Your salary vs best poker players

How long would it take you to earn The Winnings of the world's Best Poker Players?

Pick a pro, enter your salary and find out how long it will take!

http://www.pokersites.com/salary-vs-pros




As you can see, Poker isn't a card game. 

Poker is a Money game played with cards.

More Information On the Top Ten Lifetime Earners

1. Antonio Esfandiari ($26,219,676)

Known as "The Magician" (largely because he once was a professional magician), Antonio Esfandiari has won two World Poker Tour titles and three World Series of Poker Bracelets. His most notable success was winning the 2012 "Big One for One Drop," the $1 million buy-in tournament that earned him $18.3 million – the largest prize in tournament poker history.

2. Phil Ivey ($21,252,120)

Widely regarded as the world's best poker player, Phil Ivey has won nine World Series of Poker bracelets and finished in the top ten of the WSOP Main Event twice. He has also made nine World Poker Tour final tables, including one win in 2008. He is also known for his cash game prowess, including a famous $16 million win over billionaire Andy Beal in heads-up limit hold'em.

3. Daniel Negreanu ($21,250,973)

One of the most popular and successful poker players in the world, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu has six World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour championships to his name. The Canadian has also twice won the WSOP Player of the Year award (2004, 2013).

4. Erik Seidel ($20,325,957)

Erik Seidel is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, with good reason. He's won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, and also finished second in the 1988 Main Event. He has been particularly successful in high roller tournaments in recent years, having won or placed highly in many events with buy-ins of $100,000 or more. He also won the 2011 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, defeating Chris Moneymaker in the final.

5. Sam Trickett ($20,005,248)

While Trickett may not be as well-known as many players on this list, he scored one of the biggest prizes of all time when he finished second to Esfandiari at the 2012 Big One for One Drop, winning over $10.1 million as a result. That was enough to make him the UK's all-time leader in live tournament earnings. Some of his other big wins include the $250,000 Challenge at the 2013 Aussie Millions and the 2011 Partouche Poker Tour Main Event.

6. Phil Hellmuth Jr. ($17,989,589)

Known for his occasional outbursts that have made him a must watch in any televised poker event, Phil Hellmuth is known as "The Poker Brat." But he's also an incredibly skilled player, having won a record 13 World Series of Poker bracelets and the 1989 WSOP Main Event. These achievements – among others – have earned him a spot in the Poker Hall of Fame.

7. John Juanda ($15,436,761)

The winner of five World Series of Poker bracelets, including the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event, John Juanda has long been one of the most highly-respected players in the world of tournament poker. He won CardPlayer Magazine's Player of the Year award in both 2001 and 2002, and has made an incredible 30 WSOP final tables, along with six more on the World Poker Tour.

8. Michael Mizrachi ($14,563,402)

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi has been a constant force on the tournament circuit over the past decade, and has proven time and again that he has the skills to compete with the world's best in any game. He proved this most dramatically by winning the $50,000 buy-in WSOP Players Championship twice (2010, 2012), the only player to accomplish that feat. In total, he has won three WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles.

9. Jamie Gold ($12,245,468)

Jamie Gold doesn't have many victories on his poker resume, but the one notable one was enough to earn him a place on this list. Gold was the winner of the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event, taking home a prize of $12 million – at that time, the largest prize ever awarded in tournament poker. While he has not had any major victories since then, that one win ensured his name will always be remembered by poker fans.

10. Jonathan Duhamel ($12,242,517)

Like Gold, Jonathan Duhamel is mostly on this list on the strength of a World Series of Poker Main Event title. Duhamel won the tournament in 2010, winning over $8.9 million and becoming the first Canadian to capture the title. However, Duhamel has a handful of other major cashes to his credit, including a win at a European Poker Tour high roller tournament.

This text was written and originally published in http://www.pokersites.com/salary-vs-pros

Perfect Heads-Up Limit Hold' Em Strategy part 2

COMPARING THE PLAYING STYLE OF PHIL IVEY, ANDY BEAL, POLARIS, AND TEXAS HOLD' EM HEADS UP POKER "THE BRAIN" TO DEVICE YOUR OWN

At the highest level of excellence.  There is two obvious reasons that push you to excel in an particular activity. OBSESSION and/or PROFESSION.  So what is the fuel behind the success and the excellence of our four champions?

PROFESSION - Phil Ivey plays for a living.
OBSESSION - Andy Beal was obsessed with facing the bests to be the best.
OBSESSION - Polaris was created to beat the best pro players.
PROFESSION - Texas Hold' Em Heads Up Poker machine was manufactured to legally take the maximum amounts of money out of patrons's pockets.

