The popularity of Texas Holdem has created a tidal wave of poker players that are lining-up to take their chance at a big score. With this wave, casinos across the country are offering daily tournaments that attract players of all skill levels and playing styles. Some of the players have been with the game for years - long before television made Holdem a household word. They have put their time in at the limit tables and took their share of losses while they honed their poker skills. Other players are new to the game and find the challenge of a tournament exciting as they begin their long poker journeys. Some will study the game and read the strategies laid out by much better players than themselves in an attempt to take their game to the next level. And, some will quickly lose interest when they are repeatedly outplayed and lose money with every game. There is nothing wrong with being a new, inexperienced player. Everyone must begin there at some point. You just want to avoid becoming the player who thinks he is "Johnny Poker."

So who is "Johnny Poker"? "Johnny Poker" is the new player to the game who has watched the WSOP one too many times. He can recite the hands and tell you what each player did wrong and what they should have done differently. He is the player that heard Dutch Boyd say you need to know more chip tricks than your opponents to show that you have logged many hours at the poker table. He is the player who thinks that wearing designer sunglasses somehow improves his overall card playing. (My personal opinion is that players on TV only wear shades to hide the dark circles under their eyes from playing 18 hours straight.) "Johnny Poker" is the player who feels the need to tell others at the table how they should be playing, all the while correcting the dealer, and not worrying about how he is playing his own game.

So, you may be thinking to yourself, is this guy really so bad? For one, it's very easy to Monday morning quarterback a poker hand when you can see what everyone else at the table is holding. Doing the same thing when you only know your holecards is a whole different story. "Johnny Poker" likes to overlook the fact that Dutch Boyd graduated from high school at age 12 and it's actually his poker skill that commands respect at the table and not his ability to roll chips between his hands. "Johnny Poker" forgets that quality players respect each other and know they always need to improve their game if they want to be the best. And, most importantly, after the hand is over and everyone at the table sees how "Johnny Poker" lost half of his chip stack by calling bets to the river with a pair of 3s, his true secret is revealed. He is not really "Johnny Poker." He is just a below average poker player who thinks he is better than he is. And, he'll never improve because he thinks image is more important than actual skill.

Don't be "Johnny Poker." Just be yourself and enjoy the game.