What Makes A Good Poker Player |
A good online poker player treats poker like a craft. He studies how and where it is played and the strategies other players have employed in the past. And he approaches poker, on the table and off, with a professional attitude.
A good poker player knows the mathematics of the game. If he is playing Texas Hold ‘Em, he knows the odds that the cards he needs will show up in the turn and the river, and he bets accordingly. He knows which starting hands are the most desirable, and he knows when to let his calculations rule over his emotions. He knows that he must always balance risk against reward, and therefore he learns the mathematics involved in calculating both.
A good poker player has the right attitude. He is disciplined about which hands he plays. He keeps his emotions under tight control. He doesn’t play a hand to prove a point or to get revenge, because he knows this is likely to distort his sense of the risks involved. He regards chips as a martial artist regards weapons: as tools for achieving specific goals, and not as showpieces to be brandished recklessly. And a good poker player knows he will sometimes lose. He takes losses honorably, as opportunities to improve, and his losses are never too staggering because he is intelligent about the level of risk to which he exposes himself.
A good poker player is perceptive about human psychology, and he makes an effort to put himself into the minds of his fellow players. He watches the way other players play, and he considers the hand from their perspectives. After a few hands, he knows who is the most hotheaded and who is playing excessively tight. He remembers that they are trying to enter his mind, too, and he considers how their perceptions of his play might be affecting the decisions they make.
There are hundreds of good poker players, and no two of the best poker players play the same way. Chris Ferguson plays a carefully calculated, almost impassive mathematical style of game. Gus Hansen plays aggressively and throws his opponents off with unpredictable bets. Annie Duke profits from her expert study of human psychology. Nonetheless, all good poker players share a set of traits. They treat the game as a craft, study its intricacies, and play it with seriousness and intelligence.