The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Thought I'd be a little bit naughty this Christmas morning and list who I consider the ten smartest among regular poker players. I'm doing this off the top of my head so it is very possible I have inadvertantly forgotten someone. I have recused myself and Mason.

This list is rating "ability to think", not mathematical ability. But the correlation between the two is high. I base the ratings on my knowledge of the player's education, the stuff that they have written, and personal conversations. I will give no reasons and will not defend my choices. In fact I will say nothing further except to possibly say "I forgot about him" or "I don't know her".

I'm doing this mainly for fun but also to let newbies know who the smartest players are. That doesn't always mean the best players, but again there is a correlation. No one on this list would have trouble making a pretty good living at poker if they had to.

Meanwhile in spite of my lack of diligence and in some cases, spotty data, you can be sure that the list below is awfully close to the real truth.

Ten Smartest Poker Players:

1. William Chen

2. Mark Weitzman

3. Howard Lederer

4. Jim Geary

5. Chris Ferguson

6. Ed Miller

7. Tom Weideman

8. Jimmy Warren

9. Barry Greenstein

10. Paul Phillips

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Merry Christmas, David!

Mat Matros gets my nomination.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Nice list.
Glad to see Paul Phillips made it.

Are these 10 rated in order of how good you think they are??

I know you said you weren't going to say anymore about this...but I can't help but wonder....IF D.S. did a top 100 players list where some other names might land.

Negreneau, Hansen, Chip Reese, Raymer, greenstein and Ivey.
ummmm.... and maybe some guy in a green hat named Harrington perhaps???

I'd be curious where these guys would fall within D.S.'s top 100 (if they indeed make it at all).

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Yes. The list is in order. Also I don't consider the "ability to think" exactly the same as IQ.

Everybody you named would make it into my top 100.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

How dare you forget FossilMan!!!!! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Good list....

Bill Chen is a trip, tho, isn't he?

From my conversations with him, it appears that he consistently thinks at a level that most of us cannot even conceptualize.

Happy Holidays!!

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Interesting.

What about Phil Hellmuth, Dutch Boyd, Mike Matusow, Lee Jones, Lou Krieger and Vince Van Patten??

I'm SURE these guys would take up spots 11 through 16.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Interesting.

What about Phil Hellmuth, Dutch Boyd, Mike Matusow, Lee Jones, Lou Krieger and Vince Van Patten??

I'm SURE these guys would take up spots 11 through 16.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure, just not in that order

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Helmuth yea, the rest I bet wouldn't make it into the top 100

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Wow, Ed Miller made the top ten. Excellent.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

lol, now that is funny.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Get all of them to write books on Texmas Hold'ems.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

stop being humble and give yourself more credit. you helped write the best holdem books for beginners, intermediates, and advanced players.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

yeah seriously, you're the real Genius David. Thanks for the great books and the ease in which you explained the information. I just reread Hold'em Poker and Hold'em Poker for Advanced players and in the next 3 days I plan on completing my rereads of Small Stakes HOld'em and Theory of Poker.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

I am very surprised Andy Bloch didn't make it.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Happy Merry Xmas!

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Is RGP the place to find William Chen material?

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

yeah, i am curious about this as well.


happy holidays guys!

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

although he is very intelligent, one of the players on this list has been broke and/or staked for the last 3 years. why do you think he is unable to make money at poker?

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
although he is very intelligent, one of the players on this list has been broke and/or staked for the last 3 years. why do you think he is unable to make money at poker?

[/ QUOTE ]

Without knowing the specifics, a potential problem in everyday life is for someone to be too smart for their own good. They get bogged down in "analysis paralysis". This is often manifested in the Monster Under the Bed Syndrome.

A study of decision making by business managers found that the super-successful managers were generally no more intelligent than the average, and that they generally went through much the same decision-making processes. But the successful ones made their decisions much faster and with more confidence.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Hi Mikey:

At various times I have talked to seven of those on the list about writing. So far only the NPA has taken the bait. (By the way, we should have two more books by him this coming year.)

Best wishes,
Mason

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Call me ignorant, but who is William Chen?

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

So Mason, are you number 11?

Vince

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

I'm willing to bet that Tom Weideman isn't as smart as Gus Hansen.

Vince

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players, what would they think?
 

David,

Do you think that these SMART players will appreciate that you pointed out to their not so smart opponents just how smart they are? You may consider this just... a dumb question.

Vince

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players, what would they think?
 

