After spending about $1,500 for a multi-day poker instructional course at Sunrise-based World Poker Tour Boot Camp, Scott emerged brimming with confidence.

Since then, she's upped the amount she's willing to wager, regularly spending more than $1,000 to buy into a poker tournament. But she's also significantly upped her winnings — scoring $37,000 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in one monthly tournament, then returning the next month and taking home a $36,000 first-place prize.

"To me, the most sensible way of improving your game is not only playing, but learning more about the science of it," said Scott.

Topics covered in poker instruction may include the importance of a player's position at the table, the proper bet size for various situations, and when a bluff makes sense. In a single poker session, a player may make hundreds of strategic decisions.

Classroom-type camps aren't the only option — there's an ever-growing menu of teaching methods, including strategy websites, private tutoring, and how-to books. Poker's expansive "curriculum" stands in stark contrast to the rest of the gambling universe, where players generally place their wager and hope for the best.

But even after a few expensive lessons, don't go thinking about quitting your day job. At least 90 percent of poker players lose money in the long run, with between 5 and 10 percent coming out ahead, according to many pros.

There is no one entity that tracks how much poker players spend on self-improvement, but some estimate the various teaching outlets rake in a combined tens of millions of dollars a year. Other suspect the figure is in the hundreds of millions.

By Michael Vasquez