How Successful Are You When It Comes To Winning At Poker?

We know that for many fans, poker is a huge part of their life. Whether they play it, dream about it, watch it, or like to tell people where they went wrong (often without being invited to) poker can be an all-consuming and passionate affair.

So much so, that poker players have become synonymous with being almost oblivious to the risk involved, especially when they are successful!

Everyone remembers the story of Archie Karas, the famous gambler who went on “The Run” and turned $50 into millions of dollars in Las Vegas.

At one point, Karas would sit at the table, alone, with his money piled up, waiting for someone to come and play at a high enough stakes to keep him interested.

But is that true of all successful poker players and how successful are you? Well, that is what this article intends to find out.

Earn Yourself Poker Points from our Poker Checklist

So in the style of those famous lifestyle questionnaires in magazines like Cosmopolitan, where you tick off the box some of the daring and exciting things you have done in your life to see how carefree and abandoned your outlook is on life, we’re going to do the same for poker.

Our currency will be Poker Points. And you can award yourself the stated number of points you see allocated for each poker-themed activity.

Then at the end, once you have tallied up your score. You can see just how successful a poker player you really are. Kind of.

Let’s begin with some of the things that almost all poker players will have (or at least should have) done!

Asses How Successful is Your Poker Game?

Section 1 – Low Success

Score one point if you have done any of the following:

• Played an online poker game on a social media site for pretend credits/cash.
• Played in a freeroll on a site like bet365 Poker or similar.
• Organised and played in a friendly Home Game with a buy in of £5 or less per player
• Played Casino Hold’em or similar at an online casino.
• Played a version of Video Poker
• Signed up with such as bet365 which offers poker alongside a number of other gambling sites such as sports betting, casino gaming, bingo, fantasy sports etc.
• Bought an inexpensive set of cards and/or poker chips to play with at home.
• Watched a poker game live either on TV or via a live stream.
• Kept up to date with poker news and results on a poker website.
• Thought to yourself “It’s only a game of chance, I reckon I’d stand a chance of beating him…” when watching a poker pro at the table.

Yes we know, it is hardly Sodom and Gomorrah this list for poker players, but we are starting out mild and things will get a little riskier as we progress!

Section 2 – Medium Success

For this section you can score the indicated number of points for each statement if you have done what is stated.

• Signed up to two or more poker sites and played regularly on the sites for a time. (2pts)
• Bought in to any Poker game online for any amount up to £5 (2pts)
• Run a home game where each player buys in for £10 (2pts)
• Follow pro poker players on social media  (2pts)
• Have won a small cash prize playing a freeroll or smaller stakes poker game (2pts)
• Played as many satellites as you can for big tournaments to try and earn yourself a ticket at the big money tables (3pts)
• Played a game like Twister Poker at bet365 for £5 per game (3pts)
• Played at an online cash table game with a bank roll of between £10 and £20 in chips (4pts)
• Spent a little extra cash to get denominated poker chips and table felt (5pts)
• Been to a real world casino or poker room specifically to play poker (5pts)

Section 3 – High Success

Again, score the number of points shown in brackets if you have completed any of the following higher risk statements.

• Regularly play poker and will pay a buy in of up to £50 without blinking an eye. (10pts)
• Have won a tournament or similar and taken home over £50 in winnings.  (10pts)
• Have hosted or played in a Home Game with a buy in of £50 or more (10pts)
• Will play games such as Twister Poker for £50 buy in (10pts)
• Have purchased a poker table for use in home games (15pts)
• Have bought in to a tournament for £20 or more and won more than double your buy in (15pts)
• Have doubled your money at a cash table when sitting down with £40 or more (15pts)
• Are planning to visit or have visited Las Vegas on holiday at some point to play at the poker tables in Sin City (20pts)
• One or more of your social accounts are being followed by at least one notable name from the world of poker (20pts)
• You have landed a Royal Flush when playing a game of poker (25pts)

Section 4 – A Poker Machine!

• You play poker either daily or on five or more days a week (30pts)
• Have a bankroll of hundreds of pounds (30pts)
• Regularly buy in to tournaments and higher stakes games on online sites of £50 or more (40pts)
• Have a bankroll measured in thousands, rather than hundreds (40pts)
• Play poker every day (40pts)
• Have a bankroll measured in tens of thousands rather than hundreds (60pts)
• Play poker every day and do precious little else (60pts)
• Have a bankroll measured in hundreds of thousands (100pts)
• Have won several tournaments worth tens of thousands (100pts)
• Have won a single poker tournament worth tens of thousands (250 pts)
• Have won several tournaments with winnings of hundreds of thousands (350pts)
• Have won over half a million in tournament winnings (500pts)
• Have a bankroll measured in millions (1,000pts)
• You are essentially a poker pro as it is what you do to make money (1,000 pts)
• Have won over a million in poker tournament winnings (2,000 pts)

What Does Your Total Poker Risk Point Score Mean?

Tallied up your score? Well, here’s what it means.

0 to 50 points – Relax, risk taking isn’t in your make up. You have a sensible approach to poker. You don’t risk too much, but won’t gain too much either and that is precisely how you like it.

51 to 250 points – Ok, so the poker bug has bitten you a little harder than most players. You’re willing to take a risk or two, but nothing silly. You’re probably a decent player. Or art least one willing to put a bit more than most into their bankroll.

251 to 1000 points – You are the poker middle to upper classes, very good players who are willing to get the chips in the middle, with plenty of money at risk if needs be in order to try and land those bigger wins.

1001 points + You are probably a professional poker player who has been very successful and who has a lifestyle most of us would envy. Risk isn’t just a part of your life, but it is your life. You’d be willing to sit down with Archie Karas and play for the big bucks. And you’d be confident of winning.

Maximum Points – You are Daniel Negreanu, or Phil Hellmuth, or Phil Ivey.