Poker Articles: Ready To Go Poker Pro?



Former Los Angeles attorney turned poker pro Mark Seif fields regular reader inquiries, offering his unique brand of poker strategy and advice. Mark's experiences have taken him from the most challenging courtrooms to the world's best poker rooms, and now to the reader.

Mark is currently the resident poker professional at , and the recent winner of the 2005 WSOP Limit Hold' Em Shootout and the No Limit Championship tournaments.



All I want to know is how you know when you are ready for the big leagues. I know the game well, but I don't have the discipline. What should I do so I can be like you and the rest of the pros?

Very tough question. To make matters worse, I don't think there is an answer to your question as to how one knows when they're ready for the big leagues. I'm not sure anyone ever "knows" that for sure.

Most players gradually increase the limits or stakes they play for until they get to a point where they can't beat the game over time, and realize that they must either improve their game or drop down a level or two.

Discipline is a key attribute that virtually all great poker players have.

Learn it. Practice it. Acquire it. But don't be too hard on yourself because everyone -- I mean everyone -- has a tilt factor. The questions are how often and how bad. This is as fixable and improvable as any other trait.