As you can see in the four above examples.  Those who are mainly fueled by OBSESSION wants to be THE best in the world.  And those doing it as a PROFESSION are mainly interested in the money. 

Now that we know they main motivation.  Let's analyze their playing style and do a mix of it all to create The Ultimate Heads-Up Hold' Em Winning Strategy.

P.S. (Read the first part of this guide... The HULHE winning strategies of Phil Ivey, Andy Beal, Polaris, and Texas Hold' Em Heads Up Poker machine.)

First of all, as I see it. 
All four are hyper aggressive.
All but Ivey are specialized and exclusively play Heads Up Limit Hold' Em.  Phil Ivey is excellent in any form of poker.


All four take on all comers.
All four want to be the best in the world.
All four want to face the bests of the world.
No table selection and bum hunting here! 
 

Phil Ivey learned the game by playing it.
Andy Beal learned the game by studying it.
And Polaris and "The Brain"...  Well?  Are both robots.


Phil Ivey's style is purely exploitative.
Andy Beal is a machine.  Purely GTO (Game Theory Optimal), probabilities and mathematics.
Polaris, despite using the Nash Equilibrium as his default strategy, is exploitative.  Since his playing style is all about adaptation.
"The Brain" can't be exploitative so it is GTO defensive.  All about preventing itself to be exploited.


What is the main strength of each player / robot?  Just one word to describe each player/bot's main secret to win and be so excellent at HULHE.
Phil Ivey = his reads
Andy Beal = mathematics
Polaris = adaptation
"The Brain" = defense


CHANGING GEARS / UNPREDICTIBILITY

We don't know much about Phil Ivey and Andy Beal unpredictibility and different play modes.  This isn't the case with Polaris and "The Brain"

Polaris changes gear to adapt.
"The Brain" changes gear for defense.

Polaris have 5 strategies
"The Brain" have 3 "tag team fighters"

Polaris 5 different strategies
1- Polaris default strategy is Nash Equilibrium.  
2- Exploitative Counter Strategy
3- A compromise between the first 2???
4- A team of all strategies to learn which one to use during the game???
5- 


"The Brain" 3 tag-team fighters
1- Neutral net with optimal number of bluff.
2- A slightly different style.
3- To finish off a short-stacked opponent.  I like this one!
Aggression level might change randomly.

 

So, if we can do a melting of those four winning strategies.  What it would be like? 

I will call it the P.I.B.B. in hommage of our four HULHE gods.
P.I.B.B. stands for... 

Polaris-Ivey-Beal-Brain
or  if you prefer
Poker-International-Big-Boss



Now let's look at the

HULHE P.I.B.B. Winning Strategy aka P.I.B.B. Strategy

Pre-Flop (LOOSE AGGRESSIVE)

• Play nearly every hands

BUTTON (in position): 

• Raise almost 100% of the time

BIG BLIND (out of position): 

• Raise called button 75% of the time.
• Always raise (3-Betting) with Ax, Kx, Q3s+, Q6+, J8+, T7s+, T9+, 98s+, 22+. 

Or you can use the Polaris's 3-Betting strategy from the BB.

Flop

• Continuation Bet 100% of the time.

Turn

• Continuation Bet 100% of the time.
• 8-bet the turn with two pairs

River

• Check-call all the way down the river with any Ace-high hand.
• Call with K-high unless the board is scary.

Extreme Aggression
Be The Aggressor

Tag team fighters / different strategies (P.I.B.B.)

1- Extreme Aggression (default strategy) 

2- Finish off a short stacked opponent 

    Push or Fold when villain (or you) are 4BB

    (Ax, Kx, Qx, Jx, T8, T7s, 98s, 22+)


Guidelines

• You are the aggressor
• Leave after losing one buy-in
• Keep playing when winning
• Obsession with preventing tells

Now, after studying the playing style of my four heads up limit hold em icons, heros and idols.  I have enough information to devise my own strategy.  The Perfect Heads-Up Fixed Limit Hold' Em Strategy.   This will be the third part of this highly instructive guide.


PYGOD


For an analysis of the respective playing style of Polaris. Ivey. Beal. Brain. you have to see

Perfect Heads-Up Limit Hold' Em Strategy part 1

The bio, profile, in-dept playing style of each of our four marvels read the following.

• Polaris
• Ivey
• Beal
• Brain

Stay tuned for the 3rd and last part of this article. Where I will devise a more usable, realistic, and adaptative strategy. Everything you need to know to be a $ucce$$ful poker player from playing style to money management. 

