What seperates the World Class from the Very Good?

[Mikey]

I sit here and wonder sometimes wonder what is the determining factor that seperates World Class Players from very good players.

I am sure we can think of many World Class Players off the top of our heads but then there are very very good players.
But the truth I would like to be revealed is what is the determining factor or factors that seperate these two players.

Is it a better understanding of the game at hand or is more of a perfect application of theories and concepts consistently coupled in with the fact of additional skills such as intuition or remarkable memories that seperate the two classes?

I am hoping Barry G. can offer some insight to what distinguishes the two classes.

Thanks in advance.

[RPatterson]

I believe Barry already said it is the ability to read hands and remember betting patterns.

[mtdurham]

I also think being able to execute correctly is a major difference. It seems like there are a million people that can tell you how a hand should have been played, and make "reads" after the cards have been flipped, etc....

Surely you know that feeling where you simply call with your overpair on the flop all the while telling yourself "I should raise here"...

[jwvdcw]

consistency. Several of us really good players can play as good as the pros over a small time period(the WSOP for example), but to bring your A+ game day in and day out 365 days a year is what separates them from the rest imo.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
but to bring your A+ game day in and day out 365 days a year is what separates them from the rest imo.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure this is it, just look at Daniel N for example, I'msrmost would agree he is a world class player, but I also think most would agree he didn't bring his A-game to the WSOP Championship.

I think a WCP needs to bring it most of the time and does, but I think its more a matter of how good that A-game is that makes a player World-Class.

[Richard Tanner]

I'm not so sure that bankroll isn't the only difference between them. If you have the funds to play on the world stage, a very good player is then a world-class player. I honestly have a problem believing that there is a skill difference between Howard Lederer, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and (gasp) Phil Hellmuth etc. THey are all excellent players and they all understand math, table image, and reading other players. I don't know that you can determine who is the greatest out of them (please refrain from mentioning the PSI).

Cody

[srblan]

All of the players that you mention are World Class. If you haven't done so already, I would recommend watching Brunson play against Scott Fischman at the WSOP. That truly demonstrates to me the difference between Very Good and World Class. Fischman was completely overmatched, and I believe that he realized it after...

[Doc JS]

[ QUOTE ]
Fischman was completely overmatched, and I believe that he realized it after...

[/ QUOTE ]

His interview after he was eliminated was priceless...He still had that "deer in the headlights" look.

Doc JS

[Richard Tanner]

I agree, and in hindsight I should've prefaced that half of my comment with a topic change, but my point was that at one point Brunson was a world class player playing in rural Texas, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility that only bankroll and exposure serperate the "World Class" players from the "Very Good".

Cody

[Richard Tanner]

And yeah It was great. "I don't know if Doyle outplayed me today?". HAHAHA Doyle didn't play any insturment before he played Fischman like a fiddle.

Cody