Re: Why Poker?
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I play because I can't do it very well and I know I ought to be able to and it bugs the hell out of me that I suck so badly so I keep trying. Luckily for me the opposition is even worse than I am. If it weren't for 2+2 I wouldn't have realised I'm not killing the game and would have given it up for boring and easy years ago.
I'm a mathematician. A really good one. People always expect I'll be good at games like chess and bridge, but I suck at them and always have. Any half competent player will destroy me easily, despite my having studied the games for an long time.
Poker is the one game I "should be good at" that I just about hold my own at despite basically sucking, because there just aren't many half-competent players out there.
Guy.
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This speaks to why I don't play poker competatively. If you have played chess competatively, you find out that no matter how much work you put into your game, there are people who can hand your ass to you on a platter. Lots of them. In fact the harder you study, the more you find out just how bad you are.
I don't have any illusions. I know I'm not one of the top .1% most poker capable/high ability players. I don't think many of us are. I think we have stumbled onto a game that most people who could really tear the game in half, don't know about. That's really the only reason we beat the games. Because the best minds in the game just haven't caught on.
If you really enjoyed a challenge, I think chess is a better game. If you want a game that makes you feel like your brilliant even though you might not be, poker is for you.
FWIW stellarwind is a good example of someone who is probably top .1%. I think he has an extensive background in bridge and it's not hard to tell he has a hell of a lot of talent. There are a lot of people like that.
Krishan
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