Bloggers / Matthew Pitt / 10 May 2009 / Leave a comment

Poker mirrors life in many ways, none more so than the fact that it is continually evolving. Those who do not change with it, will be left by the wayside. A survival of the fittest if you must. That is life, that is poker.

Every three or four years the game of poker seems to completely change the course it is heading. Do not believe me? Look at who the so called online superstars were a few years ago and then tell me which of those players is still at the top of their trade now in 2009. I would bet good money there are not that many names you could give me.

These players do not suddenly become poor over night, what happens is they fail to evolve with the game and soon get found out by better, more intuitive players around them.

As little as 18 months ago a continuation bet on the flop would win you the pot a large percentage of the time. Now if you try to c-bet on a non-ace board online, you will more than likely be called or even raised by most players the majority of the time.

Training sites, poker forums and free articles like can be found on this site are partly responsible for the game we know and love changing each and every day. What used to be secrets of the professional or high-stakes players is now common knowledge amongst even players playing for peanuts.

Raising junk hands in position, punishing limpers, stealing the blinds, three-betting, re-stealing and floating were all terms associated with nosebleed stakes or disregarded as being simply theory. Now if you sit down at a NL25 table or a $20 MTT, you will see these moves on a regular basis.

Those of us who do not change our game to combat these knowledgeable players are the players who will not be around in three or four years, no matter how good we think we are now.

Look at players such as Dave Colclough, Micky Wernick and Mark Goodwin. All three are good, solid players but none of them would be regarded as superstars yet all three have been around for 20 years or more and are still winning players who are respected by their peers.

Why have they had this success? Because they have evolved with the game. Make sure you stay a step ahead or face being another of poker's forgotten men.

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