DO NOT COPY AND PASTE MY WORK INTO YOUR WEBSITE WITHOUT GIVING ME THE CREDIT

Optimal Heads-Up (Preflop) Limit Hold' Em

The Game has changed. As said in The Evolution of Poker: from Super System to math PhD reading Doyle Brunson's SUPER SYSTEM is not enough anymore to give you an edge.  The 2003 Chris Moneymaker's Effect changed all that. Now the common man has the opportunity to play thousands of hands and read all kind of poker books about game theory and exploitative plays. Todays fishes are way more skilled than their counterparts of 20 years ago.

Let me give the highlights of the Optimal Game Theory as ellaborated by highly lucrative online poker pros and some math wizards. These below were particularly devised for Heads-Up Fixed Limit Hold' Em Poker (HUHU / HULHE). HULHE is the simplest form of poker from a programming and mathematical standpoint. Just like chess computer Deep Blue defeated undisputed world chess champion Garry Kasparov. The best bots like Polaris and casino slot machine named "Texas Hold'em Heads Up Poker" AKA "The Brain" routinely beat world-class pro poker players. To this point, HULHE is similar to chess. While it is possible for Artificial Intelligence to play near optimal strategy to beat the best players. Both chess and Heads-Up Limit Hold' Em aren't solved games. 



Exploitative Players were information seekers to keep an edge over their opponents. They are the old guard.
Game Theory Optimal (GTO, optimal) players the highest limits of online plays. They don't much care what their opponent does. They seek to play a strategy designed in the long run to beat any other strategy in the long run.

An optimal player seeks to find the optimal strategy. For any game, there exists at least one optimal strategy. Any GTO poker pro dedicates his time and effort to get as close as possible to the Optimal Strategy. 

However you need to prioritize the practical over the theoretical at all times.

http://www.highstakesdb.com/community/topic/29580-sauce-on-gto/




Game Theoretical Optimum strategy

Button (Small Blind)
rarely fold in the SB (10/169)
23o-28o and 34o-38o

SB never fold to a raise
SB never raise his worst hands


Big Blind (Out Of Position)
NEVER fold in the BB

BB has the edge (act second and is live)
BB never fold to a raise
BB never re-raise with worst hands



Button & BB
R3 - Raise, reraise and re-re-raise if raised back only with AA


Playing different hands in the same way. 
However, Optimal Strategy dictates to vary strategy randomly in order to be deceptive.

The Two Rules

If Villain bet or raise, you should CALL (usually)

If you bet one street and Villain calls, you should BET again on the next card. (usually)


http://www.amazon.com/Pokers-1%25-Secret-Keeps-Players/dp/1496159187/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=strenfight-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=QLUJOVHU7GARZLX7&creativeASIN=1496159187



Some of the people who applied professional level mathematics to real world poker. 

Nick Christenson
Alex Selby 
Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky
Matthew Janda
Dr. Darse Billings
Bill Chen
Jerrod Ankenman
Chris Fergusson

http://www.lvrevealed.com/articles/research/selby.html
http://www.archduke.org/simplex/index.html
http://www.archduke.org/simplex/art
http://www.highstakesdb.com/community/topic/29580-sauce-on-gto/

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/109/heads-up-limit/optimal-preflop-play-737220/
https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1NCHB_enCA593CA593&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=optimal%20heads%20up%20preflop%20holdem

http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-bots-overrated-says-dr-darse-billings-29734
http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/psychology/poker-bots-the-beginning-of-the-end-um-no
http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/psychology/bot-this-too-robots-dont-have-girlfriends

http://billchenpoker.com/

HU FL SNG Blinds structure

Heads Up Fixed Limit Sit & Go (HU FL SNG)

Blinds structure for Regular and Turbo on PokerStars.com

1500 Chips to start

Regular (blinds augmentation every) 10 minutes

Turbo   (blinds augmentation every)  5 minutes

Below is the sheet I use to comparate the Blinds Structure of a Fixed Limit vs. No Limit HUSNG on PokerStars.com

Why you should play HU FL SNG

• Maybe long, but I think this duel, this game of chess, is worth playing. 

• In HU SNG you won't get eaten by the rake like in HU Cash.

• Contrary to No Limit Hold' Em, in Fixed Limit (FL) you don't have that much variance because when your opponent is bad your edge is HUGE. 

;-)

PokerStars Heads-Up FL Sit N Go

Buy-in, winning prize, and rake

hu fl sng on google

Tobey Maguire > Dan Bilzerian in High Stakes Underground Poker Games

Who is the King of the Ultra High Stakes Underground Poker Games with a strict 'no pro' policy?

