Hamburg - The wave of interest in poker is not receding and it continues to boom on the internet. Apart from that, in countries like Germany, hardly a weekend without passes without one or more tournaments in large cities. But it hasn't fully overcome its image as a seedy game of chance, and a poker player still needs more than luck and a cool gaze.
"A hand can be won with luck or lost through bad luck. Play more than 1,000 hands, and luck and bad luck even out," said Eike Adler of Oldenburg, Germany, a poker coach and author of a book about poker. A player who wants a positive gain must invest in the hands that statistically have the best chance at success.
Players can rely on intuition up to a certain level, he said, but those who want to make progress must internalize a few mathematical formulas.
The number of poker players who actually can live off their winnings is small. Among the most successful German players are Katja Thater and Eddy Scharf.
There also are people who earn a living indirectly from poker. These include writers such as Adler and Jan Meiners, who have published many books on poker. In Germany a lot of players engage in theory, Meiners said. That's inevitable, said Thater.
"Poker is very comprehensive. And it is immensely important to understand the game from the beginning," she added. After all, winning is the most fun. But Thater also said theory alone doesn't bring winnings. Her advice is play, play, play.
"Poker is a matter of experience."
There are different possibilities to play for small, real money stakes. The large internet portals such as PokerStars or FullTiltPoker offer real and play money matches as a single game - also called Cash Game - or as tournaments. In the gambling houses it's strictly about real money.
In addition there are live tournaments that are not organized by the gambling houses. The winners don't win money, but instead they win prizes or qualify to enter an even bigger tournament if they win.
The entry fee, the so-called buy-in, is usually 15 euros (22 dollars) and no more fees have to be paid in the progression of the game. Tournaments in which there is a so-called re-buy are the exceptions. That means more chips can be purchased during the tournament. Poker with play money offers the opportunity to learn the basics of the games and to try certain moves without losing real money.
But when experienced players are asked whether there is a difference between playing with fake money and playing with real money, they say there is.
"Play money games are clearly different from games played with real money," said Thater. "The minute a single penny is bet, people act differently."
When playing only for fake money, players are prepared to take big risks, said Adler. This reinforces a typical problem among beginners. They gamble for high stakes even though they have little chance of winning the pot with the cards they are dealt. But anyone who believes he can become a top player through theory and mathematics is destined to err.
When players who possess the basic technical skills sit down at a table to play poker, psychology becomes very important, said Meinert. Then it pays to study one's opponent - to observe how he or she behaves in specific situations. The knowledge gained through these observations builds the basis for a good bluff, among other things.
A player who is ready to play for real money must understand that good players also lose occasionally.
"Luck does play a certain role," said Meinert. Adler's advice is to "play only with money that you can do without."
