There is a profound difference between playing a hand and explaining it.

After spending the last few years dissecting the game across more than 100 articles—ranging from technical GTO breakdowns to deep dives into the murky waters of live tells—my perspective on poker has shifted. I didn't just learn how to communicate the game; I learned how the game actually works when you strip away the ego and the adrenaline.

When you write about poker for a living, you can’t hide behind "I had a feeling." You have to find the logic. Here is what I’ve learned from the thousands of hours spent analyzing the world’s most complex card game.

1. You Don't Understand a Concept Until You Can Explain It Simply

In my early days of writing strategy pieces, I relied heavily on solver screenshots and dense mathematical jargon. I thought complexity equaled authority. I was wrong.

The deeper I got into my writing journey, the more I realized that true mastery is the ability to simplify. If you can’t explain why a 3-bet bluff is profitable to someone who just started playing, you probably don't fully grasp the range mechanics yourself.

• The Lesson: Writing forced me to stop "glossing over" the math. It turned my "vague intuitions" into concrete, repeatable strategies.

2. The "Mental Game" is 90% of the Battle

I’ve written dozens of guides on pre-flop ranges and river textures. But the articles that resonated most—and the ones that reflected my own growth—were about emotional regulation.

You can have the technical skill of a world-class pro, but if you can't handle a three-buy-in downswing without clicking "Register" on a higher-stakes tournament to chase losses, your skill doesn't matter. Writing about tilt forced me to look in the mirror and realize that discipline is the highest-EV skill in poker.

3. The "GTO vs. Exploitative" Debate is a Distraction

I’ve spent a lot of time writing about Game Theory Optimal (GTO) play. It’s the foundation of modern poker. However, after 100+ articles, I’ve come to a firm conclusion:

GTO is the map, but Exploitative play is the destination.

Most players use "GTO" as an excuse to play a rigid, robotic style. But the real money—the massive, life-changing win rates—comes from identifying exactly how your opponent is deviating from the norm and slamming them for it. Writing helped me see that the best players aren't solvers; they are world-class observers.

Key Observations from 100+ Hand Analyses:

• Most players don't bluff enough on the river. (Your "hero calls" are probably losing you money).

• People over-fold to aggression in 3-bet pots.

• The "Nit" at the table is rarely, if ever, bluffing into three people.

4. Variance is Crueler Than You Think

Writing about the mathematics of variance is one thing; seeing it play out in the data I used for my articles is another. I’ve analyzed "perfect" plays that resulted in massive losses and "terrible" punts that won huge pots.

Writing taught me to divorce the result from the decision. In a world obsessed with "winning," the writer’s perspective allows you to value the process. If the logic holds up under the scrutiny of an 1,800-word strategy guide, then the result of the hand is irrelevant.

5. Poker is a Mirror of Life

Perhaps the most unexpected takeaway from writing over 200,000 words on this game is how much it applies to everything else.

1. Risk Management: You learn when to go all-in on an opportunity and when to fold a losing hand.

2. Information Asymmetry: You realize everyone is playing with hidden cards, both in business and in relationships.

3. The Long Game: You stop caring about today’s "session" and start caring about the "lifetime win rate."

Final Thoughts: The Grind Never Ends

If writing 100 articles has taught me anything, it’s that the more I know, the more I realize I have yet to learn. Poker is an evolving beast. The strategies that worked in article #1 are already being replaced by the insights in article #101.

To stay ahead, you have to remain a student. Whether you are playing the cards or writing about them, the moment you think you’ve "solved" the game is the moment you start losing.