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

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

Simply put, you need to continue to practice and enhance your game. Above all, you’ll need to actively seek out the weaknesses within your game and aim to improve them. Do not be passive about your game and operate under the assumption that the more you play, the better you will 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 great deal of live poker experience to perform well in live events, your understanding of the game is far more important. Of course the way you play online can even affect the amount you improve. Naturally, playing in play money games is of virtually no benefit, as it doesn’t accurately represent how real poker is played. The same can even be said of low limit real money games. The bigger up the money ladder you can go, the greater experience you are going to earn from playing online poker, even though the potential risks can even be greater of-course.

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

What ever the situation may be, know that with some dedication, hard work, and just a little luck, you too might be the next great success story in the poker world.