ARTICLES BY: TAYLOR CABY
-
ALL
ARTICLES
(1) -
POKER
NEWS
(0)
published 1066 days ago in
Card Player College Magazine Volume 1, Number 3
Card Player College Magazine Volume 1, Number 3
Poker: A Game that Has Changed My Life
I'm excited to be a part of Card Player College and hope that, through this column, I can provide interesting and useful information about poker to college students, from another college student. In this article, I'd like to talk a little about my experience in poker and give my reasoning as to why I think poker can be a positive part of a college student's life.
Like many people, I started playing poker with my family and friends around the time I entered high school. It wasn't long before I was hooked on the game and realized I wanted to improve. Quickly, I found the best way to learn was to head to my local library. Even eight years ago, there was a fair amount of well-written books on the game. Now the amount of books available has skyrocketed, and it seems like everyone has written a poker book these days.
Throughout high school, I played in home games with kids from around my town. I always considered myself the best player at the table; whether that was actually true is up for debate. I thought I knew everything about the game because I had read a few poker books and watched Rounders. I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm finally just learning that in poker no matter how much you think you know, there's always a ton more to learn. Remember this statement the first few times you get the feeling that you're pretty good at the game.
Through trial and error I slowly started to figure out what works in no-limit hold'em, my game of choice. I learned the hard way that mistakes such as playing too loose in bad table position, bluffing against players who don't know how to fold, and calling bets to "keep people honest" were all costing me money. The important thing was that I was in fact learning. Learning and improving became the common theme in my poker career. Ever since I first sat at the poker tables, I focused on learning from my mistakes and becoming a better player. I believe this is the mindset you need if you want to become a great player.
After my freshman year of college at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I started playing for very low stakes on the Internet. I took a liking to the heads-up sit-and-gos because I always enjoyed playing one-on-one poker. It was in these games that I honed my skills of observing patterns and player tendencies in online play. EventuallyI was beating the biggest heads-up and full-table sit-and-go online tournaments. I noticed there was bigger money to be made at the cash games so I tried them next.
Like most players, I had a rough start at the cash game tables and I would routinely lose my sit-and-go winnings in the cash games. However, I avoided common mistakes like playing beyond my bankroll or going on tilt. Eventually,I started to figure out what it took to beat the cash games. Over the course of my sophomore and junior years of college, I worked my way up to playing the biggest cash games on the Internet. I was routinely playing with the best players in the world at games with buy-ins as much as $10,000, and winning!
Common themes in my rise to the top of the Internet poker world were that I was always trying to improve as a player, and I always tried to treat others with respect. In fact, these two characteristics were noticed by a fellow high-stakes Internet player who has had a very successful finance career in New York City. I was recruited for an internship position because of my reputation as both a great and polite player. After interviewing and accepting an offer, I jumped at the chance to work in New York City. The summer went well and I am planning on accepting a full-time offer this winter. If it wasn't for poker, I would never have had this wonderful opportunity.
Obviously, I think poker can be a positive influence on any college student's life. However, there are some things that I feel people should be aware of. First, poker should never become a priority in your life while you are still a student. I know of many people who let their results at the tables affect their schoolwork or social life. I think this is a really dangerous situation to get into. If you can't balance poker and the rest of your life, you probably shouldn't be playing. Next, you should decide what poker is to you. Is it something you have a passion for, something you want to excel at? Or is it just a way to relieve some stress and have fun with your friends? If you are in the first category, you should start to get serious about the game. Try to read and learn as much as you can, and always focus on improving. If you are in the second category, go ahead and call that all in with a gutshot-straight draw. No matter what poker means to you, you should always remember to enjoy yourself at the tables.
I hope you have learned a little about me in this article. I feel my experience in poker and position in school make me a good fit for Card Player College. Until next time, I wish you best of luck at the tables.
Like many people, I started playing poker with my family and friends around the time I entered high school. It wasn't long before I was hooked on the game and realized I wanted to improve. Quickly, I found the best way to learn was to head to my local library. Even eight years ago, there was a fair amount of well-written books on the game. Now the amount of books available has skyrocketed, and it seems like everyone has written a poker book these days.
Throughout high school, I played in home games with kids from around my town. I always considered myself the best player at the table; whether that was actually true is up for debate. I thought I knew everything about the game because I had read a few poker books and watched Rounders. I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm finally just learning that in poker no matter how much you think you know, there's always a ton more to learn. Remember this statement the first few times you get the feeling that you're pretty good at the game.
Through trial and error I slowly started to figure out what works in no-limit hold'em, my game of choice. I learned the hard way that mistakes such as playing too loose in bad table position, bluffing against players who don't know how to fold, and calling bets to "keep people honest" were all costing me money. The important thing was that I was in fact learning. Learning and improving became the common theme in my poker career. Ever since I first sat at the poker tables, I focused on learning from my mistakes and becoming a better player. I believe this is the mindset you need if you want to become a great player.
After my freshman year of college at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I started playing for very low stakes on the Internet. I took a liking to the heads-up sit-and-gos because I always enjoyed playing one-on-one poker. It was in these games that I honed my skills of observing patterns and player tendencies in online play. EventuallyI was beating the biggest heads-up and full-table sit-and-go online tournaments. I noticed there was bigger money to be made at the cash games so I tried them next.
Like most players, I had a rough start at the cash game tables and I would routinely lose my sit-and-go winnings in the cash games. However, I avoided common mistakes like playing beyond my bankroll or going on tilt. Eventually,I started to figure out what it took to beat the cash games. Over the course of my sophomore and junior years of college, I worked my way up to playing the biggest cash games on the Internet. I was routinely playing with the best players in the world at games with buy-ins as much as $10,000, and winning!
Common themes in my rise to the top of the Internet poker world were that I was always trying to improve as a player, and I always tried to treat others with respect. In fact, these two characteristics were noticed by a fellow high-stakes Internet player who has had a very successful finance career in New York City. I was recruited for an internship position because of my reputation as both a great and polite player. After interviewing and accepting an offer, I jumped at the chance to work in New York City. The summer went well and I am planning on accepting a full-time offer this winter. If it wasn't for poker, I would never have had this wonderful opportunity.
Obviously, I think poker can be a positive influence on any college student's life. However, there are some things that I feel people should be aware of. First, poker should never become a priority in your life while you are still a student. I know of many people who let their results at the tables affect their schoolwork or social life. I think this is a really dangerous situation to get into. If you can't balance poker and the rest of your life, you probably shouldn't be playing. Next, you should decide what poker is to you. Is it something you have a passion for, something you want to excel at? Or is it just a way to relieve some stress and have fun with your friends? If you are in the first category, you should start to get serious about the game. Try to read and learn as much as you can, and always focus on improving. If you are in the second category, go ahead and call that all in with a gutshot-straight draw. No matter what poker means to you, you should always remember to enjoy yourself at the tables.
I hope you have learned a little about me in this article. I feel my experience in poker and position in school make me a good fit for Card Player College. Until next time, I wish you best of luck at the tables.
