What do you consider a good poker player?

[bigt2k4]

if there is someone @ the table I don't want to play with, either because they are better than me or close enough to my skill that I cannot guarantee an advantage, they are good.

[AK87]

The reason you label the top 1% in anything else, besides poker, good at what they do, but not the case with poker, is because you understand the game. This is the same instance with every other thing in the world that requires skill. The more you advance your skills in a particular subject or field, the more confidence you gain and put more scrutiny on "skill" and who is good or bad, because of this. It basically all comes down to ego and perception. Poker is a game that highly skews both and this is why the best players stay profitable and the bad players keep losing. As long as you can keep a level ego and a good self-perception, you will probably succeed in poker. There will always be the fish who think they know what they are doing, but in reality, they don't have the faintest clue. It's all relative. For all we know, no one is actually skilled in the game of poker, but the best players suck less, therefore we profit.

A lot of mixed thoughts and my brain hurts from a hangover. Sorry.

[JSchnett]

obviously anybody who can win the stars 1m is good.

[augie_]

someone who buys in for 20bbs

[creamfillin]

I think it goes in cycles. For instance I'm a drummer. When I first started playing I would see some insane drum solo and figure I would never be able to recreate something like that, well a few months of practicing later, I was coming close to some of the stuff I saw. My personal favorite group of drummers that I thought worthy of my attention grew smaller and smaller as I got "better" and soon only a handful of drummers had my respect. Then I got bored of those dudes and started branching out. Then began realizing drumming wasn't really all about chops and speed but all the subtleties and little things that these guys were doing that I wasn't picking up before. Soon I had a ton more respect for the less flashy guys and started trying to incorporate some of the stuff into my playing. I couldn't do it, realized I wasn't [censored]. Then started to get the hang of it, and then the musical guys weren't the [censored] anymore. Then realized I couldn't do it anywhere near the clarity and feel they were effortlessly doing and realized it took decades of experience to reach that level. Then I stopped looking at things as black/white, good/bad and realized that almost everyone had something to offer, even some novice drummers, and even if you could only extract just a little piece of positive energy or creative genius out of a listening experience, it was worth it.

[NT!]

most people (including me) will call someone a 'good player' in conversation if they are roughly as good as, or better than, the person talking.

[ QUOTE ]
someone who buys in for 20bbs

[/ QUOTE ]

[sheera]

The definition of how 'good' a player is relates to how much money you have to put in before you realize you're beat (obv if ever).

[Orlando Salazar]

Yeah, it's about how well you can assess when you are beat and fold. However, pot stealing and value extraction plays a hudge role. Knowing when you are ahead, even if thinly, then pressing your bets (ie JMan betting "three pair" and inducing a c/r ai).