I started playing at poker at the age of 19. I was already a professional backgammon player at the club where I used to play. There were people at the club who played poker, so I decided to participate and learn on my own. I consider myself self-taught at the game. Over the years, I've learned a lot.
It's very important to be intuitive and not be afraid. You must be a great observer and pay close attention to the details of body language, gestures, glances, movements, and attitudes. They warn us of hidden information. The risk in the game is what makes it worth playing. I like that poker is a game of hidden information. I see my cards but not my opponents'.
And so, I can only try to deduce what cards are in other hands. I'm forced to base my deductions on the player. Is he tight? Is he loose and dangerous? I need and search for all of this and more to make my decisions.
Perhaps my greatest satisfaction in poker to perfectly put a player on a hand. It is a constant mental exercise. I have to analyze all the information I gather, apply elementary mathematics and psychology, and try to read my opponents' ever-changing behaviors.
The skill is important as the players in the game get better. Just five years ago, the talent level in Latin America wasn't as high as other places. That's changed as the Latin America Poker Tour and PokerStars have swept across the region. The LAPT organizes major tournaments in internationally renowned cities that attract professional and amateur players from all over he world. PokerStars lets the players practice when there's no tour event happening. Now, it's clear poker has a great future and will continue to expand in all of Latin America.
And I have to keep teaching myself every day.
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