In 1993 researcher Anders Ericsson wrote a paper in which he hypothesised that 10,000 hours of practice in any field would turn a novice into an expert. That theory was widely believed by many, even more so two decades later when Malcolm Gladwell further propagated the idea in his book Outliers: The Story of Success.
Whilst this theory was widely believed by many, it has gone on the debunked in several academic papers and rebuttals. Natural talent, according to many is what truly makes the difference between average and world class talents.
With so many contrasting theories about becoming truly elite, what does it actually take to make a living as a poker pro? In this article we take a look at five key factors that will take you from poker enthusiast to poker pro!
(Fancy yourself as the next Phil Ivey? Follow the tips below to help you realise that dream.)
- Know the game
It might seem like a stupid point to start with, but you would be amazed at how many active poker players don’t really understand the rules of the game. There are several poker variations all with their own rules and strategies, to master a variant you have to know it inside and out.
In addition to that it’s also necessary to know every possible hand, not just so you can look after your own game but so that you can predict your opponent’s next move. Everything mentioned thus far are the basics though, you should know the rules and possible hands even if you’re an amateur player.
Knowledge is power though, and what will take you from average to good is a thorough understanding of poker strategies. Professionals put in hours upon hours of study to get themselves familiar with different strategies.
You can do this by either reading up online or buying a dedicated strategy book, written by a poker professional. Joining a forum and taking part in detailed discussions about strategies is another good way to cement your knowledge and further your understanding.
- Choose your game and practice
As you’ll be aware, there are plenty of poker variants out there for players to compete in. If you are to become a pro you need to nail down your preference and forego the temptation to play any other variants.
It’s not impossible to become world class at all forms of poker, but it is certainly harder to do than becoming elite in just one variant. If Texas Hold ‘Em – the most popular poker variant – is your game of choice, stick to it and practice, practice, practice.
Also decide which sort of game you want to excel in. Do you want to be a great cash player? Or would you rather becoming an elite MTT card shark? Figure out the answers to these questions and use them as the basis for your future, deliberate practice.
- Improve your mentality
There are two athletes of the exact same height and weight, capable of running 100 metres in 9.75 seconds. One goes on to break the world record of 9.58 seconds whilst the other falls off the pace before eventually quitting sprinting altogether.
What’s the difference between the two athletes? Did the one that quit suffer a career ending injury? No, rather they fell off the pace because they did not possess the mental fortitude and strength to turn their natural talent into results.
The one key ingredient that can turn talent into world class skill is mentality, and that’s not just true of sport, it’s true of poker as well. In fact, in poker a strong mentality is probably more important than natural talent.
Every single poker professional has had to display their mental strength throughout their careers. Whether that be by pulling off a great bluff or simply by getting back up and playing again after suffering an embarrassing and demoralising loss.
In addition to being able to respond to setbacks, you’ll have to train your brain to concentrate harder and for longer. Wondering how you improve your mental strength? First things first, practice and secondly try techniques such as mindfulness to gain a greater understanding of your mind-set.
(Try mindfulness like this to improve your levels of concentration and focus.)
- Track your results
Your progress will be slow and tedious as you set out on your journey to become a professional poker player. At times it will feel like you are not making any progress at all and that you may even be regressing.
That feeling is only natural as everyone wants to achieve their goals quicker than is necessarily feasible. That’s why you need to pay particular attention to tracking your results from day one, right through to your last ever game.
This will give you the confidence boost that you need to keep going, even in your darkest moments as you will be able to see your steady improvement over time. Also, record anything of significance that you can learn from as you go forward.
- Learn from the best
At any one time there is only one poker player that can call themselves the best player in the world. If that’s not you then there are guaranteed to be players that are slightly, or even much better than you.
This realisation might sound daunting, but it is actually a good thing, especially if you play against them. Every loss is an opportunity to learn and adapt, in fact it is your losses that do you the best in the long run.
The next time that you play poker, take good notice of the other players on the table, analyse their strengths and weaknesses. Then try and take the best bits of their game and work it into yours.
This is all part of continuous personal development and it is something that every poker pro out there is doing.
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