[wahooriver]

This is a great thread because the question is so fascinating. My response is similar, yet I hope worthy of consideration.

1. Patience - almost everyone includes this, yet it remains most important. You just have to be willing to fold for periods of time.

2. Reading your opponents - poker is played against others. You will lose if you only play your hand. I (like most 2+2'ers) use Pokertracker - but I prefer concentrating on my opponents at the table I am currently playing. Many players change style over time - I must continue to work to understand why my opponent is betting, or calling. I clearly need to work on this - my biggest fault is calling a turn C/R when I clearly should not.

3. Understanding the odds - the more I read, the more I absorb the odds knowledge. If you read your opponent correctly, then the odds drive your actions.

4. Understanding when to bluff (this applies to pure bluffs and semi-bluffs). This understanding seems to depend on knowing your opponents and position.

5. Valuing position - Position allows you to be creative.

All of these qualities require knowing when you are playing your cards, and when you are playing your opponents.