Hi. Come on in. Cut off a hunk of salami and some provolone. We'll knosh while we talk poker.

Let's look at another of "Roy's Rules." Don't underestimate your opponent. Just because that novice player has been in almost every pot with weak hands doesn't mean he will have a weak hand when he is in against you. There is no rule that states a novice can't catch the one card in the deck that will give him a full house on seventh street to beat the big flush you made on fifth (there should be, but there isn't; there is only the pain).

Many players will underestimate an opponent because he doesn't look like a poker player. (What does a poker player look like?) Also, beware of overestimating an opponent. Don't give him more credit than he deserves just because he looks like a poker player. (What does a poker player look like?)

Against an opponent you haven't seen before, be cautious but not apprehensive. When a new face enters my game, I immediately assign him the title of "Best Poker Player in the World." Then, I begin studying him, and observing his style of play. What are his starting-hand requirements? What will he raise with on third street? What will he call a raise with on third street? I keep observing all through the hand. I pay attention to the texture of the hands he turns over at showdown. I'll base my opinion of him on the information I get from studying him, and then I'll play accordingly.

Change of subject: "What a wonderful way to make a living, playing poker every day." To the casual observer, it looks like all fun and games. Sure. Quit your job. Sleep late. Play poker. Lead the good life. Sure. Sure? Maybe not. Professional poker has become a tough way to make an easy living.

It used to be an easy way to make an easy living, but that was some years ago. Today, it seems as though more people know how to play. Anyone who sits down at a poker table is capable of walking away with a mound of chips. What happened?

About 15-20 years ago, you learned to play the game by sitting down and playing the game, and getting battered around until you figured it out for yourself (if you ever did). Now, you buy a book, read Card Player, take poker lessons, and attend some seminars.

It wasn't that easy back then. I talked with one poker veteran who said he started playing when he was about 10. He had a friend whose parents had a charge account at a grocery store. The two kids would buy some soda pop, pour out the pop, and sell the bottles for the deposit. That's how they got money to play poker, and they learned to play by playing. Today, they are both professionals.

A few years ago, another old pro told me that the games back then all had four or five "live ones," but now the players are getting smarter. The caliber of players is better. They not only play better, they manage their money better. When they do win, they cash in rather than lose it all back.

I hear other professionals "complain" that so many losers, through studying the game, have become winners – or at least are winning more than they used to. One said, "They win a few times and think they're supposed to win all the time. That's the worst thing – it makes them harder to beat. It changes their attitude about the game. I've known guys who have lost and lost. They did some studying and booked three or four wins in a row, and now they realize they can be winners. They think they're supposed to win, and it changes their play. It used to be easy pickings, but now if you want to beat them, you've got to beat them with tough play."

So, if you want to be a poker pro, first realize that you'll have to work at it. It's almost like having a job. But even so, as the rodeo cowboys say about their tough lives, "It's better than wages."

All of this tough talk has tired me. I require repose. Take some salami and kill the light on your way out

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, The Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome.