[DrVanNostrin]

I liked the article a lot.

One assumption they made is that people have a desire to succeed and are willing to spend time and effort to do so. If you play poker with goal of getting good at it and are prepared to work to do so you'll gain what the article claims you will. As with everything, if you do a half assed job and just go through the motions you'll gain nothing.

I suppose they should have noted that mindlessly plopping yourself at a poker table won't do any of the things claimed.

[ QUOTE ]
Television has created a ridiculously inaccurate image of poker. After seeing famous players screaming and trash-talking, viewers naturally assume that such antics are normal. They are utterly mistaken. Television directors show these outbursts for "dramatic value," and a few players act stupidly to get on TV. You will see more outbursts in a half hour of television than in a month in a card room. Please remember that controlled people are often called "poker faced."

[/ QUOTE ]
I really liked this paragraph. It does annoy me how poker players are portrayed as stupid and obnoxous on TV. But if they were portrayed as quiet and nerdy I guess would be that much worse.