PokerStrategyBonus.com - About The Author & Webmaster

My name's Steve. On this website, I'm covering the key Texas Holdem strategies, and all other elements of online poker which will help you to play poker with good results.

The best way to use the site is to start from one of two hubs - online poker or poker strategy. Both will lead you deeper into each subject area in a way that covers pretty much everything you need. Alternatively the PokerStrategyBonus.com Home page will ease you into either of these two key subject areas as well.

You might be asking yourself why you'd want to use this site? What does it give you that's different?

The reality is there are hundreds if not thousands of poker websites to choose from. Many provide excellent, high quality material. In fact, you'll find many links from this site out to those others. I want to get you the best collection of resources possible, and that means taking you outside of this site where it's valuable to do so. When I do that, you'll get a new browser window opened so you can easily always get back to this site.

I've tried to make this site slightly different from many others you'll find, and that's exactly where you might get some good value. The intention is to get you all the poker info you need - especially if you're a poker beginner or in the early to mid stages of learning - and do it in a way that's simple to follow, and easy on the eyes. There's a lot of reading material here.

I hope you'll agree that it works from that perspective. If you have any recommendations for improvement you can find my email address below. Drop me a line any time.

I must admit to being a bit of a gambler. That's probably an understatement. But my betting has been almost exclusively focussed on horse racing. I love the horses, always have, and luckily I'm doing well to the tune of a significant number of £s profit over the last five years or so. You'll be able to read much more on horse racing betting (and get some of my tips) on a blog that's in the planning stage.

One thing I will say is I'm careful with it - and I make this point because I want you to be careful too. There are always risks when you're involved with any form of wagering. Please take a look at the responsible gaming page to read more on the steps you can take to recognise if and when gambling is becoming a problem for you.

I will unashamedly admit though - personally I love winning money. But you know what, it's not actually the money! It's more the thrill of the chase, the attempt to outwit the bookies, that's the real fun.

Up to a few years ago, I played poker regularly and was doing well enough without being a high roller. I just play for fun nowadays. Not as much as I'd like, though. There are not enough hours in the day. My focus now is on putting together websites and watching the horse races, but that experience of playing regularly has given me the knowledge to write up the material for this site.

I've got to quickly mention here the inspiration I've got from a well known poker writer known as Randy Ray. Randy's poker affiliate blog at PokerSEO.org has some superb info on how to get up and running as a poker webmaster, and then how to grow your website. If you're a reasonable level poker player with writing skills then the affiliate/website business is something you might want to consider. If you're considering that, again get in touch and I'll give you some pointers.

I've also got to mention here that Randy gave me a great write up for this site on his blog, and I'm really proud about that. I hope that doesn't sound like boasting, because it's not meant that way. I was just really pleased to get the recognition.

Anyway, back to the poker.....

When I first started playing poker online I was clueless. Thought it was all easy. All I had to do was play and win money every time I had a good hand.

Sound familiar?

I was probably one of the fishes that all the experienced players want to see, only fortunately I didn't play big and losses were minimal. But I lost regularly.

I blamed it on the cards, I blamed it on bad luck, and I blamed it on fixed poker rooms.

None of these were to blame.

Looking back there were 3 main things that I did (or rather didn't do) that put me ten paces back at the start.

1. I didn't take the time to REALLY learn the basic strategies.
2. I didn't stick with one type of game long enough. No focus.
3. Overall, I didn't put in the correct level of effort.

Let me expand on that last one a bit.

A lot of people will register with an online poker room, and continue to play poker the same way they always have, thinking that they are following the appropriate strategies correctly when in fact they are either leaving things out or doing some things poorly. Playing poker is a continuous learning process, where you need to study, practice, and use every piece of knowledge you can to get ahead.

Your question here might be 'how long's it going to take me to improve to a reasonable level'

And the answer is of course - it depends.

It depends on you.

Your focus, your time, your effort.

There are no guarantees of success....but focussed study and practice will see definite improvements in your game. As long as you learn and keep learning, keep stakes comfortable at the beginning, and step up levels as your skills grow, then there are no actual barriers to success.

As I said earlier, I put together this site intending it to be a straightforward, easily read resource which would suit all levels of learners. Reading through will give you a good grounding in online poker in general and in some detail on poker strategies.

It'll help you to:

Know what types of games suit your style best
Know how to play effectively
Know where to look and what to use to give you the best possible advantages.
Know where to play

I highly recommend you join a poker strategy school. There you'll get expert help from professionals which will compliment anything you can get from this site....but remember that education is only as good as the effort the student puts into learning the material.

For a beginner, understanding poker strategy can seem a daunting task. As you practice though, you will begin to find that it gets easier to understand and use the strategies, if for no other reason than through pure repetition.

It won't come easy (although poker itself isn't a difficult game) and it won't come overnight.

I hope you find this site valuable and that it helps you improve your game.

If you'd like to discuss or make recommendations on anything on this site, you can contact me at steve.beth (at) btinternet.com.

If you want to talk horse racing, feel free to get in touch too. I'm happy to talk, drop me a line and I'll send you my mobile if you fancy a chat.

Steve