Video Games and Residual Talents?

[Blzdwrath]

I'm pretty new to the poker scene. Having just bought SSHE and signing up here at the 2+2 forums, I still have a lot to learn. Before I decided to give poker a shot however I was a very dedicated gamer. My main game of choice was Starcraft: Broodwar which I still ocassionaly enjoy from time to time. I never went pro just b/c I wasn't willing to make a video game my life (it didn't pay well enough). Before I left the scene a lot of the pro-gamers were leaving broodwars to enter the poker scene. I also thought this was a good idea considering the time I would spend on my computer each day (6+ hours) could be spent towards something that would provide more monetary returns. I stumbled on this article recently that has updated the status of those pro-gamers who have left broodwars to pick up poker. From what I hear, they have applied a lot of the skills required to play high end competitive games to none other than poker. I don't know if you guys are familiar with the pro-gaming scene or broodwars, but I would like to hear some opinions on this.
http://www.gosugamers.net/nyheter.php?i=n&id=2131

[jtr]

I don't know a lot about the video game in question, but my guess would be that none of the specific skills involved in that game would transfer to poker. Maybe something of the skilful gamer's mindset would be useful in poker, but I am guessing it's simpler than that. Basic qualities like intelligence and determination probably lead to a person doing well in both areas.

[jojobinks]

i'm a broodwar guy too. kinda consumed my life for a couple of years there.

that article does NOT say how those guys have done in poker. it says how they did in a single NLHE tournament against other gamers. too bad, i was kind of interested.

[Jason B]

I have played poker for close to 10 years now and my game has really come along over the last 5 years. I play almost exclusively Pot-Limit when I play on-line and 10/20 when I play live poker. My biggest tournament win to date is 8th place in a WPT event back in 2003.

I was/am a HUGE gamer starting with EQ several years ago. My so-called talent came from reading every book on the market and good old fashioned experience. I have learned nothing from my gaming experience that I apply to my poker game. I take poker very serious and I play for money (altho a small amount). I play video games to relax and have fun, nothing more.

I am sure there are gamers out there who have applied something from their gaming experience to poker, I am just not sure what it is.

[NMcNasty]

I've played quite a bit of starcraft (aka NewbieMcNasty) but turned to poker. Poker isn't quite as fun or addicting as starcraft, but it certainly pays. You don't have to be a top player or even a good player to win money at poker, you just have to be better than the people you are playing against, and you have to have the discipline to play at stakes where its very unlikely that you will go broke. Its not like starcraft where only the top .01% get paid. Its a lot easier to win money at poker, maybe even 100 times easier.

[gulebjorn]

a)i've just emptied a bottle of wine and
b)i never played broodwar, just Starcraft
but i'll give this a shot anyway

so

1) both games are about incomplete information. If you know what the other guy is up to, you pretty much have him beat.

2) don't let them expand without a fight, which translates nicely to giving free cards...

3) keep the pressure on. this applies to pretty much any aspect of both games

4) know and be able to apply all kinds of strategy, be able to recognize what kind of game your opponent is playing, and know how to counter it

5) terran = rock? :-)

i'm sure there are much more analogies to be found...

good luck

[Blzdwrath]

McNasty I remember you [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img], nice to see a fellow BroodWar player on these forums. I like some of the comparisons bear gave.

However as for comparing everquest which is a "mass multiplayer online role-playing game" to starcraft (real time strategy) is like comparing apples to oranges. In broodwars to become a top tier player or even a decent player, one has to become very disciplined. What I learned quickly through competitive gaming is taking responsibility for my results. Just like some poker players will never become better than what they are b/c they blame their poor results on bad beats or the poor play of other players. Breaking down my game and squeezing out a better technique became a daily practice (after all, you're never "good enough").

Like Bear said broodwars is a game of incomplete information, and is based a lot on reading an opponent. The ability to "read" your opponent and adjust your strategy accordingly usually means the difference between winning and losing. Multi-tasking (multi-tabling?) is a MUST for any kind of competitive real time strategy based game. Before I quit I was registering 150 APM (APM = Actions Per Minute), giving very little room for error and forcing a player to make sound strategic decisions on the spot.

In the article I provided it DOES say how these players are doing, but in a general way -- ""These guys are already champions in their fields, and what's interesting to us is that they are able to transfer these skills - focus, speed of thought, competitiveness, coolness under pressure - to the poker table. They are pretty awesome poker players..." says Conrad Brunner, clearly really amazed what the progaming scene brought to the poker scene."

I have yet to get an in-depth look at poker the same way I have at BroodWars, but I'm hoping that some of my acquired talents will transfer. I'd like to hear from some more gamers on this issue, I find this interesting just b/c gaming has been such a large part of my life for the past 4 years.

[Wally Weeks]

[ QUOTE ]
Poker isn't quite as fun or addicting as starcraft, but it certainly pays.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. Starcraft/Broodwar can be a very fun game. So was Diablo. In fact, these Blizzard games were the last games that I was really playing quite a bit. There's something to be said about military-like strategy games that can be really fun (i.e. out flanking the enemy army, etc.).

Regards,
Wally

[pzhon]

I believe many skills transfer to poker.

[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Actions Per Minute <-> Multitabling. It's easy to beat two $2-$4 games at the same time, but you make a lot more if you are beating 8 $2-$4 tables. If you can maintain reads on the most important players on multiple tables, that's even better. It's easier for a gamer to make a significant amount of money at low limits. That allows a gamer to turn pro with a reasonable wage rate at a lower level than most poker players.

[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Handling probabalistic feedback. Against an opponent close to your level, you can't win all of the time. You have to distinguish between a strategy that wins 75% of the time from one that wins 70% of the time. In poker, you have to be able to accept that you made the right play even if it cost you some bets that time.

[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Attention to detail. In both games, some situations are worth studying because they arise so frequently, like build orders or preflop play. Other situations are worth studying because they are very important when they arise, such as figuring out the counters to unbalanced combinations of forces, or figuring out when to fold an overpair in NL. These are things you don't want to figure out on the fly. You prepare ahead of time and then execute your plan when the situation arises.

[Hold'me]

Blzdwrath what was your broodwar nickname? I used to be consumed by the game as well but gave it up for poker and real life. I don't think having a background in BW gives anyone a significant advantage when it comes to cards. Also, you mentioned being a SC pro doesn't pay enough, the top gamers (a la Boxer, iloveoov, Nada) are making craploads of cash. Though devoting 10+ hours a day on a computer can be pretty brutal to one's health.