Long-term success at the game doesn’t come from luck, but from decision-making, hand after hand, session after session. Luck is more like road conditions. Sometimes the road is smooth. Sometimes it’s full of potholes. You don’t control that, but a skilled driver still gets farther than an unskilled one, especially over long distances. Bad players can win sessions. Good players win month after month, year after year.

I’m lucky to play this game in Las Vegas, where the lights never go out, the cards never stop flying and the lessons are relentless. Here, doctors, mechanics, grinders, millionaires, the broke, and even the homeless all sit down at the poker table as equals — at least for a moment.

Poker taught me patience, humility, and accountability. It also gave me good friends, the kind who help you reclaim your dignity after a brutal 2 a.m. session.

Here’s the truth some players don’t want to hear: it’s not the cards, the dealer, or bad luck that determine your long-term results. It’s the person in the mirror.

I wrote this book not to preach. Not to posture. Not to tell you I’ve got it all figured out, because poker has a way of humbling anyone who thinks they do. I wrote it to share what I’ve come to understand, and what it can offer your game. I sincerely hope it helps. Now, let’s get better at this game we all love.

All the best,