Those who sit on the sidelines only tend to see how a race unfolds between the start and finish line, but the game actually begins long before the starting pistol goes off. Athletes train long and hard before they finally make it to the races that really count. With poker, it’ll take a lot of training and effort too to get to the level you feel happy about. Most importantly, do not fool yourself: making it as a professional poker player in today’s competitive poker landscape is one heck of a challenge. But if you take it seriously, it can be well worth the effort. 

If your goal is to be a professional poker player, it is crucial to have a plan. Success in your poker career will require skills, dedication, and a plan which together will greatly increase your chances of realizing your goals. If you think you've got what it takes to become a poker professional, there's no better time to start than right now. Up for the challenge? Here’s how to start your poker journey.

Malta’s role in the poker world

This journey begins in Malta as this is where you’ll be frequently heading, either directly or indirectly as this country is the home base for some of the biggest poker brands which means you’ll probably end up on a Malta hosted website soon or later. As you’ll learn along the way, many poker experts recommend sticking with poker rooms that hold a licence that is issued in Malta, and there are some solid reasons for this. The most important reason is that Malta is regarded as one of the world's leading centres for online gambling. To many beginners within the game of live and poker online , it might seem difficult to believe that a small island in the Mediterranean is the home of many online gambling companies and even land-based casinos that host major live poker events.

Malta, leading in iGaming

As one of the EU’s first governmental gambling institutions, the country’s regulatory body, MGA, the Malta Gaming Authority, has managed to become one of leading authorities in the world. When it comes to iGaming Malta is Europe’s undisputed number 1. The domains that MGA regulates include online casinos, live dealer casinos, sports betting, eSports betting, online poker, brick and mortar venues, land-based tournaments, and even B2B events.

Today, both players and operators typically first look for a MGA licence when joining a site and many international poker players even prefer to play at a poker room that is hosted in Malta, than on a site that works with a licence from their own jurisdiction rather than casino sites in Canada. Although countries all over Europe have their own licences as well, there is still a lot of work to be done before they get to the same service record as the Malta Gaming Authority. 

Online gambling companies based in Malta

The main responsibility of a regulating body like the MGA is ensuring that consumers have a safe platform to make their wager. To do so, every licencee goes through strict evaluation before a licence is eventually issued. Poker operators that hold a licence by the MGA are generally considered reliable and trustworthy as they are frequently audited. Some of the world’s best known poker brands are based in Malta, including names like:

• Betsson: this international gambling giant is one of the world’s biggest brands when it comes to iGaming. Betsson is a multi-award-winning gaming platform that offers players the best action in casino games, sports betting, and poker. Betsson’s move to the iPoker Network has turned out to be a strategic correct move that was well received by players. Being part of the world’s largest online poker network has given Betsson and its players some major benefits, mainly thanks to consistent traffic for both cash games and tournaments.
• Betsafe: launched back in 2009 by the internationally acclaimed poker professional and entrepreneur Antanas Guoga (often referred to as Tony G). Over a decade later, Betsafe is seen as one of the world’s fastest growing operators with many customers from different European countries. Betsafe is Betsson owned and with an owner like Tony G you can’t really go wrong when it comes to poker.
• 888poker: the 888 Group is one of the biggest online gambling brands in the world and the fun fact here is that they compete in pretty much all categories: whether it’s online casino games, online poker, sports betting, or bingo you’re looking for: it’s all there. The owner of 888 has a few hundred gambling sites in its portfolio, of which 888Poker is by far the best-known brand. Poker is one of 888’s main activities which explains why the brand name 888Poker is as famous as that of 888Casino.
• Unibet: has earned itself quite a reputation when it comes to sports betting. Poker by Unibet is also well known around the world. In Unibet’s poker room you can participate in different games and there are also lots of tournaments available with different betting limits. Unibet is also considered one of the world’s biggest iGaming brands which explains why their name is always top of mind among poker players.

Is poker still a popular form of gambling?

While many poker tournaments were put on hold during the pandemic, it seems like most are coming back with full force now, in 2022. Some poker experts dare to say that poker’s popularity finds itself in the upward trend again as a lot of players turned to online poker in times of lockdowns, restrictions, measures, and casino closures. Others might argue that poker doesn’t have the same appeal that it once had or that it no longer interests new players, especially since we’re entering a new era that seems to favor live game shows, 3D, and VR.

