WHO IS "Poker" Abby

• Would it make a difference if I had made a living for 15 years and supported my family exclusively on poker earnings? 
• Or how about that I haven't missed a WSOP since it was downtown then Rio then Paris? 
• Would you respect my advice if was television multiple times (specifically for poker of course)? 
• Would I be better equipped to give advice if I had started playing over 30 years ago? 
• That I am a winning player year over year? 
• Would it make you have more faith in my responses if I told you that I have written about poker professionally in magazines? And that I had also been on the radio?
• How about if I been head hunted and recruited to work at 2 of the largest online sites?
• That I was highly sought in the early online era to help test software before it was launched? 
• Maybe that I have travelled to 18 states and some provinces in Canada to play poker? 
• What other credible things would I need? 
• How about a compassionate ear with a knack for words and being the go-to person for poker advice in my circle.  
• Not just strategy but every single area of poker.  Relationships, Time management, Money Management, Where should I start as a beginner, Patience, Discipline, Cash Games, Tournaments, Losing too much, playing too long, letting my ego take control, gambling addiction.  
• The list is long, the decades have flown by.  But here is who I am ....

I am a shy introverted veteran poker player.  This means I also spend a lot of time being a spectator while playing.  I hide from the limelight most of the time although you'd never guess it.  I've been on TV a few times. I am good at hiding my nerves.  Once I am comfortable though, I'm laughing along with the best of them! Sometimes I'm the loudest once I'm warmed up a little. 

I have been playing poker for 38 years. WOW that even shocks me! I started in 1988.  Things were much different back then.  Poker wasn't cool until Mr.  Mike Sexton made it mainstream and more than anything, exciting! 

Back in those days they didn't have very much No Limit action.  They didn't have many books.  There was no such thing as the internet, never mind smart phones, apps and online sites. 

Okay back to 1988: 

I was told that poker wasn't gambling and that it was a beatable game.  What?  It just can't be.  My mentor at the time, a lawyer named John, gave me a couple books on the subject and I was hooked!  I mean, gob-smacked, head spinning, heart-beating infatuated.  Maybe even in love. 

I read my first book (Hold'em Poker Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. I was far from advanced but after reading it thought, omg those old farts have no idea what they are doing. I'm going to clean them out! So arrogant is the youngster.