Bobby Fischer
 

Can Bobby Fischer be a winning poker player despite his erratic emotional state?

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Bobby Fischer could attain a 2.72BB/100 win rate in the party 15/30 game but would flounder at higher limits.

the exception of course being duece to seven triple draw where he could easily beat the best in the world at any stakes.


seriously though.... i don't think anyone on this forum can answer this question intelligently, but he seems to be a smart guy. I'd stake him if he wasn't a jackass

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Everytime he took a bad beat he would blame it on the Russians or Jews. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

I suspect he would have an excellent chance of doing so, as his emotional outbursts never affected his ability to play chess well (quite the opposite, they tended to rattle his opponents much more).

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

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Everytime he took a bad beat he would blame it on the Russians or Jews. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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i already do that.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

fischer could definitely be a winning poker player. you don't have to be that intelligent to win at poker and fischer is clearly a genius. the only question is at how high a level he could be a winner.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

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his emotional outbursts never affected his ability to play chess well

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True, once he got to the board. But his emotional outbursts/paranoid demands sometimes prevented him from getting to the board in the first place.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Did I miss something? Was there a news story or some such about Bobby Fischer taking up poker? Or is this just a random musing?

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Random musing. I was just interested to know how much chance a chess player would have playing poker. I mean, if a chess player who has never played poker were to get 3 months full time experience and read Gambling theory and Other Topics, Getting the Best of It, Theory of POker, and Small Stakes Holdem Poker, would he be able to beat something like 3-6 holdem for 1 BB/hour by the third month.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

I'm quite sure that Fischer could play winning poker. The only thing that might prevent someone like him from doing well would be the tilt factor. Chess players never lose to inferior players beacuse of a lucky draw. The first time someone caught a 2 outer on the river would be a really telling moment. However,its all moot at this point since Mr. Fischer is currently detained in Japan and facing a possable extradition to the U.S. (assuming the IRS finally gets around to charging him with tax evasion)
It is a sad state of affairs for the great champion.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

[ QUOTE ]
Random musing. I was just interested to know how much chance a chess player would have playing poker. I mean, if a chess player who has never played poker were to get 3 months full time experience and read Gambling theory and Other Topics, Getting the Best of It, Theory of POker, and Small Stakes Holdem Poker, would he be able to beat something like 3-6 holdem for 1 BB/hour by the third month.

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I would venture that if you gave any chess GM a copy of SSHE, they could be beating 3-6 holdem within a week.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Boris Spassky could have easily won the 1972 title game all he had to do was to not please fischer demands(In fact thats how Karpov became world champion on 1975)Anyway my point is Fischer doesnt have the personality to play poker. I seriosuly think Fischer is crazy.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Techinical question. What ratings would a person have to have to be a Grand Master? I heard Harrington is a 2,400 rated chess player. How far is he from GM status? I heard Ciaffone was 2,000 rated. And I know many people at between 1,500 to 1,900. Do you think these people could beat 3-6 within 2 weeks after reading SSHE?

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Very, very far from being a GM. No where even in the same ballpark. A USCF 2400 is usually a ways from IM caliber play, which is a huge step below GM.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

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Very, very far from being a GM. No where even in the same ballpark. A USCF 2400 is usually a ways from IM caliber play, which is a huge step below GM.

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What rating would a GM have then, 5,000? what is a USCF and an IM? Is there a website that can tell me what these things mean?

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

I believe a grandmaster is around 2500. I'm sure they could beat the 3/6 real quick.

As for me, I'm closer to 1500, and I think 3/6 B&M could easily be beat in 2 weeks, online a little tougher.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Do you know if the ratings are the same for kids as well as adults? In other words, are you equal to a 12 year old kid who is also a 1,500?

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Here is a list of the top 100 player and their ratings:
link

and this gives a little bit of explanation about the ratings: link

Also, I really doubt that Harrington is a 2400. But even if he were at one point, he probably is not anymore because to be able to keep a rating that high you must be in constant practice.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

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Do you know if the ratings are the same for kids as well as adults? In other words, are you equal to a 12 year old kid who is also a 1,500?

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Well, ratings are not a perfect barometer of skil becuase you can inflate your rating by playing a lot of weak opponents. But all other thing being equal, a 10 year old 1500 is equal to a 30 year old 1500

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

I think this has to do with the fact Bobby Fischer was recently found in Japan and taken into US custody.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

There are tons of very strong chessplayers who are absolutely DREADFUL at poker.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

To the best of my knowledge...

Technically, yes. In my case, no. I'm not officially rated by the U.S. Chess Federation (or whatever the official federation name is). I play on different sites, and find my ranking is similar on most sites.

I think kids may start with a lower rating (it might be around 600, where its around 1000 for adults), but when a 12-year old is playing an adult, they are being rated on the same scale.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

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I would venture that if you gave any chess GM a copy of SSHE, they could be beating 3-6 holdem within a week.

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Poker is really not that easy. Some people just lack the skills necessary to win. There are quite a few very strong GM's who play poker a lot and simply are terrible. I do believe that it improves your chances of success to have had experience playing other games such as chess, but by no means does it guarantee success.

Another thing to note is that it's difficult for some chessplayers to deal with the luck factor. There is no luck in chess, and it can blow one's mind that you can play perfectly and lose anyway.