Poker’s unexpected comeback

What we know for sure, however, is that it’s been a while since Black Friday (On April 15, 2011, the United States Department of Justice dropped the hammer on the largest online poker websites in the country) shook up the world and backlashed poker’s popularity, but it looks like there has been a recent change in the online poker industry. Poker seems to be recovering right about now as people have massively found their way back to the online poker rooms. Despite not enjoying the same reputation as in the zero’s, poker is still one of the most played casino games of all time. This also explains why there are still many loyal and strong communities within the game of poker. Many players still have the dream of becoming world champions and being able to make poker their full-time job. It’s just that the newer generation players will need a fresh wave of new idols to look up to.

How to become a great poker player

Some suggest that you need 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in poker, but a lot of experienced players believe that a genuine interest and a drive to become good is a contributing factor to being the best. If you make sure you start this poker journey with the right intentions and a sound mindset, you’re on the right track of what is going to be a very bumpy ride. One of the reasons for this is that gambling can be risky and it’s easy to get carried away when money is involved. When starting this journey, make sure your goal is not about winning a lot of money, it’s about completing a dream and the lessons you will learn along the way. It’s not just about the finish line itself, but the way you make it there.

Hard work pays off

The world’s best poker players reach the pinnacle of their careers by working hard and taking the time to work through new tactics, strategies, and drill the basics of how a particular game situation is played, to apply that skill in practice. We believe it's fair to say that the grind in the lab is just as relevant as gaining enough experience over the felt. Considering yourself a poker pro doesn’t only mean having your name in lights: it especially means you’re playing poker as your job — as a way of living, as your bread and butter, or whatever you want to call it. Being good at your job and continuously improving yourself should therefore be a daily mission.

Online poker is still poker

Luckily, hard work can also be done remotely. Today, you won’t have to travel poker circuits around the world to be able to do your job. Your main source of income can easily be earned by playing online, if you have the skills to outperform other players. Those players are to be found on both online platforms and live venues and the most practical of the two would be to begin with online events. If you find a poker online site you feel comfortable with, stick with that place. Ideally, look for one or two additional options so you’ve got some alternatives in case you need them, but don’t keep on looking around for new websites as we’re talking about time is money here.

Online poker is one of the most efficient ways to pad your bankroll and the key objective should be to make things as efficient as possible. A lot of players find online poker easier to begin with as it’s usually quicker, hassle-free, and of course a lot easier to compete with the faceless.

Stick to licensed online poker websites only

As we previously mentioned, when you look for a website to sign up to, make sure to stick to one or two that are licenced. This is rather easy to recognise if you stick to a platform that works with a licence issued by the Malta Gaming Authority. Just make sure to do your research by double checking the licence number that can normally be found in the footer of the website you’re thinking of joining.

Once you look for a site it is also advised to check out the online operator's overall offer, general look and feel, mobile functionality, and see whether there are bonuses that can be claimed. A welcome offer and other recurring promos for existing players make sure you lower your financial risk, and you’ll even feel a lot more welcome. Some of the best and licenced poker sites offer both a trustworthy service and lots of bonuses.

Start acting as a professional

Professional poker players typically cite the freedom and flexibility the game has given them and it’s easy to see why. That doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t have a professional attitude towards your job, just because you enjoy a high level of flexibility. In fact, most of the best poker players are known to be highly disciplined. You wouldn't put your feet on the desk at the office when you’re supposed to work, so make sure you get the most out of your time as well as a poker pro too. Once again, time is money, and every moment you’re either not playing or learning, you’re being less efficient. It’s time to start acting like one, a professional that is.

The mentality of a poker player

Becoming a poker professional isn’t only about learning the math and knowing which game to play. You also need to have a good attitude towards money management and know when to quit. It is true that poker is a game of skill that gives you more advantages if you’re well trained, but it still involves pure gambling. This combination is why poker is considered to be highly addictive, especially those who turn to chasing losses. Having the right mindset is therefore crucial if you want to know how to make a living playing poker.

