What Does It Take To Be A Successful Player?

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I know so many people who I would think would be great at poker, but they never seem to get it. I think you have to have a certain personality or approach the game in a certain way to be successful. What traits do smart people need to be great poker players?

[mikeysong 0]

discipline is the most important imo. Not getting personally attached to what you hold, being able to let some big hands go.Also, that applies to bankroll management. Not tilting and then blowing off extra money at blackjack to get even. If you have great bankroll management, you virtually can't go broke.

[chewybarber 0]

A Poker Bot?I mean, you don't think all these guys actually win money--do you?Seriously, most of us are just degenerate gamblers who'll never get it, so whatever you do, just have fun--

[Zach6668 513]

A Poker Bot?I mean, you don't think all these guys actually win money--do you?Seriously, most of us are just degenerate gamblers who'll never get it, so whatever you do, just have fun--

Uhhh... While I won't argue my degeneracy, I'm pretty sure most of the strat forum regulars will disagree with you.

[chewybarber 0]

Uhhh... While I won't argue my degeneracy, I'm pretty sure most of the strat forum regulars will disagree with you.

They are supposed to disagree with me, it wouldn't be any fun if they didn't.

discipline is the most important imo. Not getting personally attached to what you hold, being able to let some big hands go.Also, that applies to bankroll management. Not tilting and then blowing off extra money at blackjack to get even. If you have great bankroll management, you virtually can't go broke.

This is what I'm talking about, "you virtually can't go broke.", I mean, who told you that?This is poker, you can and you will go broke. Go ahead, start the flame fest swearing you'll never go broke, been a winner from day one yadda-yadda, and this last comment isn't directly solely at you mikey and it is half tounge and cheek.

[Zach6668 513]

I was never a winner from day 1. I never claimed that.I claim I am a winning player, however.I also have gone broke several times, incidentally.But, as mikey says, if I practice proper BR management, my ROR will be < .1%.

[mikeysong 0]

I'll make a prop bet with you for however long you want. We obv. can't go for 10 years but anything less than that and I'll be interested. Or we could go for a certain amount of hands - 1million?Yes, it is always possible to go broke but if you're playing within your limits and practicing good br management, it is very very difficult. I have gone broke before and have gotten close to it, now I've sworn myself to practice good br management and as a result I'm not moving up til I have 1000bbs for the next level.It's conservative but it also lessens the chance of me going broke. That's what I mean, there's less risk in me going broke than if i had 300 or 500bbs.

[David_Nicoson 1]

I'll quote George Harrison.But it's gonna take moneyA whole lotta spending moneyIt's gonne take plenty of moneyTo do it right childIt's gonna take timeA whole lot of precious timeIt's gonna take patience and time, ummmTo do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do itTo do it right child

[wrto4556 0]

in order to succeed you must want to be successfulnow thats good advice!

[Shimmering Wang 1]

in order to succeed you must want to be successfulnow thats lame advice!

Done, and done.I think WRTO actually started a thread much like this a long time ago, and I believe I replied that the most important thing is brutal honesty with oneself. Everyone I know who fails- at almost ANYTHING- lies to himself. Be responsible for your own actions, and put in the work to fix them. Bad players are myopic.Good players objectively evaluate their own play, and make an effort to always play perfectly, even when it means they have to admit they're making mistake after mistake after mistake. They see them, they fix them.Wang

[David_Nicoson 1]

• Patience
• Self-control
• Empathy
• perceptiveness
• Honesty (with yourself)
• Courage
• Self-confidence
• Basic math abilities

[Actuary 3]

when wrto, wang, and nicoson post on the same thread, I'm sorta, uh, superfluous. (no offense to others here.... obv)one thing to Mikeysong though.If one is a losing player, he'll eventually go broke.Chewy, do not resign yourself to figuring you can't make money playing poker unless it makes you feel better than actually trying to improve.not tilting is key

[Shimmering Wang 1]

I'll make a prop bet with you for however long you want. We obv. can't go for 10 years but anything less than that and I'll be interested. Or we could go for a certain amount of hands - 1million?Yes, it is always possible to go broke but if you're playing within your limits and practicing good br management, it is very very difficult. I have gone broke before and have gotten close to it, now I've sworn myself to practice good br management and as a result I'm not moving up til I have 1000bbs for the next level.It's conservative but it also lessens the chance of me going broke. That's what I mean, there's less risk in me going broke than if i had 300 or 500bbs.

First off, that's absurd. The marginal benefit does NOT outweigh the marginal cost. You're just wasting value.Secondly, it's COWARDLY. Play to win money, not to not lose money. If you want to be overrolled, wait until you have 450ish BB for the next level. Then, if you have a 150BB downswing (not easy, unless you suck) you can just drop down a level, and keep repeating the process.Thirdly, you'll never be a good card player unless you're willing to gamble. I promise you this. Even the most conservative card-players I know have enough faith in their skills to just FUCKING GAMBLE sometimes. You have you act like your schlong is 12 inches long, man, or else you'll never be a great card player. So:I Wang You

[Abbaddabba 0]

1000 bets doesnt take long to win.Im up 300 bets this weekend alone.What games do you play online?I mean - if you moved up every time you had 300 bets, you should be regularly playing pretty big when the games look good. And they often do.

