There are already lots of well documented success stories in poker’s history, perhaps none more significant than that of Chris Moneymaker, the average Joe who turned a $39 investment in a PokerStars satellite tournament into a $2.5 million win at the World Series of Poker in 2003. It was his first major live tournament, and as a result he was a virtual unknown in the poker world prior to the tournament.

His win is often cited as among the driving forces behind the mass universal appeal of poker and online poker within the years since, as it gave players from around the globe hope to dream that they too could one day accomplish a similar feat. While such a victory is obviously improbable, it is in no way impossible, as we’ve seen, so what must one do to follow within the path of Mr. Moneymaker himself?

Simply put, you may need to continue to practice and improve your game. First and foremost, you will need to actively seek out the weaknesses in your game and try to improve them. Do not be passive about your game and operate under the assumption that the better you play, the greater you’ll get by default. This might be true to some small extent, but if you truly need to get better, you will need to actively work and improve to make it happen.

As Chris proved, you do not need a good online gambling agent deal of live poker experience to perform well in live events, your knowledge of the game is far more important. Of course the way you play online can even affect just how much you improve. Naturally, playing in play money games is of virtually no benefit, as it will not accurately represent how real poker is played. The exact same can even be said of low limit real money games. The higher up the cash ladder you can go, the higher experience you will earn from playing online poker, however the potential risks may also be greater of course.

How you choose to play and learn is ultimately up to you. You might wish to fill your head with as much knowledge while you can and read the playing advice of the many pros that have written books (and practically all of them have by this point). Or you could choose instead to maintain your head relatively clear and focus on playing a simple, effective game.

Whatever the case might be, realize that with some dedication, serious effort, and a little bit luck, you too could possibly be the next great success story in the poker world.