Tobey Maguire
Nit + psychological warfare
$30-40 Millions in 3 years
Buy-in of up to $100,000
"approaches the elite level of the players who win bracelets at the World Series." 
2007 World Series of Poker Main Event 
(292nd place, won $39,445) 

VS.

Dan Bilzerian
LAG + adrenaline seaker
$50 Million in 2014
Buy-ins $1 Millions, as high as $5 Millions.
As big as $5,000/$10,000 No Limit. The biggest was $10,000/$25,000 No Limit
"I am not nearly as good as all these online guys. I am not even close to one of the best players... But it’s like a minor league baseball player going against a bunch of high school guys."
2009 World Series of Poker Main Event 
(180th place, won $36,626)

Now let's compare our two High-Stakes Underground Poker contenders for the crown of the King of the Ultra High Stakes Underground Poker Games.

TOBEY MAGUIRE

“Tobey Maguire was the worst tipper, the best player, and the absolute worst loser.”
- Molly Bloom 

• Born June 27, 1975 in Santa Monica, California.
• Occupation: Hollywood A-List actor
• Net worth: $40-50 Million
• Famous for: Spiderman

• Started tournament poker in 2004.
• Been tutored by one of the best poker pros in the world Daniel Negreanu.
• Finished in the money in several events.
• Can be seen on ESPN's coverage of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship.
• Played in the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event. He survived days 1a, 2a, and 3 but was eliminated in 292nd place on the fourth day, taking $39,445 in prize money.
• During a 2007 episode of Poker After Dark, Phil Hellmuth said Tobey has made millions of dollars by playing poker in Hollywood poker games, with some estimates as high as $10 million

'I used to call Tobey "Hannibal Lecter" because he could just talk someone off of a good hand,'  Molly Bloom told 20/20.

The poker playing of A-Lister actor Tobey Maguire (Spiderman) has been described as: 

"He’s in a different league from other actors who can play some cards. While often mentioned in the same breath with other excellent playing actors like Jennifer Tilly and Ben Affleck, according to one of the sources, Mr. Maguire plays at a level that far surpasses “good for an actor” and approaches the elite level of the players who win bracelets at the World Series." 

RadarOnline.com reported that Maguire had been winning around $1 million every month for three years in these games. They then estimated that Maguire may have won anywhere from $30 to $40 million playing high stakes poker. And while this number is completely unverifiable, assuming it was accurate, the Spiderman actor could possibly be the biggest poker winner of all-time!

Molly Bloom who organized high stakes underground poker games for the rich and famous described Tobey Maguire as the best player, a sore loser and the worse tipper. There is nothing worse than a good loser! A good loser is usually just a loser. Winning is everything. Particularly in Poker.

Molly Bloom also used to call him "Hannibal Lecter" because he could just talk someone off of a good hand.

His contender, the outspoken Dan Bilzerian called him a "nit", a "jerk-off", and "cheap". He ousted Tobey Maguire for slow play, claiming “he was taking forever in a real big game, he took 15 minutes to chop a little pot”. His bold remarks about the former Superman star continued, “The guy is supposed to be worth $40 or $50 million and he’s quivering over $4,000. It was annoying, he was cheap”.  “He’s cheap as fuck and plays like a cheap bitch – a guy who’s worth all that money playing as if he’s broke. Come on, dude." I personally admire Maguire's obvious and lucrative nittiness. No matter the size of the pot, just like Maguire did, you should always play to win. And that's the only thing you should be thinking about: WINNING!



Tobey Maguire is known to frequently leaves a game after winning an enormous pot which is a breach of poker etiquette. But who give a fuck about poker etiquette. Poker is all about WINNING the most MONEY you can.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobey_Maguire

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2663783/I-used-call-Tobey-Maguire-Hannibal-Lecter-Hollywood-poker-madame-spills-beans-A-listers.html

http://www.thepokerpractice.com/poker/tobey-maguire-poker-winner
http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/content/Why-Tobey-Maguire-does-not-come-across-well-in-the-new-poker-book-Molly-s-Game-_85399/
http://www.pokerlistings.com/molly-s-game-the-most-awaited-book-and-movie-in-poker-history-60331
http://www.pokerlistings.com/daily-3-bet-guy-gets-got-tobey-backs-leo-blom-peters-out-99684
http://observer.com/2014/05/exclusive-a-player-speaks-molly-bloom-takes-on-spider-man-actor-in-new-book/
http://pagesix.com/2014/06/11/tobey-maguire-is-a-royal-jerk-at-the-poker-table/
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/news/tobey-maguire-poker
http://www.carbonpoker.ag/blog/dan-bilzerian-tobey-maguire-24/
http://pokerati.com/2012/07/nosebleed-heaven/ http://www.speedpokerinfo.com/en/poker-news/nosebleed-heaven-your-guide-to-the-biggest-highstakes-cash-games-in-vegas
http://www.homepokergames.com/maguire.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobey_Maguire

