Poker has become a business. And I'm not talking about the casinos, who no doubt make a killing on the rake. I'm talking about the players. I'm talking about the average businessman-guys like us. All over the world people are grinding it out at the tables, and the best way you can formulate your own business plan is getting the proper training from a solid program.

I'm in Thailand as I write this. A lot of young American and European guys live over here because of online poker. None of them are champion players, but they know the basic "business" strategies and money management techniques to pull in a solid income so they can live out here like kings.

This concept of poker as a business is perhaps the most crucial thing to keep in mind when you decide to get serious. This is real money on the line here, and if you aren't there to win you are really just a waste of space. Poker is a game where consistent smart moves can mean a solid, consistent income, so get serious about it.

And any business endeavor takes some kind of training. It is an investment in your future. You might spend on a good coach to look over your shoulder as you gain experience, but for what you save on trial and error you make a fortune with this one investment decision.

The most important thing about the business mindset is developing the right attitude for money management. You need to know the limits of your bankroll and not be the new guy who gets carried away at the table. A proper poker training site will stress your business account as your number one concern and your coach should give you a holler if you ever start to slip.

Because these guys are not just there to teach you strategy, although that is a huge part of what they do. They're also there to teach you about disciplined play. To separate yourself from the losers, you need to know not only how to play but when not to play.

There are two major kinds of players in the business of poker. There might be a lot of subgroups too, but the majority are either guys with no clue what they're doing or the guys who profit from the first group's ignorance.

You want to be the man pulling in the profit; you're a businessman. Forget about those big short-term wins. Forget about luck. You want to know how to get results and how to pull more chips your direction on the long-run average. Enrolling in poker training and making that investment in your education is the number one way to make sure you are not just contributing more to another person's monthly income.

It has never been so easy to get into this business. Work from home. Work when you want. Make some serious bread, really. It really couldn't get much better, so don't take it for granted. A little training just to make the dream a reality-not a bad deal at all.