Sometimes, first impressions are difficult to change. Turns out the first image the poker viewing public had of Scott Fischman might have been a bluff.

Or at least a semi-bluff.

Like a lot poker observers, my first impression of Fischman came from watching ESPN’s coverage of the 2004 World Series of Poker in which Fischman won two bracelets. Those who tuned in saw a brash, brooding early 20ish kid falling backward on the table when his unimproved A-K counterfeited Joe Awada’s 5-5 when the board paired twice, sending the young gun on his way to victory. In fact, the coverage probably did more for Awada’s celebrity than it did Fischman’s; the way he handled the defeat earned him the nickname “Gentle Joe,” which has stuck to this day.

Worse, in an ESPN feature on the infamous “Crew,” an arrogant Fischman wrapped up the piece by claiming he and his boys “owned” the World Series of Poker and there were no two ways about it. Viewers were left with two simple impressions of the wonder kid: talented and immature, and the latter felt like the lasting imprint.

But something funny happened with Fischman pretty fast: he grew up. Although I was initially turned off by his antics, you couldn’t ignore his results, and you practically couldn’t avoid him if you watch poker on TV. The more I watched, the more I grew fond of his game.

And I must say, I grew to be fond of his demeanor as well. Suddenly, he was applauding the play of amateurs at final tables, wishing his opponents well and exuding a world-class talent level. He saved money with some key pre-flop laydowns of pocket pairs and made one of the most dazzling televised bluffs in recent memory, re-popping David Ulliott from the small blind with 9-5 offsuit, after the Devilfish had pumped the pot with the same hand from the big blind.

So when the former dealer and valet parking attendant recently released the book “Online Ace,” his credibility had escalated so much – from hotshot kid to one of my favorite players -- in such a short period of time that I figured it would be worth the $20 cover price to see what he had to say in a book. It should be noted that he whet my appetite with an excellent regular column in Card Player magazine over the past couple of years as well.

Turns out Fischman’s musings about online poker are just as impressive as his game. In a quick, easy-to-read format, the young pro gives several valuable tips for winning at online poker, from picking the right game to bankroll management to dealing with poker’s inevitable emotional rollercoasters.

He gives countless valuable nuggets of strategy, particularly for single-table sit-and-gos. He advocates a strategy I had long found to be ideal but had never seen a pro suggest; that is, avoiding playing too many small pots early, instead waiting for premium hands and going for the knockout blow, hoping to get all your chips in the middle in hopes of doubling up. He recommends changing gears to a hyper aggressive strategy if you have a chip lead as the money bubble approaches.

Fischman delves into useful detail in other aspects of the online game, including some good pointers for avoiding distraction in tournaments. He advises against constant checks of the leader board and how your stack compares to the average, a difficult temptation to fight for most online tournament players.

What’s more, Fischman’s most valuable advice might lie in the highlighted red breakout boxes found throughout each chapter. He offers these as “footnotes” to players who otherwise might not have the wherewithal to read an entire book.

Maybe the most amusing, thought-provoking and unusual passage I’ve ever read in a poker book appears in one of these highlighted sections. The box on page 95 of “Online Ace” reads: “While it’s good to be unpredictable at the poker table, it’s far better to be misunderstood.”

After having a quick chuckle at the Socrates-meets-Churchill-meets-Sklansky feel to that statement, I let it sink for a second and realized it makes a lot of sense. The statement is meant to teach creativity, one of the most difficult endeavors in any curriculum. Fischman basically is encouraging readers to see the grey areas of poker, as opposed to making the game one of blacks and whites.

It’s a difficult point, but Fischman gets it across with surprising ease, much in the same way he practices his craft and manipulates opponents at the poker table. And for the cost of a small online tournament buy-in, you can get this and several other worthwhile words of wisdom from one of poker’s legitimate young superstars.