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Poker has a rich history and has been played for decades. In the past, only a handful of grinders identified themselves as poker pros. The most famous poker variant, Texas Hold 'Em, was introduced to Las Vegas in the late 1960s. Before long, it stole the show, becoming popular among poker sharks and tourists alike. Professionals never shared their poker knowledge with outsiders. That all changed in 1979 when Doyle Brunson unleashed pages of poker secrets in his book titled Super System. After Super System was released, there was a market for poker strategy literature. The main way for players to attain basic poker strategy was through poker books.

The Internet changed poker forever. Online poker started in 1998 but was not popular until Chris Moneymaker's 2003 World Series of Poker victory. Moneymaker made it to the main event thanks to a $39 satellite tournament at the largest poker site in the world, PokerStars. People who tuned into the 2003 World Series of Poker believed they too could make serious money by playing No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. The Moneymaker effect coupled with effective promotions from poker rooms led players to online poker. Players signed onto their computers, deposited with their credit card, and began living the dream.

With so many players entering the poker arena after the 2003 WSOP, the games were rather soft. There were only so many winning players while others continued to give their money away. Frustrated hobbyists purchased poker books and saw significant improvements in their game after a few reads. Others sought out fellow poker players to discuss strategy with. Poker forums, like FlopTurnRiver.com, were built as a place to analyze hands, strategies, and hold poker discussion. As time passed, more newbies sought advice on poker forums.

Thanks to improvements in computer hardware and the availability of high speed internet, people thought up better ways to present poker theory. Soon, poker videos were taking the internet by storm. Poker videos are a fresh way to influence green poker players. The most effective poker videos are narrated by the best players in the poker hierarchy. There are a few varieties of poker videos. Poker lectures can be created via video as a PowerPoint presentation while the video's author explains the slides. Some of the most informative poker videos are session sweats. In session sweats, the viewer can see hands an expert player has already played. While the video is being recorded and hands are played, the expert provides comments of his thought process and basic poker theory. Another type of sweat session involves a proven player going over a less experienced player's video. This process allows players to see mistakes that they made. Lastly, in hand review videos, a winning player may review their own poker hands or the hands of others and reveal their reasoning.

Want to get better at poker? Watch poker videos. It's that simple. Loading a poker video is more stimulating than trying to digest a dry poker book because it provides players with what they will actually be seeing and thinking. Also, poker videos are constantly evolving so they will never be outdated, like a book. Enthusiasts can learn from the best players on the internet simply by downloading recent videos. Has your copy of Super System magically updated to teach you about the tougher games? We didn't think so. Lastly, poker videos provide a variety that poker books do not have. With the games getting tougher and tougher, tons of poker videos can be viewed by the new players. There are hundreds of instructors which means different angles on why a particular move was made. This will inevitably result in a deeper understanding of poker fundamentals and better play.

Choosing how to learn poker can be a difficult decision. Knowing where to begin is the hard part, but we know the best place to start one's poker journey is a poker community like FlopTurnRiver. There are winning professionals that are happy to aid new players with poker fundamentals and specific situations. For example, nutsinho is a great player who posts on FlopTurnRiver's 6-max forum and crushes the games over at PokerStars. In addition to great posters, there a variety of free poker videos available at FlopTurnRiver. They cover subjects from ring games to tournaments and from full ring to shorthanded play. They will definitely improve one's poker game much faster than reading a book. Also, if there are any hands that baffled you in a poker video, a friendly poker forum that will help you grow as a player is very close by.

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