What do people look for in a Twitch poker pro? A driven individual with a strong personality fits the mold. Out-of-this-world poker skill is a plus but not a complete necessity. In fact, that could be the conceit of your stream. Fans watch you grow as a player, and with it the stream and the numbers.

There’s no typical media-savvy pro. From the cocky and shy to the smart guy in shades and headphones silent at the far end of the table, each applies their own, oftentimes unique, winning methods. A strong web presence and social media literacy is another must in this age of 24-7 updates and endless content churn.

Having only one or two of the four central tennents is OK starting off, and it’s a long road to the top with plenty of learning curves and pitstops.

The four pillars of poker wisdom

1. Fundamentals
2. Moving on up
3. Content is king
4. How do you get to Carnegie hall?

1. The basics

Master them or risk being mastered yourself. Every budding drummer dreams of pounding skins with machine-gun blasts from the get-go. Painful as it may be, every maniacal thumper from Moon to Bonham gave innumerable hours to the practice pads, drilling rudiments to their deepest neural clusters until even the most complicated maneuvers became instinctive. Quick off the mark, that split-second response time that separates the good from the great is your aim as a drummer; as a poker player, it might be the ability to quickly analyse a situation and make your decision keeping in mind hand ranges, equity and everything else.

Beginner’s luck kills. New players can throw off veterans with their styleless play, as yet displaying no familiar traits, which can lead to big initial wins and a disastrous premature rising of stakes. Spend time learning rules and jargon, be the know-it-all at every table, talk to other players and be involved in your community. When you play poker for real money, the micros is where it’s safe to make mistakes and learn bankroll management.

2. Moving on up.

For highly-skilled players the micros will soon lose their lustre. Provided you’ve completed the first step, you’re ready to ascend to stage 2, where your hard-learned Phase One bankroll management tips are truly tested. Always stay within levels you are beating and can afford.

3. Content, content, content

When creating your Twitch poker profile, consider composing a strong introductory or welcoming statement. Let people know the real ‘you’ or at least the one they’ll see on stream. Why should a visitor choose your stream over another? This is the angling stage. Once someone is hooked, you’ve got yourself another fully-formed subscriber.

Archive past streams. Chop the best and funniest moments into easily shareable social media links. Share previews of upcoming content. Ask questions, encourage feedback to find what your community like and want jettisoned.

If you’re having a hard time getting feedback, share a survey and give tickets in return for completing it. When you’re busy and can’t stream post updates, let them know! KTITK, or #KeepThemInTheKnow.

4. Practice

Practice is the binding glue. Practice is what goes on off-stream in the thankless offline hours, with no subs to show for your effort. The days you wake feeling bleary-eyed, wanting nothing more than to switch off the computer, don’t. This is where you prove who wants it more. All those nappers can’t possibly be practicing simultaneously, right?

Having followed the instructions to the letter, with some favour from the poker gods, you’re well on the way to success. Additionally, know your value and never lowball yourself, but stay grounded, if you’re still grinding with only two followers, nobody is going to give that golden ticket for free.

Remember nobody ever lost from trying.

Set goals, follow these steps and we’ll see you on the Twitch poker partners page. Focus on long-terms goals and allow today’s failures to wash over you.