Letter to Aspiring Poker Players- Keys to Success

So you have probably read some blogs/ threads, seen some graphs, heard some stories of great success stories of people in poker. Although there is the occasional case of an unknown person that went went from not knowing how to play the game to millionaire by winning a tournament; the majority of professionals strive on consistency.

Like with any sport, game, activity there are clearly sets of skills that apply to them.

So how does one become a successful Poker Player?


Persistence. Unlike many sports out there poker is a game of incomplete information. You make the 'best choices' given each situation ; the results are affected by variance.

Unlike a game of Basketball , if you missed a shot you can practice until you have the right angle/control at which point you can get it in.

More often than not one does not  anticipate to have poor results with good decisions; one simply does not anticipate losing money whilst believing their play is good.

This leads to hesitance. Unlike school, sports, work, we are often granted immediate gratification. If you studied hard for a particular exam, it is likely you would have done well on that exam, if you practiced the sport you're interested in you're likely to do well. . . etc.

Variance. A new player entering the world of poker will be shocked by how much variance there is within the game itself,

Certain game types such as MTT's (Multi-Table Tournaments), a professional wining player may only make it in the money 10% of the time. On top of that, winning professionals can make the right plays and deal with weeks if not months of losing/break even stretches.




Discipline & Hard Work. The 2012 Olympics last year reminded me of what it really takes to succeed at anything.

Take any gymnastics for example; thousands of hours of preparation and careful dieting is required to have just an opportunity to compete.

When we see the pro's on TV such as 'Negreneau, Phil Ivey' or the new upcoming players ' Galfond, Dwan' it's easy for us to think that some are just born with a natural ability to play poker; when in reality the amount of hard work behind the screens is immense.

In this Interview with Phil Galfond by Jared Tendler (author of Mental Game), Galfond expresses how talent though is important is only a segment of what makes one successful; even he himself must put in a lot of effort.


Finally ; Grit. It's a word that doesn't belong to colloquial speech nowadays. It's time to re-emphasize this new term.

Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait, based on an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal or end state coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective.- Wikipedia 

The video featured on Ted-Talks is a great example explaining grit and its' relevance to success.

So at the end of the day. Don't worry if you lack talent.

As Long as you have Grit, Persistence, Determination ; you'll do well in poker.

Though you might not make ten's of millions a year, but 6-figures is a very do-able standard today.