John is a professional poker player who plays the highest stakes available online, the $100/$200 limit ring game on PokerStars and the $80/$160 on UltimateBet. Three years ago he was a novice player losing thousands at online poker and about to call it quits. Things turned around for him and now ITH gets the benefit of his insight into the world of high stakes online poker. He currently makes his living from poker, sports betting, and securities trading and is willing to share some of his secrets in all three areas.
Well, everyone....it's been a fun (relatively short) ride. After much thought and a long e-mail to Matthew, I have decided that it would be best (for both myself and ITH) to end my official ties with the site. While I will be more than happy to continue lurking and posting in the forums, my continuing lack of commitment to poker has made it unrealistic for me to provide a lot of quality hold 'em material. ITH is a booming site that deserves a regular high-limit player for a resident forum, so Matthew and I are in the process of figuring out a replacement for "Ask ICFishies." I'm sure that he will keep all of you poker enthusiasts updated!
Many years ago....before I'd ever played a hand of Texas Hold 'em......I read the book "Market Wizards." It was a collection of many interviews that the author had with some of the best market traders in recent decades (a fantastic book, by the way; for anyone interested in how the few people who understand correct trading procedures prosper and use poker-like skills, it's a must read! "The New Market Wizards" and "Gambling Wizards" are also just as good.)
Last month, I wrote about some ideas that might help everyone find some valuable (a.k.a. poor) opponents. Since then, I've noticed that some people are pretty interested in what cities/countries have the best and worst players. I'm still remaining non-committal on this though! However, everyone is welcome to write me with their thoughts on this subject. I'm curious to hear what other ITHers think.
So....you've studied ITH thoroughly, read 10 or 15 Sklansky books, and (against your better judgment) watched every episode of "Tilt" twice. You haven't had much of a chance to play for awhile and you're really looking forward to your free time at the tables tonight. You can almost feel the cards in your hands (or on the screen in front of you.) Finally, the evening arrives and it's time to play. You're just going to run to the first table you see, right? Wrong!
For those of you who don't know me, my name is John Harper and I am a regular 100/200 (and sometimes 30/60) limit hold'em player at Pokerstars and 80-160 semi-regular at Ultimate Bet (both under the "ICFishies" monicker.) I'm 30 years old and trade securities/options, bet sports, and play poker for a living. In the upcoming months, I will be presenting my views on a wide range of topics. Most of my articles will be related to poker, but I'll also include some writings that include my views/experiences on sports betting, the stock market, and the psychology of dealing with people in all of these areas. I won't give away all my secrets, but everyone is welcome to a few!
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For those of you who don't know me, my name is John Harper and I am a regular 100/200 (and sometimes 30/60) limit hold'em player at Pokerstars and 80-160 semi-regular at Ultimate Bet (both under the "ICFishies" monicker.) I'm 30 years old and trade securities/options, bet sports, and play poker for a living. In the upcoming months, I will be presenting my views on a wide range of topics. Most of my articles will be related to poker, but I'll also include some writings that include my views/experiences on sports betting, the stock market, and the psychology of dealing with people in all of these areas. I won't give away all my secrets, but everyone is welcome to a few! 