Prepare your body and mind

You need to be mentally fully alert when playing poker hands, which means you’ll need to recognise game situations and know how to act accordingly. Know for instance that you should avoid hitting the tables when you’re “on tilt.” Always remember that even in the event of a perfect play, the odds can turn against you. You might just have a lucky player hitting a two-outer against you, which is just a philosophical thing, and you should learn to accept that it’s all part of the game. As long as you know that being consistent and sticking to a strategy in the long run, will win you money, you can avoid tilt and negative emotions. Make sure to leave any frustrations and emotions at the door before you take place at the table.

The world’s best players approach poker like trained athletes. To perform well over the course of a tiring poker tournament, you will need to prepare both your body and mind.

Make a budget

Remember, poker is a high variance game. For this reason, it is important to build in a financial margin. Poker players do this by playing with a bankroll. This means you should put money apart that you can really miss. Feeling comfortable with a fixed budget and an acceptable bankroll will also influence your decision making during the game as you won't have to worry about losing money you can’t afford to lose. As your bankroll grows, you can eventually start to play with higher amounts.

Some professional poker players will also cross over into other forms of gambling, like sports betting or casino games which is where things can get tricky in terms of money management. It’s vital to keep a separate bankroll on each of the platforms so you don’t mix up the net amounts. As we mentioned, budget making is done to eventually get the highest Return on Investment (ROI). A proper bankroll and a predefined budget will help you get on your way.

Strategies that can be good to have up your sleeve

Make sure to get really, ridiculously good at what you do. It shouldn’t matter when and where you’re playing, you need to be the best at the table. In order to get there, you will need to play against all sorts of people. Players you can read, players you can't read, those who work with fixed strategies, those that don’t, players with sunglasses, players without glasses – have your opponents run the range of diverse personalities. Learn more about odds too.

And about poker hands, money management, mental health, when to bluff and when not to. A poker strategy is what we define as a set of choices that describes players' actions in poker. It gives players a plan to maximize their profit in a game of poker. A strategy stretches from anything that should be part of a mid- to long-term plan.

The difficulty of making the right move

The characteristics of poker strategies are highly affected by game-theoretic properties. As a result, mixed strategies, deception detections, and probabilistic considerations are all known to be common characteristics of poker strategies that work. A well-balanced poker strategy considers the complexity of decision making in a single poker hand. The difficulty of one decision is reflected in the multitude of factors to be considered at that moment, such as the number of players, position at the table, opponents' playing styles and their related perception of the player's own playing style, previous situations, pot size, stack size and other circumstances such of the stage of the tournament in play.

Test, try and train

Certain strategies have turned out to be more successful over the long run. This explains why skills are widely believed to play an important role in poker and online poker, which continues to be a subject of dispute. Whether you consider poker a pure game of chance or a skilled based game, you should be thinking about more than just Hold 'em. Know how to play Caribbean Stud Poker, Omaha, Omaha hi/lo, and 7-card stud, too. The more poker variants you’re familiar with, the better your overall poker skills. Playing long hours and hitting win rates is what it’s all about when you’re pursuing a career as a poker pro. Professional players will need to put in the legwork, work with targets, and apply strategies on their way there.

Freerolls and Sit & Go

Freeroll poker is one way to practise without running a high risk, which is why a lot of beginning players start with freerolls. This type of poker is almost as old as the game of online poker itself. Since the beginning of online poker, online poker rooms have been competing to bring in new customers and this is how the best free freerolls were born. These are free poker tournaments where people didn't have to make real money wagers, and still be able to win a prize, which turned out to be highly popular among players. Playing freeroll poker is considered the best way to work on your poker skills without having to risk lots of money.

Sit & Go’s as part of the learning process

Sit & Go’s are yet another good alternative to move your way up the ladder, for several reasons. Just like in a tournament, at a Sit & Go, players compete against each other until there is a winner. This differs from regular cash games, where you can stop at any time. Sit & Go’s are less time consuming which is why players can learn a lot within relatively short periods of time. If you’re thinking of joining multi-table tournaments, make sure to check out Sit & Go’s as they also give you a little taste of what it's like if you make it to the final table. Whatever type of tournament you enrol in, you always need to look at the ROI. You can keep track of your ROI by using tracking software available online.

