By Samantha Williams

Despite the fact that playing online poker games in the US is considered by the Department of Justice to be criminal. In the case of Washington State, this is a Class C Felony – not sure what that means; are felonies classed on a scale of A – Z? Online poker games have become kids’ games in a way, and kids are making a fortune by playing. When we say “kids” we are talking about young men aged around 18 – 22 but we do know they are playing online poker even younger. They have to be to get where they are so young, and they are changing the face of the poker EV.

EV means “expected value” and essentially expected value comes about when thousand of hours of poker have been played and experience gained. The thing is that these youngsters are playing thousands of hours of poker games in very short periods of time in multi-tabling situations, so they are getting the experience of the “old-guard” poker player – over very short periods of time. The same poker playing experience which may take one old fashioned player 25 years to get under his belt; the young hotshots can do in a year when they spend 14 hours a day playing; and playing up to 24 tables simultaneously – it is this that is changing EV.

Let’s look at Daniel “Jungleman” Cates as an example, we don’t know how long he has been playing online poker games, but he has always played games online. He is only 21 years old now, and not only does he take on the Phil Ivey’s and Erik Seidel’s of this world when he plays online, he takes them on at the live poker tournament tables too.

Daniel Cates has a lot in common with most of the other young poker bloods; the thing that is different is, that in 2010, he was the highest online poker games earner in the world. Daniel “Jungleman” Cates is a poker phenom; there is only one other young player who can currently lay claim to being a phenom, and this is Viktor Blom, whom we know “Isildur1″. But Viktor Blom is infamous for often losing more than he wins. These kids are out-sharking the poker sharks they are battering them river, turn and flop and are seated at the same tables with experts in this game. In 2010 Daniel Cates earned over $5.5 million playing online poker games!

He is also socially almost reclusive in terms of the real world, and doesn’t think twice about the fact that he lost $1.2 million to Gus Hanson in one week. Games with $30 000 stakes are boring as far as he is concerned and this; this, is the new breed of online poker games player.

By Samantha Williams

Play poker and undoubtedly you will find this is a head game, experts talk about poker psychology all of the time. Some players don’t get this and they believe poker psychology is all about the bluff; nothing could be further from the truth. According to Anthony Holden ~
“Whether he likes it or not, a man’s character is stripped at the poker table; if the other players read him better than he does, he has only himself to blame. Unless he is both able and prepared to see himself as others do, flaws and all, he will be a loser in cards, as in life”.
And this describes poker psychology to the very last chip on the table.

Like any other sport you partake off; just because you win an Olympic Gold at age 18, does not mean you have reached the pinnacle of your success. If you think you are the best at this stage; whether you are swimming a relay or potting a polo puck (is it called a puck?), then your ego will never allow you to improve. Four years later when you return to the Olympics, if you have not improved, you will be at the bottom of the pile. When you play poker exactly the same applies. In order to understand you game better, you have to strip yourself bare, be true to yourself and never cow-tow to an ego

The major difference when you play poker; is you generally don’t have a coach to help you identify holes in your game. Anyone in the whole world can walk up to a WSOP Main Event, as long as they have their $10 000 buy-in! Plunk the money down at the registration table on the day the event starts and participate, so it is every man’s or woman’s game! You have to be 18 to play, but you don’t have to be 70 to stop and this is also what gives people who play poker a psychological edge right away. They know there is no limit of possibility to this game. Age, sex, color, creed, level of disability or ability, does not matter, all you need to be concerned about is – can you play poker?

No Fairy Godmother is going to wave their magic wand and improve a hole in your game – they are all too busy at Disney. This is relative to psychology not skill. If you think you are a really great player and cannot look inside yourself sufficiently to see that you play poker and stink, then you would be better off playing bingo. Play poker and the learning never stops, there is always possibility to improve your game and be realistic about it.

In a nutshell, anyone can play poker and anyone can play successfully, but only the player with the ability to strip down his own character and understand it well, will be a truly winning player.