Poker Tropical

The WSOP has been around since 1970 where Johnny Moss was voted by his opponents as the champion, and since then, the WSOP has evolved in so many ways. Where there were previously around 10 or 12 entrants to the WSOP, in the modern day event, there are 6 or 7 thousand entrants.

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In years gone by some of the finest players in the world have had their name etched into poker history, with Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar and Johnny Moss, being the only players to have won the main event title more than once. With the glittering lights of Las vegas and the rich history of players who have made their name and their fortune there, it is no surprise that most poker players feel there is something special about the WSOP. There have recently been other large scale tournaments across the world added to the schedule, which many of the worlds best players attend, but none for me, match the WSOP.

Although it is true that winners of events at the WSOP attain vast sums of money for their efforts, in many ways, this is not the most important thing about winning. For each champion, in each event, there is a bracelet which is especially crafted for the WSOP, and this for many, is more important than the money. These bracelets are symbols of poker champions, and many players (myself included) dream of having one. For these reasons, the WSOP is special to me, and after all the special names and tournament finales that there have been, I don’t think there will be another event to surpass it.

This is an interesting question and one which is open to debate, but personally I think there are a few things which are essential to become a good player.

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Firstly I think that having a good temperament is a must, as the very nature of the game is such that you will have to deal with bad beats without becoming irritated or upset and allowing this to affect your play.
Also, having a reasonable grasp of maths is important. You need to understand odds and percentages and be able to calculate them fairly quickly to reach the best decision in any given dilemma.

Most of the great players over the past few decades have all had this ability to deal with bad luck, and been able to quickly work out their chances of hitting a hand. If you do not feel that you fall into this category just yet, then do not worry, because the more you play poker, the more you are training these skills. Aside from the important skills I have mentioned, practice and experience play a large part, and natural skill I feel is also present in some players more than others. Take for instance Stu Ungar, as one of the greatest ever Holdem players, he won the WSOP Main Event for the first time having mastered a different game to the point where players refused to sit down and play it with him. He had only been playing Holdem a short time when he won the event, and went to win it twice more before he tragically died in 1998.

Phil Hellmuth is the great modern day champion, having won 11 bracelets in total and legendary status within the game. Both these men and other talented players everywhere, have many strengths and aspects of their game that help them succeed, but practice is always what will hone these skills ad help them to become the best they can be.