[Actuary 3]

yes, something I was going to note...I think a key to being successful is playing at stakes you can afford if that helps you make the best play. If you play scared you will give up edges all day long

[mikeysong 0]

First off, that's absurd. The marginal benefit does NOT outweigh the marginal cost. You're just wasting value.Secondly, it's COWARDLY. Play to win money, not to not lose money. If you want to be overrolled, wait until you have 450ish BB for the next level. Then, if you have a 150BB downswing (not easy, unless you suck) you can just drop down a level, and keep repeating the process.Thirdly, you'll never be a good card player unless you're willing to gamble. I promise you this. Even the most conservative card-players I know have enough faith in their skills to just FUCKING GAMBLE sometimes. You have you act like your schlong is 12 inches long, man, or else you'll never be a great card player. So:I Wang You

How am i wasting value? I see it as getting extra money for putting in 1million hands. Wang - do you play a lot of short handed limit? It's really easy to have 100bb swings. I had a 200 downswing this week and if I didn't have a bigger br, it def. would've been a lot more stressful mentally, and I don't need that to interfere w/my game.Don't get conservative br management mixed up with being a conservative player. My stats are pretty LAG 34/23/2.69 - that's not exactly the mark of a conservative player. There is nothing wrong w/conservative br management, especially when you're winning a good amount at that level.oh, and when i replied about discipline/br management, I'm assuming that you're a decent player.

[Actuary 3]

wow Mikey you are a maniac.I'm guessing playing overrolled allows you to play more aggressivelythe missed value is that you could win at a rate 80% of your current rate and twice the stakes, if you moved up with 300 not, 1000, for example . and still make 1.6x as much

[Shimmering Wang 1]

How am i wasting value? I see it as getting extra money for putting in 1million hands. Wang - do you play a lot of short handed limit? It's really easy to have 100bb swings. I had a 200 downswing this week and if I didn't have a bigger br, it def. would've been a lot more stressful mentally, and I don't need that to interfere w/my game.Don't get conservative br management mixed up with being a conservative player. My stats are pretty LAG 34/23/2.69 - that's not exactly the mark of a conservative player. There is nothing wrong w/conservative br management, especially when you're winning a good amount at that level.oh, and when i replied about discipline/br management, I'm assuming that you're a decent player.

If you have 1000BB, how do you think your RiskOfRuin changes vs. having 500BB? I am usually overrolled for every limit I play. At first, because I was not confident in my play. Later, because I was just TERRIFIED of a downswing. I had myself rolled at- AT MOST!- 500BB. If you're a winning player, you probably won't need a 500BB roll if you're playing heads-up.If you're really worried, move up when you get to 450 (at the new level) and move down when you get to 450 (at the lower level). Example: Say you're playing 5/10 short/lhe. You play for a bit, and get up to about 9K. Then you start playing 10/20 short/lhe. If you lose half your roll, start playing 5/10 again.I understand the comfort that comes with being mega-rolled, but at some point you're just pissing money away if you're a winning player. Either you don't think you can beat the limit above you, or you're a coward. (shrug)Wang

[mikeysong 0]

what's the rush? The games are always there. It's better to prepare yourself mentally and get used to teh monetary value of the swingssome people play more comfortably w/300bbs, I find myself playing a lot better when I am overrolled, so for me there's more value in it.

[Shimmering Wang 1]

what's the rush? The games are always there. It's better to prepare yourself mentally and get used to teh monetary value of the swingssome people play more comfortably w/300bbs, I find myself playing a lot better when I am overrolled, so for me there's more value in it.

I'm not trying to push you out of your comfort-zone, Song. I'm just trying to suggest that your version of "overrolled" (aka 1000BB) is very close to the same thing as my version of overrolled (aka 500BB).Move up and you'll win more, if you're a winning player. If your goal is to play higher, you're just wasting time. Once again, no offence.Wang

[Abbaddabba 0]

What stakes do you play?

[No_Neck 0]

Math peeps, if your bankroll is 2x does that mean your ROR is x/2?

[Zach6668 513]

Math peeps, if your bankroll is 2x does that mean your ROR is x/2?

Don't think so.Pretty sure it would look something like this.

[mtdesmoines 3]

not tilting is key

QFT. Anti-tilt is the most powerful substance in the poker universe. Grab yourself some anti-tilt, Mr. Pokerwannabe.

[hblask 1]

Math peeps, if your bankroll is 2x does that mean your ROR is x/2?

Just do the simple calculations included in This Article and you can answer this for yourself.