Learning to play poker online

Online poker play is a lot faster than live games and you’re able to play multiple tables at the same time and for lower stakes, making it a lot more accessible to beginning players. As such, gaining online experience adds up extremely fast if you want to learn a lot within a short period of time. Whether you play online or prefer to stick to offline poker, it is important to choose the right poker variant. Texas Hold’em is clearly the most popular poker variation and is widely available both online and in land-based cardrooms. Try to work out what variant you want to play before you start and make sure to master this variant well before you consider trying others. Every pro will want to take a shot at the biggest poker events and ideally get into the World Series of Poker, but the trick is to know your level and stick to tournaments that have players that have the same level as you.

How to go from online poker to live poker?

An advantage of playing on the internet over playing tournaments on location is that there are many more hands to be played. When you participate in a live poker tournament, you get to play about 20 hands per hour, while at online poker sites you can get up to 700 hands per hour. This makes sure you will come across a lot of different situations in a short time. Something to bear in mind when you’re thinking of playing live poker tournaments is that these are often played with a lot less caution. As there are fewer hands to play, not everyone wants to wait for a good hand, which can lead to tricky situations for new users.

Live poker requires a new set of skills

Other than that, live poker requires a whole new set of skills as you’ll take place at a real table and visually see your opponents. We pointed out that playing against faceless opponents is a lot easier as it is less intimidating. Bluffing, and physical behaviour now suddenly start to play a role as well, which will require a new approach and strategy. The mental part we discussed before also becomes even more important, as live poker events tend to be a lot more challenging and stressful. If you ever called poker a game of luck instead of a game of skills, you’ll probably change your mind by now.

Big tournaments to enter

Playing with friends and family at your favourite local pub and constantly beating them isn’t the same as winning against skilled people in red-carpeted VIP rooms. To be fully sure you’re made of quality stuff too, you’ll need to know how to stand tall when the going gets tough. Live poker tournaments are also organized by local casinos, so those may be useful during your poker journey and thinking of the world’s biggest tournaments such as:

World Series of Poker (WSOP)

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is regarded by many as the unofficial world championship of poker. The WSOP is arguably the most prestigious poker tournament in the world and thousands of poker players find their way to Las Vegas every year to participate in the World Series of Poker. The WSOP once started with just one event, but now has more than 70 tournaments played over the summer. The winner of the main event with a buy-in of $10,000 is considered the world poker champion.

Battle of Malta

The Battle of Malta takes place in Malta and every new edition tends to outperform the previous event. It all once started in 2012 as a weekend event with 350 players and a prize pool of €150,000. Nowadays, the prize pool stands at an impressive €1 million.

European Poker Tour

This is also a series of poker tournaments held across Europe with the grand final taking place in Monte Carlo. The prize money at the European Poker Tour depends on the number of participants with obviously the more players, the higher the pot. Be prepared for prize pools of at least six digits.

Coolbet Open

Coolbet Open is what some would call the coolest poker event in Northern Europe with low buy-ins, major prize pools, and lots of fun to be found at the tables. The Coolbet Open has made a lot of poker players from all over the world discover Estonia’s capital city Tallinn as a premium poker destination.

Summary

The poker journey ahead will be a lot harder than merely choosing a variant and hoping for the best to happen. When pursuing a career as a poker professional, players will need to have a steely mental attitude and are required to be willing to constantly learn. From the very first day you decide to take up the challenge you should prepare yourself to gather all the knowledge and skills to eventually outperform other players. Make sure to spend time and effort, join like-minded people, and slowly work on your bankroll with low-stakes cash games and smaller tournaments at first.

Try to think of online poker and live poker as two different ways of playing the same game, and make sure to learn everything about one variant before moving on to the next. Online poker platforms are very efficient in terms of time and money management, but it’s always allowed to dream about the world’s biggest tournaments. When picking a site for your first freeroll or a Sit & Go event, make sure to stick to licenced websites only — preferably those that are in Malta. And once you sign up, remember to claim your bonuses as the world’s best operators offer lots of promos for both new and existing users. Make sure to work on yourself every day and never give up. The beauty of the poker game is that it’ll always be there waiting for you. 

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk/.