chess or poker

[punter11235]

[ QUOTE ]
To become a real chess player you need a good teacher (GM if possible) and you must have certain abilities: You must be able to play blindfold, you must be a fast thinker, you must have an excellent memory, you must have a love for the game and last but not least, you must have the killer insinct.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm from what I remember Fisher couldnt play blindfold and always had pocket chess-set with him but basically I agree with you.
The real diffrence between chess and poker is amount of knowledge in chess (not only opening theory but general strategical/tactical theory). Its exceptionally hard to become good chess player because you have to study for hours to understand things people discovered for 100 years or sth. In poker the situation is that nobody really knows anything about correct strategy . Some people get some things right, some were lucky to have some things right in their natural style and they crush the game. Poker now is like chess were 120 years ago.. Brave players with great heart for fighting and that little "grasp" demolished the opposition just like the best poker players do today.
Its qutie possible that if poker continues to be as popular as today many theoretical minds will take on it and then we will know how difficult a game it really is.