'Best' Poker Players
This has gone through my head at various times over the years: What makes a person a better poker player than anybody else? Does it have to do with starting hand selection, their bankroll, the stakes they play at, how often they play?
Over time, it has seemed to me, that no matter how 'good' you consider a player, any leak in their game can severely diminish their profit potential. But, again, should pure profit be the only mark to which we measure the ability of a player? In other words, if someone grinds, recreationally, at smaller stakes, and shows a consistent profit every year doing this - enough to pay for all costs in addition to some profit for pleasure - is that better than a player who, admittedly by the previous player, could beat him at nearly any game, but because of a leak in his game, does not show the profit of even the recreational player?
If the larger stakes player loses huge pots in games he has no business in, whether it be just because of the stakes, or the other players seated at the same table, that leak does not necessarily mean that we would consider one player worse than another. However, this one leak, is enough to keep this player from showing a potential profit.
What if you do have a very profitable player, but he cannot manage his money and is always broke? Obviously we don't consider him a poor poker player, but depending on the point in time, the money (we've all been here) can affect how one approaches a game, be it cash or tournament.
What if you have a profitable player, without a huge leak, but is going through various personal issues? Births, spouse problems, personal money, family deaths, etc. can all affect people differently, but in my experience are one of the biggest effects on a person's game.
In determining a 'good' poker player, do you completely separate the above issues from the actual play? Do you consider some but not others?
I've typically looked at a poker player as a 'whole' person. Someone who understands the game to a point that they can see all the angles, knows when they're over their head, realizes where their comfort zone is, realizes where their opponents comfort zones are, has the ability to take advantage of the weak players when they can be taken advantage of, has the ability to take advantage of the strong players when they are playing weak. But, in addition to their play, someone who can manage their personal life so that it does not have an affect on their game. Whether this is recreational, amateur, or professional, this ability is among the most important and yet most difficult to accomplish.
The margin for profit in any one game can be extremely small; no matter the stakes. One bad session can set anyone back weeks, months, or years. No one is above letting various things getting to them. Whether it's personal issues, their bankroll suffering, or just lack of confidence due to just plain bad luck, everyone has to go through these situations. Even the most accomplished pros will say that at some point in their live, maybe multiple times, they've gone broke.
None of us are as good as we think we are when things are going well and we're nowhere near as bad as we perceive ourselves to be when things don't go right. The ability to understand why things are how they are is nearly as important as understanding what your opponents cards are in any given hand.
The one thing I would love someone to figure out for all of us - Tell us how to switch from one frame of mind to the other, because when you're on the low end, it seems impossible to do until one day, it just 'happens' for you ...
Over time, it has seemed to me, that no matter how 'good' you consider a player, any leak in their game can severely diminish their profit potential. But, again, should pure profit be the only mark to which we measure the ability of a player? In other words, if someone grinds, recreationally, at smaller stakes, and shows a consistent profit every year doing this - enough to pay for all costs in addition to some profit for pleasure - is that better than a player who, admittedly by the previous player, could beat him at nearly any game, but because of a leak in his game, does not show the profit of even the recreational player?
If the larger stakes player loses huge pots in games he has no business in, whether it be just because of the stakes, or the other players seated at the same table, that leak does not necessarily mean that we would consider one player worse than another. However, this one leak, is enough to keep this player from showing a potential profit.
What if you do have a very profitable player, but he cannot manage his money and is always broke? Obviously we don't consider him a poor poker player, but depending on the point in time, the money (we've all been here) can affect how one approaches a game, be it cash or tournament.
What if you have a profitable player, without a huge leak, but is going through various personal issues? Births, spouse problems, personal money, family deaths, etc. can all affect people differently, but in my experience are one of the biggest effects on a person's game.
In determining a 'good' poker player, do you completely separate the above issues from the actual play? Do you consider some but not others?
I've typically looked at a poker player as a 'whole' person. Someone who understands the game to a point that they can see all the angles, knows when they're over their head, realizes where their comfort zone is, realizes where their opponents comfort zones are, has the ability to take advantage of the weak players when they can be taken advantage of, has the ability to take advantage of the strong players when they are playing weak. But, in addition to their play, someone who can manage their personal life so that it does not have an affect on their game. Whether this is recreational, amateur, or professional, this ability is among the most important and yet most difficult to accomplish.
The margin for profit in any one game can be extremely small; no matter the stakes. One bad session can set anyone back weeks, months, or years. No one is above letting various things getting to them. Whether it's personal issues, their bankroll suffering, or just lack of confidence due to just plain bad luck, everyone has to go through these situations. Even the most accomplished pros will say that at some point in their live, maybe multiple times, they've gone broke.
None of us are as good as we think we are when things are going well and we're nowhere near as bad as we perceive ourselves to be when things don't go right. The ability to understand why things are how they are is nearly as important as understanding what your opponents cards are in any given hand.
The one thing I would love someone to figure out for all of us - Tell us how to switch from one frame of mind to the other, because when you're on the low end, it seems impossible to do until one day, it just 'happens' for you ...
posted by Corey Eslinger at 9:03 AM
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