DAN BILZERIAN

• Born December 7, 1980, Tampa, Florida.
• Occupation: Trust fund baby, semi-professional poker player, internet celebrity.
• Net worth: $100 Million
• Famous for: Millionaire Playboy lifestyle

• Goes broke in college playing online poker.
• Once turned $750 into $10,000 in one event, as he claimed.
• Playing for a living since 2007
• Played in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event. For which he appeared of six episodes of televised show. He finished in 180th place and won $36,626.
• By September 2014, he claimed that he earned $50 Million in the last 12 to 14 months playing in High Stakes Private Poker Games.
• Claimed that he once lost a coin-flip for about $2,3 million pile of chips.
• Said he won $10.8 Million playing cards one night at $5,000-$10,000 no-limit

The poker skills of Dan Bilzerian has been self-described by Dan Bilzerian himself as:



“The best way to describe my poker skills is that I’m not the best poker player in the world. But it’s like a minor league baseball player going against a bunch of high school guys.”

I mean; I am alright. I am not nearly as good as all these online guys. I play in private games with business guys and celebrities. They are playing for fun. I don’t play with pros. I am not even close to one of the best players.

He’s one of the biggest cash game players in the world. His games are so big that Bilzerian avoids tournaments all together. “I’ve been playing such high stakes lately that a lot of times the first-place prize is less than what these guys are buying in for at the cash games,” Bilzerian said. “It’s hard to take it seriously.

Plays in games with buy-ins as high as $5 Millions.

“It gets as big as $5,000/$10,000 No Limit. The biggest game I ever played in was $10,000/$25,000 No Limit,” Bilzerian added. “The thing about the game is now the games are playing so big that there’s not as many people that can play that big."

"Tons of celebrities, athletes, etcetera, play poker. It has blown up. They just play private games though, and they don’t go into casinos. It is a very small group of these people who play the stakes that I like to play, though. It’s rare and there aren’t many celebrities who are willing to put $1 million down at a table and shoot it off. I think I know everyone who plays those stakes."


All the above statements are just his own claims.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Bilzerian
http://online.wsj.com/articles/dan-bilzerians-life-of-partying-and-poker-1410897368
http://www.unfinishedman.com/dan-bilzerian-fifty-million-poker-earnings/

http://pokerfacenews.com/dan-blitz-bilzerian/

http://online.wsj.com/articles/dan-bilzerians-life-of-partying-and-poker-1410897368

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/16515-dan-bilzerian-says-he-won-10-8-million-playing-heads-up-poker-at-stakes-5-000-10-000

http://profitingatpoker.com/broke-poker-players/dan-bilzerian-broke/

http://calvinayre.com/2014/07/24/poker/dan-bilzerian-i-made-50m-net-playing-poker-this-year/

http://www.bluff.com/magazine/actor-astronaut-asshole-17067/

http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/content/Should-we-believe-Dan-Bilzerian-has-won-$50-million-this-year-_85739/

http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/content/Why-Tobey-Maguire-does-not-come-across-well-in-the-new-poker-book-Molly-s-Game-_85399/

http://www.pokerlistings.com/molly-s-game-the-most-awaited-book-and-movie-in-poker-history-60331

http://danbilzerian-fansite.com/poker/

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/16656-dan-bilzerian-talks-super-nosebleed-poker-playboy-lifestyle

The Verdict: Tobey Maguire poker skills seems to be superior to those of Dan Bilzerian. At least we know from sure source (Molly Bloom) that Maguire is the absolute best player in Hollywood High Stakes Poker Games. 

Is Tobey Maguire's better than other very good poker playing actors (Ben Affleck, Jennifer Tilly). Yeah! But is Tobey Maguire's as good as 13 WSOP bracelets winner Phil Hellmuth. Not so sure! 

Meanwhile the only person who talk about Dan Bilzerian poker greatness is Dan Bilzerian himself!?!

However Dan Bilzerian seems to be honest about his poker skills by saying that he can outplay non-pro poker whales but he just avoid playing against the pros because he is not at their level. Why risking your money facing the best while you can squeeze money out of the rest. In Poker you have to be selective if you wanna be lucrative.

Tobey Maguire playing antics and bad attitude at the poker tables are all described in this book.

Get inside Molly Game: Where the Big Boys Plays Million Dollar Underground Poker Games. Every details is in the book below.