There are already lots of well documented success stories in poker’s history, perhaps none more significant than that of Chris Moneymaker, the average Joe who turned a $39 investment in a PokerStars satellite tournament in to a $2.5 million win at the World Series of Poker in 2003. It was his first major live tournament, and therefore he was a virtual unknown in the poker world prior to the tournament.

His win is often cited as one of the driving forces behind the mass universal appeal of poker and online poker in the years since, as it gave players from around the globe hope to dream that they too could one day accomplish a similar feat. While such a victory is improbable, it is in no way impossible, as we’ve seen, so what must one do to follow in the path of Mr. Moneymaker himself?

Simply put, you need to continue to practice and improve your game. Most importantly, you need to actively seek out the weaknesses in your game and aim to improve them. Don’t be passive about your game and operate under the assumption that the greater you play, the better you are going to get by default. This could be true to some small extent, linked site but if you truly want to get better, you’ll need to actively work and improve to make it happen.

As Chris proved, you don’t need a great deal of live poker experience to perform well in live events, your understanding of the game is much more important. Of-course the way you play online will likely affect just how much you improve. Naturally, playing in play money games is of virtually no benefit, as it doesn’t accurately represent how real poker is played. The same can even be said of low limit real money games. The higher up the money ladder you can go, the higher experience you’ll earn from playing online poker, even though the risks may also be greater of course.

How you decide to play and learn is ultimately up to you. You might wish to fill your head with as much knowledge as you can and read the playing advice of the many pros that have written books (and practically all of them have by this point). Or you could choose instead to maintain your head relatively clear and focus on playing a simple, effective game.

What ever the case may be, know that with some dedication, hard-work, and slightly luck, you too could possibly be the next great success story within the poker world.