3 Reasons Geeks Make The Best Poker Players
The best poker players earn millions of pounds – millions of pounds that aren’t taxable in the UK – and do so playing one of the most fun games you’ll ever try.
Poker has long had something of a jocular culture – the visors, the beer, the macho vibe.
But I’m here to tell you that geeks make the best poker players and that there are three reasons for this, each of which have guided you since you were born.
A commitment to studying
Huey Lewis And The News famously sang that it’s “Hip To Be Square” and this applies to few things better than it does to a commitment to studying.
I spent part of my school years being called a geek and it was for one simple reason – I saw the value of studying.
The jokes on the jocks who mocked me for this, because I apply it to my poker playing.
I do so by referring to the blogs of leading online casinos like www.onlinecasinos.co.uk and watch videos from top poker coaches like Splitsuit Sweeney.
The result is that I learn how to beat the jocks and I damn well do.
An appreciation of heuristics
It’s said that having a strong knowledge of maths is key to success in poker, and I agree.
What I don’t agree with, though, is the idea that it’s the key – there are many doors that you have to unlock to be a success in poker and heuristics is one of them.
Geeks are uniquely placed for having an appreciation of heuristics.
The reason for this is that it’s all about problem-solving.
It’s a mental shortcut that allows you to make the right calls and to do so quickly, something that’s vital when you’re playing rapid-fire games of poker.
Geeks get this because problem-solving is in-grained deep into their psyche. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself now why you like D&D so much. And there we are, it’s because you get heuristics.
A willingness to reflect
Self-reflection is a gift and a curse.
It gives you a chance to never make the same mistake twice, but it also means that you need to really dig into your failures – I’m sure you can relate to me when I say that it’s tricky having complete control over this.
But the thing is that self-reflection can have a lead placed on it if you have a sound, logical, and dispassionate process for doing it – something geeks excel at.
This really helps you improve your poker game because it’s the cousin of studying – first you learn how to play the game then you learn how you play the game, finding your weak spots and plugging the gaps to improve your gameplay.
I use poker tracking tools like www.pokertracker.com to help me with the process of self-reflection and you’ll love this piece of software – it’s all about data, one of the sauciest things there is for a geek!
Recommended reading: Star Trek: Picard’s Casino Planet Episode That Transported Us Back To TNG, DS9 and Voyager
Studying, heuristics, and self-reflection all have one thing in common – they’re all about thinking.
So, what I’m saying here is that poker is a thinking persons game and if there’s one thing that geeks do well it’s this.
That’s the main reason that geeks make the best poker players and why you can be a great poker player too.
Don’t believe me? Do a little reading on Fedor Holz and tell me he’s not a geek.
