Re: People Who Quit
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Why cant players who read books and go to the forums be at least break even players? I guess I felt sorry for them because it seemed unfair since they put in some effort.
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I've been playing for about a year and still consider myself a novice. Now if you put me in a game where no one has played before I would destroy them. Put me in with pros and I'll get destroyed.
When I first started playing I didn't understand the "play the player not the cards" concept. I thought "how can you win if you don't have the best hand?"
The more I play and learn the more I understand this concept. There's a great book called "Aces and Kings". It's about some of the best players who've ever played the game. It gives great insight into why the top players are the top players. It really has very little to do with the cards.
There's a chapter on Howard Lederer. He lost consistantly for two years and at times was sleeping on a park bench having lost everything.
The more I learn the more I realize how difficult this game is. Most of the greatest players have been playing for years and years, starting when they were very young. They also spent the early part of their poker careers losing.
I don't know how long the people you're referring to have been playing but my guess is not very long.
Poker is a very tough game. I guess it's really like anything else. I consider myself a great bass player and a pretty good songwriter BUT I've been doing it since I was 12. My first songs sucked! It's taken years to become a more accomplished songwriter. Pro baseball players have been playing since they were little kids. Spending most of their lives learning how to be good at what they do.
I think poker is like anything else. To be really good you have to devote yourself to it and be willing to spend a LONG time becoming accomplished at it. Even then, like writing songs or playing baseball there is no guarentee that you'll be great at it. The main reason for doing anything you devote yourself to should be because you love it.
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