The recently concluded World Poker Players Conference was a resounding success. Just ask anyone who attended! Approximately 300 poker players showed up to take part in a full day of poker seminars, tips, questions and answers, and luncheon roast of World Series of Poker Champion Russ Hamilton. Can it get any better than that? If you ask me, the answer is yes; just wait until next year! Card Player Cruises, who hosted the event, is already planning for as many as 500 attendees in 2002. Will you be there?

Here are some of the tips that were shared by some of the best players in the world. Those of you who missed the conference missed an awesome inaugural event, but I am going to share some of what we learned with you here. For those of you who were there, it is time to review.

Mike Caro said, "The object of poker isn't to win pots, it is to make the correct decisions." Why is that? Because "money you don't lose buys just as many things as money you win!" He went on to provide such tips as: "The more often an opponent checks to you, the less often you should bet. The more often an opponent bets medium-strength hands at you, the more often you should call, and the more often you should raise. The more often an opponent tries to bluff, the more often you should call and the less often you should raise. When a deceptive player checks to you, you should bet less often. When a frequent bluffer is acting after you, you should seldom bet medium-strength hands; checking and calling earns more." And finally, he said, "When a frequent bluffer checks to you, you should not bluff." Now that is a lot of information for one paragraph. I suggest that you reread it and digest it, bit by bit. Somehow, when the Mad Genius gave us those tips in person, it was much more entertaining and easy to understand. He has promised to be at the WPPC again next year, so come see for yourself.

Andy Glazer shared some of his best tips with us, as well. He suggested, "Play like you're at the final table of the Poker Million." For those of you who did not see the broadcast of that great event, there were special cameras beneath the table so that viewers could see the players' holecards. Think about it – if you played as if someone could see your cards, wouldn't you play better? He went on to say, "Take responsibility for your results. By blaming luck, dealers, or bad seats, you are kept from seeing reality and improving your game. It also makes you a target!" Andy also is a strong advocate of what he calls "holding a postmortem." He stated, "Win or lose, analyze what went well and what didn't. Keep records of not just your wins and losses, but the games and circumstances. Include anecdotal data in your records and ask yourself what you did that opponents might remember."

Lou Krieger gave some great tips, as well. He said, "In early position, kicker trouble is one of the most costly mistakes made by players at all levels." He included himself in this group. He asked rhetorically, "What is needed to win?" He concluded, "You must be willing to examine your own poker skills, as well as the quality of your character – over and over again." He stated, "When it all goes south, hibernate!" That's right; sometimes you just can't win no matter what you do. If you are running bad, you just have to lay off sometimes, get a new frame of mind, and get out of the rut that you are in. There's no need to throw good money after bad.

There were many other speakers at the conference, and I will share some of their ideas with you in the next column. In the meantime, I hope that those of you who attended the conference are finding new light at the end of the tunnel by utilizing some of the tips that you may have picked up. There was such a wealth of information shared that it would be impossible to have absorbed it all. If you learned just one thing to enhance your game, you'll certainly find at the end of the year that your win will be greater. It has to be! Class dismissed.

As always, please E-mail me your questions or comments. I personally will answer all letters.