I dabbled a little bit in my Teens playing 5 card draw and 7 card stud, Never even heard of Texas Holdem, until around 25 years ago, When I first came across Late Night Poker on TV.
I instantly became a fan of it, and wanted to learn more about it, Reading books and going on the Internet, I soon got involved with Play money games just to test the waters, and it was while watching the TV Shows that I saw adverts for Full Tilt and Poker Stars, offering Freerolls, I was hooked and really enjoyed playing in some huge tournaments.
My first ever cash in a Freeroll was about 32 Cents, and was so proud of achieving that, I took a screen shot and printed it off to show Friends and Family. Many laughed at it which didn't deter me, I had proved to myself that I could play the game and continued winning small amounts, building a
bankroll of about $25. Then the real work began and I bought into my first buy-in for 25 Cents.
Growing my small Bankroll took a long time, but I was never in a hurry to Get Rich Quick! I was reasonably happy playing the game for fun and learning all the time, My real ambition was to play in a Live Tournament in a Casino without making myself look like a total idiot.
That also took a while but I joined a local Pub League game and I qualified for a seat in a Casino Tournament, in Manchester UK. in my very first Season, I soon took over running a game in a Friends Pub and went to many of the Casino Tournaments, my best finishing place was 2nd out of 156 players, winning £200 and a seat in the National Finals.
That money paid for my Hotel and Travelling expenses and the rest is History, I don't really mind Losing a
poker game, it's disappointing for sure, but I don't lose any sleep over it, and every game is a learning experience, coming up against better players and learning from my own mistakes, but I can honestly say I have never lost any of my own money playing the game,
I have done extremely well playing in local Pub and club games, sometimes winning more at the cash games, than from Tournaments, but I put that down to reading about Bankroll Strategy and sticking to it religiously. Doyle Brunson's "Super System" became my Poker Bible and have read it a couple of times along with other books I have either bought myself or have been given from Friends and Family over the years.
I have proved to myself that from Little wins, You can achieve your Dreams, and if I can do it, So can anyone else, It's certainly not easy, but if you put your mind to it and are prepared to work hard, anything is possible.
)