Thanks for the info slickpoppa and nyc999
 

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Re: Bobby Fischer
 

IM is about 2400+
GM is about 2600+ (2500+ international rating)

The highest rating is about 2800-2850 using the international rating system.


Kids ratings are the same as adults, however kids usually tend to be underrated. If an adult and a young player are both rated 1500 and I knew no more information, I'd bet on the young player every time.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

i was a 2000 ("expert") chess player at one point, but if poker had ratings i'd be much lower. in chess there's a definite right move for every situation, in poker that isn't always true.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

What kind of poker game do you primarily play? What obstacles do you have to overcome to get your poker to the level where your chess is?

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Would you be willing to venture to say that a 1700 chess player with good emotional control would be able to beat 3-6 within a month of play and study?

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

I'd be willing to say that about most people with good emotional control and proper training.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

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Did I miss something? Was there a news story or some such about Bobby Fischer taking up poker? Or is this just a random musing?

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

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No he's not taking up poker, but he has been in the news.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapc....ap/index.html

"Fischer...requested a hard-boiled egg, which was refused him, and he grabbed a guard in protest. Several more guards were called in to restrain him, and he hit one of them in the nose, although it was not clear whether he intended to do so or not."

I don't think he could be a poker player. Who gets this mad over a hard boiled egg? Talk about tilt.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Im 1500. Youre overestimating us.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Did I miss something? Was there a news story or some such about Bobby Fischer taking up poker? Or is this just a random musing?

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[/ QUOTE ]

No he's not taking up poker, but he has been in the news.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapc....ap/index.html

"Fischer...requested a hard-boiled egg, which was refused him, and he grabbed a guard in protest. Several more guards were called in to restrain him, and he hit one of them in the nose, although it was not clear whether he intended to do so or not."

I don't think he could be a poker player. Who gets this mad over a hard boiled egg? Talk about tilt.

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He looks like bum:

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WORLD/as...fischer.ap.jpg

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

In Between rounds, and also after the rounds there is quite a bit of poker being played. The games are actually pretty soft. Several of the players seem to know just enough to make them play even worse. However, there are a few people who are very good.
I have noticed some of a pattern between chess style and poker style. I know someone who plays incredibly passively and defensively, who is a complete rock.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

I'm about 1600. I was going to say that it would be hard to figure out how good a poker player one could be based on their USCF/FIDE/Whatever Federation rating, but now that I think of it...the willingness to work hard to improve corrolates strongly in both games, so a player with a fairly high rating would probably be able to translate their determination and study habits to poker pretty well.

At chess tournaments though, I hear people talk about poker all the time...and there's a very high percentage of people who are obviously fish. However, I'd say it's a lot lower than in the general public (probably because chess players are used to learning from books and understand the amount of study that goes into learning a game).

And yes, ratings aren't perfect. If you consistantly play bad enough opposition - so bad that you'd never lose to them - you will slowly creep your rating up, and can get it way higher than it really should be. This normally isn't a huge problem, but the danger is in a closed group of players...such as a prison, where there have been at least one instance of a player running up his rating to 2500 or so by playing other prisoners who couldn't stand a chance against him.

As for kids and adults, they start and always stay on the same exact ratings scale. In the US, the average rated adult (which is of course, a much stronger subset than all adults) is about 1400, the average scholastic player is about 900. Garry Kasparov, the highest rated player in the world, is just over 2800; grandmasters tend to range from about 2500+; International Masters, 2400-2550 or so (any higher, and they've almost always earned their GM title); FIDE Masters about 2200+; experts, 2000-2200; and your average "uncle who is good at chess" but doesn't play in tournaments is probably something like a 600-800 rated player.

Oh, and Fischer was known for being maniacal about winning...if he wanted to be a great poker player, he probably could. He wouldn't tilt at the table; getting him to the table would be the problem. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] After all, he really started to lose it not when he was playing chess, but when he stopped.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Im 1500 based on the opinion of a 2200 player I know...Im an agresive player who takes position over material, I prefer bishops over knights, i like king pawn openings over queen pawns.My goal on chess is to be 2000.
Lets see as a poker player..Im a tight player but once Im in a pot Im a really agressive player, Im a huge fan of pocket pairs and I dont really like Axs( for no-limit), my goal on poker is to be a very strong pro.( a guy that can beat the step5 on party)

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

What caused Bobby to go off the deepend???? Is this what happens when one is hyperintelligent Is Sklansky just one step away from a straightjacket too???

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

The man has been detained, and wrongly in his mind. Why be so hasty judging him for getting angry like that? When he played chess he was always composed while at the chessboard.

Counter examples welcomed.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

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IM is about 2400+
GM is about 2600+ (2500+ international rating)


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You don't earn the GM or IM titles by reaching a certain FIDE rating. You get the title by earning "norms" (I think that's the term) by superior results in tournaments against a high level of competition.

It's very difficult to earn IM or GM norms in the U.S. You almost have to travel to Europe where these kind of tournaments get sponsorship, often from the government.

Since I used to play chess and was President of the Boylston Chess Club in Boston, I know of a lot of casual chess players who have begun to play poker in the last several years.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

Fisher is incredibly intelligent therfore he would excel at poker. Just like Michael Jordan is an incredible athlete and excelled at baseball.

Re: Bobby Fischer
 

I think curtains, of all people on this board, is the best person to ask exactly what is required to be an IM, since he is one.