Every single poker player that’s played more than just a hand or two has one secret desire sitting in the back of his or her mind. It’s not a big pile of money, it’s not a mansion or a sports car.

It’s a bracelet. A bracelet that many of us would cut off our right leg for a chance to possess.

It’s the platinum bracelet the winner receives at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). This is the trophy of all trophies. The plain metallic badge that screams, to those in the know, that you are the best player in the world. At least until next year’s tournament. It’s a simple looking bracelet that says for the moment, that there’s not a soul on the planet that can play Texas Holdem better than you.

If you’ve dreamed of possessing this icon of Poker greatness, you are not alone.

Thousands of new players are coming online every day. They are also loading up the local card room tables in almost every major city in the world. Televised tournaments and easy online Poker game access have been the major contributors to the new Texas Holdem generation.

With literally millions of players around the globe trying to attain the skills necessary to get to WSOP, what is it that you have that they don’t? How do you get to be the King or Queen of Poker with all that competition?

Many of you are going to answer this question with the simple knee jerk response, “play a lot of games.”

True, practice make’s perfect is a very old adage. But is it enough to take you to the final table?

No, it’s not, at least it’s not in my opinion.

So what shapes a good player into a great player? What does Phil Hellmuth, T.J. Cloutier, Doyle Brunson, or Eric Seidel have that you don’t have?

All of the top players in the world share several characteristics.

Just like great athletes, great poker players are not only gifted they are dedicated. FULLY DEDICATED.

The primary similarity is that they all live and breathe the game. Not just the actual game, when they are sitting at the table. No, Texas Holdem is in their blood. When they are not playing they are thinking about strategy. They might be watching tapes of their own play. They might be reading a book written by one of their common competitors. They might even be learning statistical mathematics and advanced physical psychology at the same time.

Now these are just made up examples, but the message stands true. They put in the extra time to add anything they can to create even the smallest edge at the table. They have made becoming the best poker player in the world their top priority. And all of the players listed above possess at least one or more of the coveted bracelets. (At last count, Doyle Brunson had eight of them)

Yes, they all play a lot of cards. From what I’ve read, they all play almost daily somewhere. Yet none of them quit trying to improve even more.

What separates them from the herd is that they continue to work on improvement even after the game is over. They have become 24 hour a day self coaches. Driving themselves to learn, and learn, and then learn some more is a routine to them. If you ask any one of them if they know everything there is to know to be a winner, not one of them will answer it with a yes. Because not one of them can say that they have never been beat.

So if you are dreaming about the bracelet, you’re going to have to step up your training. Playing cards around the clock, by itself, is not enough strategy to take you to that level of greatness. It will take much more effort and a total commitment to get to that ultimate final table.

It can be done though. More and more no name players are coming out of left field and taking home the prize. So if you are willing to put in the time and the effort, you might just find yourself sitting across the table from one of these legends.

Give it 110% and it might just be sooner than you think.

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