Bill Ricardi - Brave Little Toaster

I was 'participating' in a discussion on Rec.Gambling.Poker. It was about big tournament players that don't do so well in ring games. As I tried to respond in some strange and crazy hope of bringing scope to the discussion, it was crashed by two trolls. And the first poster also ended up being a troll. Thus is life in the rank and file of RGP.

But the topic of 'Am I good enough to sit with the big professionals?' is one that every serious player has to address at some point. So I thought I would briefly get into it right here.

Just to give you some perspective, in order to sit at a 4000 / 8000 ring game, you need in excess of 2 million dollars in your bankroll. So clearly, cash-wise, not everyone is ready.

What we're talking about is having the whole package needed in order to sit with the pros. So do you have what it takes? Here are some quick guidelines:

* If you aren't willing to research the game, sweat a professional's cards, ask a lot of questions, and dedicate a huge chunk of your life to poker, the answer is 'no'. You're going to need to dedicate at least 50 hours a week to nothing but poker, to get in the proper mind set and receive your poker education.

* If you haven't been building your bankroll and moving up the ladder, the answer is 'no'. You are going to have to understand the difference between play at various levels before you participate in the game at it's highest level.

* If you aren't willing to be a student for a while, and learn the profiles of the players at the very exclusive high stakes games, then the answer is 'no'. Your studies become very specialized at the ultra high stakes levels, because the number of real players (rather than the idle rich) who can afford to play at those levels dwindles. So studying the traits of specific opponents becomes not only viable, but vital.

I know these things because I've talked to those players who have done it before, and heard about their pitfalls. I regularly played 2/4 and 3/6 as a professional, because that money was pretty much money in my pocket with very little long term risk. When I was staked, I played at higher limits both before and after, and found comfort there eventually. It took time and study, but it was profitable for me and my backer.

But I would NEVER play 500/1000, even fully staked for 500K, without a year of preparation. I would quit my day job, research the area, start out down at 50/100 and work my way up. This has nothing to do with a lack of confidence. It's a lack of experience. And a healthy respect for anyone who would back me at that level.

At any rate, those who underestimate the level of dedication that the high end professionals have are doomed to bust out. There's raw skill, and then there's experience and comfort level. Anyway, that's all that my brain can squeeze out just now.