Defining talent is an amorphous undertaking. A person’s potentiality quotient is shown by the goal he is aiming for and how close he comes to reaching it. Relying on pure talent to accomplish a goal may work if the goal requires very low standards or is quite simplistic. What separates the good player from the bad in any arena is the intestinal fortitude and tenacity to thoroughly educate themselves on the subject at hand. Almost everyone has potential and may even know their talents, but they do not have the discipline to pursue them.
Great players do not romanticize their abilities and do not avoid exertion. They are critical towards themselves and constantly work to improve themselves. That is, like everybody, they begin by having a general sense of what talented play would be in relation to the present poker tradition, but they go beyond occasional slight talent by impose a rigid discipline on themselves.
The successful player gains experience by playing the game constantly and learning from all those hands. This is how they develop the best methods of play in many different situations.
So, talent is disciplined, and undisciplined talent is luck. Your basic amateur is heavily dependent on luck. Taking a chance is the thrill that keeps them at the table. The pro with disciplined talent is hell-bent on reducing chance to the lowest point possible. He is not interested in adrenaline rushes or surprises with the odd win. The pro’s objective is to empty his opponents’ wallets on a consistent basis, no matter how weak or strong the opponents may be. He is doing battle against chance and against the proven methods of good players.
Start with self-searching and analyze carefully what you discover. If you allow yourself to be distraught with the weak points you discover, then deny them for self-preservation, you will not learn from them nor will you overcome them. It is destructive to cling to activities that you have no talent for and to avoid reaching out to find something different that you just might excel in. Some indulge in the fantasy that someday just by hanging around they will gain talent in the activities they are not good at but refuse to admit the truth These guys are a professional poker player’s dream opponents
The decision as to which poker to play is the first step for the expert player. The challenges in limit poker are quite different than those found in no-limit. To play limit poker well demands patience and a certain risk-avoidance type of personality. It also requires time to learn its advantages and the methods to play it well. To play no-limit well, an antithetical list of qualities are engaged. No-limit thrives on what is seemingly acts of random aggression performed by a cool calculating personality.
Among the most common flaws in “talented” and overconfident amateurs is their inability to restrain themselves. They concentrate on the fact that they are “good” at this and neglect the strategic advantages of a timely retreat. If your purpose is not to flatter yourself, but to maintain a consistent record of success, you will have to temper your narcissistic tendencies and learn to leave when there is no way to win or when you are loosing control.
It happens to everybody; sometimes the pressure may be too much to handle, but the good player will be able to recognize this and will always prevent the situation from becoming worse by drawing the right limit.
The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Players Only Rakeback as well as Poker Kings Rakeback.