Vince,

Smart opponents will not need David's advice.

Fish will not take David's advice.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

anyone else hate how people keep saying "david you should give yourself more credit! put yourself on this list!!" and "is mason #11 then??"

did any of you read this statement?

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
I have recused myself and Mason.


[/ QUOTE ]

man... some of you seriously cement your spots in the "bottom 10" just by posting here.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

[ QUOTE ]

did any of you read this statement?

[ QUOTE ]
I have recused myself and Mason.


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dude, how are we supposed to know what "recused" means? that's a big word man!
man... some of you seriously cement your spots in the "bottom 10" just by posting here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Im sure I am FAR FAR FAR less qualified than David but 2 people who I would choose to inlclude is DeKniff and Luske.

Dekniff in the scant footage that ive seen has played almost picture perfect in NLH tourney final tables situations. And Luske usually knows where he is at in a hand...though his decisions sometimes seem reckless.

As for Boyd Im conitnuall shocked at how impressed people are by how precoscious "scholastically" he was. The facts are the guy went to like SW mizzou at 13-4....I had a 1320 on my Psat at that same age well over avg there...Im pretty sure I could have handled 4-5 classes in the humanitites there..no big deal. Stanford @ 13 im impressed SW Missouri im just questioning his mom's decision to send him to college.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

David, where would Tommy Angelo rank on your list?

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />

did any of you read this statement?

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
I have recused myself and Mason.


[/ QUOTE ]

dude, how are we supposed to know what "recused" means? that's a big word man!
man... some of you seriously cement your spots in the "bottom 10" just by posting here.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]


your inability to properly use the quote feature is proof enough.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

zaxx, did you read the initial post? his post is about smartest poker players, not who makes the most perfect moves or who is the best.


however i do agree with the rest of your post.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

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I'm willing to bet that Tom Weideman isn't as smart as Gus Hansen.

Vince

[/ QUOTE ]

While I have no idea of the level of Gus Hansen's intelligence, I think that his play is based more on intuition and street smarts than on intellectual analysis. Which is to say that his play is more art than science.

Re: The \"ability to think\"
 

David,

For those of us that don't "unnerstan" please define the "ability to think". Is this ability common to all poker players and these chosen few have more of this ability than others? Or is this an ability unique to these "wonderkinds". I only ask this question because I have a profound desire to improve my "ability to think" if that is possible or to somehow acquire (purchase if necessary) this ability and incoporate it in my poker repertoire. Please enlighten me so I can know how to think betterer.

Vince

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
I am very surprised Andy Bloch didn't make it.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yep. And "Abdul Jalib," and perhaps Mike Caro.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Don't know the two Europeans mentioned. Know little about Andy Bloch. Abdul Jalib would get into the second ten. As would Gus Hansen and Dan Harrington (and probably Louie Landale and El Diablo). Mike Caro makes occasional conceptual errors and would not make my top twenty.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Thought I'd be a little bit naughty this Christmas morning...

[/ QUOTE ]

Nice. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]
(low content)

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

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your inability to properly use the quote feature is proof enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

woops... remind me not to post at 5:12 am.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

Daryn, Im not sure what your point is.....

Was there a time you sat down with Brunson and discussed Derrida, Kant, or super string theory.....
Do you seriously think bc Reese went to Dartmouth that he would tend to have a higher IQ than player B .....

To be honest a name Im sure nowone wishes to add here but probably belongs is Hellmuth. He has been integral tot he massive success of Ultimate Bet, has like 2 best sellers, and has found at least 20 ancillary ways to make money other than poker. He might whine like a baby, but the guy is a formidable entrepaneur and althout his books are short on meaty content for a 2+2 reader...they prove quite readable and informative for beginners.


The point is how else would a fan evaluate most player's intelligence other than at least primarily through his-her play??

De Kniff is also a VERY successful handicapper of European soccer, and seemingly fluent in English without much effort. All other factors in me ranking him among the games smartest.

Re: The Ten Smartest Poker Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Do you seriously think bc Reese went to Dartmouth that he would tend to have a higher IQ than player B .....

[/ QUOTE ]

Mr. Sklansky has already stated that his post has little to do with "IQ".

As far as Daryns point...
You aren't getting it. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

This is a pure intelligence rating (ability to think) based on what Sklansky believes. He has a more personal knowledge than most of us (certainly me). Our estimates of these players intelligence levels will be more lacking in information than the estimates of "playing ability" which have gone on in some of the other threads on this forum.