Before we go on it might be wise to confess something. It’s better to say it now so that we all know where we stand and they’ll be no risk of confusion. To people who know me this is hardly news, but to anyone else out there it should provide a good enough springboard to get this blog underway again… ‘I'm a terrible poker player’.

There, I said it. I feel better.

I'm of the belief that you don't have to be good at poker to get some kind of enjoyment out of it, and looking at the number of people who watch poker on TV the law of averages says that we can’t all be Joe Hachem, Barry Greenstein or Isabelle Mercier. The closest we can come to them is to buy good sunglasses, grow a beard or sew sequins in our jeans. And practice of course, and that’s where PokerStars.net comes in.

For over two years I have written about some of the best players in countries all over the world - talking to them about what it takes to be among the game’s best. Standing just feet away I’ve seen them perform what looks like magic - reads on opponents that make you doubt the non-existence of ESP, and I’ve seen the same players winning again and again making dust of the suggestion that all this is pure chance. So you’d think watching just a little of this from such close range would rub off on me and make me a better player – nope, zip, nothing, nada.

That’s just my story though. I heartily recommend watching the best in the world as one of the better ways to improve your own game. So I offer this as a rallying cry to all those intent on improving and to those who live with their own poker secret – that they too struggle from time to time understanding pot odds or with a tendency to miss three flush on the board. To anyone who has checked, passed, or folded nuts I’ll say this – poker takes a lifetime to learn but you’re in the right place.