could a gambling addict ever be good at poker?

[Guruman]

I saw an episode of "intervention" on A&E the other day that featured a really badly addicted gambler. He was over $300,000 in debt, jobless, and his parents had sold their home to help him pay his debts. He hid money, drove 3 hourse to play blackjack at a CA casino several times a week, and was clearly on an emotional rollercoaster every time he saw action. Every win was what was supposed to happen, and every loss was some sort of evil conspiracy.

Here's the crazy part - the guy was a certified genius. He taught college biochemistry classes at age 16 with rap at a university and gained national attention for a while. This man obviously has the mental capacity to understand concepts like EV, house odds, etc. Despite his ability to understand these concepts, he would repeatedly bet every cent that he could get anyone to lend him on a -EV game like blackjack! I doubt that he'd ever studied gambling theory though, because in his dreamworld he expect the house to win "once every four or five hands." Holy cow.

So here's the question: if a compulsive gambler were to spend time learning the game of poker, could he ever get over the irrational perspective that he deserves to win enough to actually play the numbers? Would he rationalize raises and re-raises as bluffs by people with lesser hands and call down? Could he control his emotions at the table long enough to not give away his hand?

or, would his compulsiveness cause him to spend countless hours studying his hand and opponents? could his relentless agression eventually work for him in this setting?

any thoughts?