What do you consider a good poker player?

[timex]

Not sure which forum this belongs in, just a question about what you consider a "good poker player".

In general, what do you consider a good poker player? Approximately how many players would you describe as good.

If Antonius asked you if you think a player is good, how good of a player would someone have to be for you to reply yes?

If your closest friend within poker asked you?

If a close friend who doesn't play poker asked you?

If your grand mother asked you?

I'm wondering this for a few reasons. I am wondering if others are as critical of other players as me, I am wondering how your opinions on what "good" is has changed over your time playing poker, as well as how your definition of good changes based on who you are talking to.

But the main reason I ask is because I realize that I am much more critical of poker players than just about anything else. Someone could be in the top 1% of players and I could still consider them terrible, but if someone is in the top 1% of just about anything else, I'd consider them pretty decent. Even other things that I consider myself very good at, I will still tend to give a fair bit of respect to people who aren't that great, poker just seems to be the exception.

Just wondering if other people tend to find the same thing.

[FluffyTiger]

yeah I'm kinda of ditto here. For me, some one has to be a decent favourite in the 2kNL to be considered good. I have no idea why I think this

[DJ Sensei]

a player has to show me something i havent seen before (and understand why they do it) for me to consider him or her 'good'

[Heir_Aparent]

its because 2+2 turns u into an elitist pig

[Heir_Aparent]

w/ respect to poker

but yeah im pretty mcuh the same as the above poster who made the 2k NL comment. and handily beating 30-60+ for limit. this is where the game seems to really take off into multiple different levels of thinking and the edges become smaller yet plentiful.

[Equal]

It's like the martial arts. You work hard to get a black belt, but even though the average person is impressed, all that black belt really means is that you've mastered the basics and now know enough to be able to attempt to learn the advanced techniques.

[MrMorden]

If you asked PA he would probably say there is less than 100 good poker players in the world and less than 10 good omaha players (and most of them which he taught to play).

But in my book good is just that, good, not great or exeptional. I think almost anyone who makes a good living at playing poker deserves to be called a decent player. What separates the good players from the mere decent is consistency, not having many major leaks and having some heart and creativity instead of just being a nit.

[Squareview]

[ QUOTE ]
its because 2+2 turns u into an elitist pig

[/ QUOTE ]

[fnord_too]

I would say a good poker player is one who can profit in different games and different texture games. That is, someone who is rounded enough to make money in all the major games (limit, pl, and nl where appropriate) and can adapt to all sorts of player mixes.

Say good is someone who can do this at the mid level stakes (say, 2/4 NL/PL, 10/20 lim, all on line I know nothin about B&M), great a the higher limits (10/20 NL/PL, 1/2 lim) and probably WC for someone who can do that at the 100/200+ NL/PL, 500k/1k+ Lim.

By my definitions there are not so many good and great players because most players specialize in one or two games, and often even just one or two textures of one specific game. (like say the old part 15 game when that was the big money game out there).

Edit - btw timex, I don't think you said if you think you are good poker player or not. Do you meet your own high standards or are you still aspiring? (I am definitely aspiring, the question is not meant to be hostile).

[Ghazban]

I don't really label players as good or bad. Instead they are just a collection of tendencies and frequencies. The closest I come to "good" or "bad" is whether or not I think they are beating the game they're sitting in and, even then, it's obviously relative. There are people that I'm pretty sure are overall losers that I don't like to play with just because they do things that I have a hard time dealing with. Similarly, there are those who I'm sure beat the games that I'd play 24/7 if I could because I have an easy time making money off them.