Confidence - Page 2

AaronBrown · #11 10-14-2005, 06:10 PM

James Surowiecki in The Wisdom of Crowds has a fascinating discussion of overconfidence. People in general are overconfident and the less the ability, the greater the overconfidence. However, Surowiecki argues that's often a good thing. We need insanely overconfident people to go against the crowd. Most of them crash and burn, of course, but the few who succeed are essential to dynamic change.

Good Poker players have to be objective, about their own ability most of all. That's good for success in many endevours, but it's often the foolish gamblers and people stubborn beyond reason who have the biggest success.

mike4bmp · #12 10-14-2005, 06:19 PM

Greg Raymer

Harv72b · #13 10-15-2005, 01:35 AM

You have to have an ego to succeed at poker. Plain and simple, you have to believe in yourself if you're going to sit down at the tables that these pros do...and if you believe in yourself, or more precisely in your ability as a poker player, this is going to show on the outside. Some are much more pronounced about it, as you pointed out in the OP...others aren't (Dan Harrington comes to mind). But the ego is there, and quite honestly, without it I don't think that any of them would be even close to where they are now.

The same is true of the top few people in any profession.

Now, whether or not they have inflated egos is a matter for debate, as most of them (I won't say all, but one could make a case for it) can back up their high opinions of themselves on the table.

vexvelour · #14 10-15-2005, 10:34 AM

I think that self-confidence and being egotistical are two different things.

I think self-confidence, maybe even a gross amount of it, is required for poker. You must believe in yourself and your abilities to play winning poker.

Egotistical: (from dictionary.com)

1. A conceited, boastful person.

I don't think this is necessary at all in poker and can in fact get in the way of being a winning player.

Just my .02

BlackRain · #15 10-15-2005, 07:09 PM

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Greg Raymer

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I think players like this perhaps have more confidence than the over the top in your face Matasow's. They are undoubtedly very confident in their abilities at the poker table. And if anything, I think people who constantly feel the need to tell the world about their greatness may in fact be revealing their insecurity.

#16 10-19-2005, 02:23 PM

Ivey planning to win 30 bracelets is not an ego thing, more of a goal. And all poker players are confident, at least the good ones, hell I'm average and I'm confident about my play. Tournaments are boring to Ivey because he is used to playing cash games for a lot more than he can make if he wins the tournament (which takes more time anyways).

#17 10-22-2005, 08:26 PM

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Do all great poker players exude confidence?

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Can you be a great player without having an inflated ego?

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You've asked two questions here which are IMO very different. My answers are yes to the first and no to the second.

Great poker players *must* be able to make quick judgement calls for large sums of money with uncertain information, often necessitating aggression even though their cards are weak. Without confidence, this wouldn't be possible.

#18 10-23-2005, 02:43 AM

I think the main issue if trusting your own decisions no matter which style you choose to base them on. If you are full of yourself you are more likely, in my opinion, to trust your own reads. Think about it, if you really think you are the best player in the world and you have even an ounce of doubt in any hand, laying that down takes a huge leap of faith of you thinking its the right call. You have to be one cocky SOB to think that laying down AA to a set of Kings is the right move.

Learning to fold is more important then learning to call.

#19 10-23-2005, 07:24 PM

FYI, "Egotistical" is an adjective.

This might help:
Grammar Rocks!

Escotme · #20 10-24-2005, 06:15 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Greg Raymer

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I think players like this perhaps have more confidence than the over the top in your face Matasow's. They are undoubtedly very confident in their abilities at the poker table.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can only emphasize Leadpipe's post when it comes to Greg Raymer. He has confidence in his abilities - definitely - but about as far from an inflated ego as I've seen. When I met him, it took about 30 minutes of poker talk before he confessed he was the WSOP champion - and this to a direct question from me. I didn't know who he was at the time... And yes, it was awkward. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]