Poker has saved my life

Today marks Day 1 of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series, somewhat of an online version of the World Series of Poker where there are 18 different large buy-in events, prize pools exceeding $2 million dollars at times, and of course the looming possibility that Petie_BigStacks becomes a household name in the online poker community.

Less than 2 months ago I would have never dreamed of participating in such prestigious events with some of the greatest players on earth. I was wasting away and slowly spiraling towards rock bottom, my life consisting of very little productivity and a tired history of anxieties and depression were at my doorstep once again. On December 1st, 2007, the most debilitating panic episode of my life took place, and I thought I was dying. After such an intense episode, I immediately (at least the next day) took overtures toward cleaning up my lifestyle and building a bridge towards productivity - a bridge I have not crossed since religion left my life.

I happened to be playing with the $50 bucks I had left in an online poker account that night of December 2nd. Poker wasn't really being taken seriously by me at this point, despite about three years of experience and the feeling (not the knowledge) that I could compete seriously on the Multi-Table Tournament scene (MTT for future reference). I was merely messing around that Sunday night when I bought in to a $10 tournament around 11 pm. I remember winning a crucial race with pocket Jacks against Ace Queen 3 handed on the final table - and 789 people later it was my first online poker MTT victory and they shipped the $1600 prize my way.

Now, I've got a pretty decent sized group of friends who at least know a little something about poker. I can remember some of the stronger and more respectable players out of that group of friends apparently claiming that I would "blow it all", BUT the very next Sunday I took down a tournament with over 1500 people in it for $2700. It seems since then I haven't looked back, and I've profited a pretty extreme sum for a college kid this age (look me up on officialpokerrankings.com if you really want to know). Now I've got a phat bankroll, some sickening results, and most of all the heart and desire to pursue this as a profession. If I continue to make money at this rather alarming rate, my future pursuits will include playing live with REAL HUMANS for exorbitant sums of cash.

Now that you have a little information on Petie BigStacks' journey to fruition (trust me, the process was not this simple) - I would like to state a few things about poker. Poker is not gambling. There is virtually no comparison that can be made to a slot machine when you're talking about poker. It is a game of skill, and like any other game, can only be mastered through hours upon hours of real time experience. It has taken me almost 3 years of SitnGo (single table tournament) experience to understand the nuances and idiosyncrasies of pre-flop raising and check-raise bluffing. My decisions are based off of odds, theoretically percentages that dictate my decision making. Along with the utter mastering of those odds, my ability to interpret the actions (check, bet, raise) of opposing players is what separates me and other great poker players from the rest.

A Level 1 poker thinker is only thinking about his cards. Gee I have pocket aces, so I should bet big or - well, I have 3 9 off-suit so I should fold. Put me up against a player like this and its all day baby. His bluff attempts have no method to his madness, and I will trap him with good hands and fold when I have nothing. Do not bluff a level 1 thinker, he has no concept of your elaborate multi-street bluff and will call you with his pair of sixes.

A level 2 poker thinker is starting to consider his opponents' holdings. They don't necessarily realize the importance - but at least they are considering it. He might be able to put his opponent on a flush draw, but these are also the guys who yell, "He's full of shit!" and pay me off when I have a big hand.

A Level 3 thinker is usually a pretty solid poker player. They're getting decent at reading hands and are now even starting consider "What does he think I have? I checked the flop so he probably thinks my holdings are weak." A player who is considering what his opponent thinks he has is starting to understand the fundamental driving force in No Limit Hold 'Em decision making.

This is where it gets tricky, and this is where a large percentage of money in the online poker community goes to. A level 4 thinker is a damn good player. He is not only considering "What does he think I have?", but has taken it a step further in to "What does he think I think he has?" - hahah and yes I am completely serious. He probably thinks that I'm putting him on a flush draw that hit, so hes throwing out a huge bluff on the river. "What does he think I think he has?" is what completely separates the best players in the world from the rest of the field. Until you are a level 4 thinker in poker you will never make money consistently. This is why poker is a game of skill.

This has been Petie Big Stacks, wish me luck in the FTOPS Event #1 tonight, $750K is guaranteed in the prize pool so maybe I could walk away with $150,000 tonight haha...odds are against me.

-PBS