 1.5 big bets for every 100 hands then you should go back and hit the books some more. Check your stats once you have 1,000 hands at each new level, but don't worry too much about them until you have at least 5,000 hands logged. It is expected that your big bets per hour statistic will go down slightly at each new level as the games get tougher.

Bankroll considerations -

The generally accepted number for limit poker is 300 big bets, but this number is actually fairly dangerous. Until you are comfortable at a given level, and have a very large sample of hands to assure you that you are a solid winning player, we recommend a figure closer to 500 big bets to help insure that won't go broke or need to move down a level if you have a small cold streak.

Income -

You can expect to make about 1.5 big bets per 100 hands without a great deal of talent or assistance as long as you have studied the books we recommend. At the lower levels a much higher number should not surprise you. An Example at the 5/10 level helps to understand what you might see.

At the 5/10 level playing four tables that are each full you will see about 220 hands per hour. At 1.2 big bets per 100 hands (easily achievable at that level) this would give you an hourly wage of around $26 per hour. Our upcoming pathways article on free money will help you increase this rate to well above $30 per hour, and an income of $45 per hour is not unreasonable to expect at this level.

Continuing study -

You must continue to study. The game changes every hand and there are a near infinite number of nuances to master. There are at least fifteen excellent books that can help your game immensely as you move up in levels. The books we mentioned will provide you with most of the limit hold em knowledge you will ever need, but learning about poker in general and how to control your emotions will continue to improve your win rate.

Having a friend who is on a similar journey is always helpful as well. Neither one of us would be where we are without having the other around to talk to and share knowledge with.

Treat poker like a serious pursuit. Sure it's fun, but if you want to make the kind of money that a lawyer makes you'll have to put in almost as much study as they do to get their degree. If you want to make as much money as a pizza driver makes then you can study a great deal less, but you might be better off getting a job driving pizzas…

Feel free to contact us at Fox@pokerfox.net or Hatfield@pokerfox.net and we'll try to answer any questions you may have. Don't forget that the forums here on pocketfives can be a very good source of information as well, with some of the best players in the world answering questions frequently.

Keep an eye out for upcoming Pathways articles on tournament poker, sng's, no-limit Hold Em, Omaha, and bonus programs.

Thanks for reading, now get back to the tables!

Fox and Hatfield
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