Be a Thinker To become a successful poker player, you need several things. Like any game or sport, you need a solid foundation of the basics. (For the record, poker is a game, not a sport.) Without a strong understanding of the fundamentals and the rules, you are destined for failure, or at best, very limited success, in almost anything. You also need certain skills to excel. In baseball, you need some level of athleticism and coordination. In poker, you need a general understanding of math and the ability to read people. While you can absolutely improve these skills through hard work, it certainly helps to have some natural ability as a starting point if you want to reach a higher level of success. Every Decision Has a Purpose To improve, you need to commit time. Passion is what drives you to put in that time. You improve by getting in volume, analyzing hands and situations, and watching poker. I enjoy all of those, but I especially enjoy watching poker when it is narrated and a...