Dear Riverdog,

Some years ago I was playing low limit stud,which was the only stud game posted, at a local Casino. (not in Vegas) The player next to me was playing an excellent game. He and I got to discussing the game theory of stud and I was very impressed , both with his game and his knowledge of the game. When he took a break I told the dealer (a friend of mine)"that guy plays a great game". The dealer laughed and said "I hope so, he is a professional stud tournament player" He is only here because the season is over, and he lives about 10 minutes from here" "He's good I said" And my dealer friend said, "he should be, he has been ranked in the top 10 stud tournament players in the world for the last two years .(ranking by monies won)

He (I'd rather not use his name without his knowledge) I seemed to make friends immediately. After the session was over, over a drink, I explained that I was a student of the game and would really appreciate it, if he would tell me which of all the learning techniques available what had improved his game the most. He told me "Wilson's turbo stud simulator" I said that since he had told me that he had been playing poker all of his life, what could he learn from a simulator" And he said that he didn't think that it was a matter of learning new materials as much as it was a matter of "keeping sharp"

He said that he played about an hour every day. That week (approx, 5 or 6 years ago), I went out and spent $1,800 dollars on a pc just so that I could play Wilson's turbo stud. And I have ben a successful player ever since. At most any limit as the years have gone by. I also have worked very hard at the game with reading and playing. But I am certain that the simulator has been an enormous help in improving my game. As you know in an 8 hour session of live action, you will look at approx 300 hands, and you can look at that number in approx 20 minutes with a simulator,since all hands that you don't play are cleared in a second and there is not a moment of wasted time.

I remember one time I made a good move in a live game and maximized my profit from a hand. One of the players said "good play, I would never have thought of that". I thought to my self "You have played that same hand that way hundreds of times on your Wilsons simulator. Years later I was playing at a higher level stud game in Vegas, and I happened to recognize that one of the players in our game had been ranked by card player magazine, as one if the top 15 tournament players in the nation that year. When we were together I asked him If he played Wilson's stud simulator and he said "Why yes, I play it about a half an hour a day."

In the evenings I keep my computer next to my lounge chair and alternate playing 50 hands of stud,holdem,hi low and Omaha, and then an occasional tournament of limit ,pot limit of no limit holdem.I don't think I could have mastered all those different games without Wilsons simulators.

I feel that any new student of the game, that is not using a simulator as part of his program to develop his game, is missing out on a very valuable learning tool. One time I figured out that I play approx a quarter of a million simulated hands a year and over the last 4 years I feel that that extra million hand that I play, helps gives me an advantage over my opponents.


Personal regards,


Octavian

If you aren't using one I would go to www.wilsonsw.com Good luck.