Do you think some people are born with a gift for playing poker, like in other sports
I don't think anyone is born "gifted" at playing. Poker players eventually play for gifts but that's it, imo. It's the person and the way they perceive the game. Some are great at reading people while others are better at following the math all the way to the river, and then the bank in some cases. Then there's the combination of the two. Stu Ungar was probably the best example of one of these players before the poker-411 explosion, or before everyone knew how to play.
Loved that post. I'd also like to add that low intelligence or a learning handicap are also insurmountable obstacles for someone trying to become good, let alone 'a winning player'.xpvictor1 said:
I've got the growing suspicion that I might fall under this category, since after many hundreds of hours of play, I still find myself far, far away from being able to compete with the regs.
Chica_bonita said:
Hello to you to!
I can agree with that. I also think that people who are able very easily to understand the mathematics of this game have an adventage in poker over others.
But I will stick to what I wrote. I did not write, that to be a GOOD poker player takes the same what it takes to be a GOOD chess player, in whatever sense. Those are 2 different games. The tactics you use in poker cannot be applied in chess, so I am not comparing chess to poker in that sense. That was not the point.
I think that in order to be THE BEST poker player IN THE WORLD you need to have an extraordinary ability od discipline, concetration and mental strength. Same what Kasparov needed to have to became THE BEST chess player IN THE WORLD. Don't you agree with that? 🙂
Do think some people are born with a gift for playing poker, like in other sports
No. I don't even think that I believe in the premise that people are born with gifts that, in and of themselves, makes a person gifted at a particular endeavor. More simply stated, even those people who benefit from great gene pools still have to put in some work. Just because someone is good with numbers and understands probabilities/statistics doesn't mean they are going to be gifted at poker if they don't know the rules of the game or can't channel emotions at the table. Even the world class athlete blessed with gifts from a pristine gene pool still has a lot to learn before becoming gifted at the sport of his/her choice. Certain traits and attributes make the learning process easier but work still must be done to become gifted in the endeavor.
No. I don't even think that I believe in the premise that people are born with gifts that, in and of themselves, makes a person gifted at a particular endeavor. More simply stated, even those people who benefit from great gene pools still have to put in some work. Just because someone is good with numbers and understands probabilities/statistics doesn't mean they are going to be gifted at poker if they don't know the rules of the game or can't channel emotions at the table. Even the world class athlete blessed with gifts from a pristine gene pool still has a lot to learn before becoming gifted at the sport of his/her choice. Certain traits and attributes make the learning process easier but work still must be done to become gifted in the endeavor.
of course, there can be no innate abilities specifically for poker, but certainly a person who does mathematics will have an advantage at first over someone who came to poker (including) without any knowledge, but now with the development of solvers and a mass of educational content in On the Internet, anyone can quickly upgrade their skills in poker and earn money, here the desire to develop and the time spent are already important
AllinIgor said:
I have been naturally good at math my entire life. Especially mental math. It makes making "correct" decisions a little easier for me. I can calculate pot odds, equity, and odds of runouts in about 15 seconds for almost any given hand against one player any time after that is when I start to analyze the situation outside of the numbers.
AllinIgor said:
I don’t know if it’s that they’re born with supernatural poker abilities, as much as they may have been raised in an environment surrounded by gambling, or parents that were excellent with their money and able to instill their children or child with proper financial principles at a young age.
The gift can be twofold .. one aspect is just plain luck. Another reason for being good in poker is having developed the right attitude .. just enough aggression and just enough caution to balance your betting. Some people may be born with this balance and others need to strive for it.
Maybe but nothing is free,I think its more about practice makes perfect so the more you do something the better you get at it or anything. And then there's the luck part that comes and messes it all up..lol. Luck is the crazy part because usually its not given,its earned (Jordan don't make 30 outta 30..3 pointers because hes lucky, he practiced) but in poker it kinda applys. Good luck. 🍻
