How Many Losing Players Think They're Good Players?

[ipp147]

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How many losing players think they are good players? To what extent can a person decieve themself into thinking they play better than they do?

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For people that play live I think it is huge. They do not keep records and the lack of accountability makes it easy for them to cloud their judgement about how much they have or haven't won. Live it is easy to stay a losing player.

Online I figure people go on little rushes, play above their bankrolls and skill levels and go bust. Then, after a while, they remember the high when they had $x,xxx and resolve to play that way again and cash out. They play the same, make some money and then lose it all. Rinse and repeat.

[ClockWyze]

Buy the book:

"Fooled by randomness"

Losing poker players are fooled into thinking they are winning the same way losing traders are fooled into thinking they are beating the market.

People are blinded by short-term results. Especially in disciplines that have so much luck involved where short-term results are near meaningless.

And of course. The simpler the mind the easier they are 'fooled'

great read. Well worth the 10-12 bucks.

[bernie]

from this very forum...

[RolloRolf]

I started playing poker thinking i would own this game within a year. I started out not knowing anything playing mostly on luck, and boy was i lucky. I ran good and i 'knew' i was a very talented player. Then i started reading and started to grasp just how huge this game really is, still knowing how good I was, i just continued playing with these new skills the books had taught me. Then suddenly a few months ago (when i started reading these very forums) i realized how little money i was making, relativly speaking.

I started getting impatient and tried to win more money fast. I made stabs at higher lvl's and when i failed i tilted blowing away huge chunks of my bankroll. Soon i couldn't even beat the small limits no more (i'm talking .05-.10 cent here people) and i was frustrated.

Then something happened. I started to question the 'fact' that i was a very talented player. I realized that my game had huge leaks and even though i ran good, i was playing poker like a machine doing no thinking what so ever.

Now when i'm playing, i'm playing to improve my game, and remove the leaks i'm aware of. This is no small task and i still tilt whenever i'm running bad and my ego get's hurt.

So from once being a very talented player, i am now a newbie trying to learn how this game is really played. I hope i'll make it.

I don't know yet wether i'm a losing or a winning player.

[toots]

All american men are great lovers, great drivers, and great poker players. Don't believe it? Just ask one.

[SlowStroke]

Don't confuse winning with good, or losing with bad.

Many good players are losing players.

[steamboatin]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't confuse winning with good, or losing with bad.

Many good players are losing players.

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will you translate that for those of us that don't understand?

[JJNJustin]

poker is a riddle wrapped in an enigma.

-j

[schlucky1]

From what I've seen, there seems to be a negative correlation between how much someone learns about poker and how good they think they are. Most of the terrible players who think they are great have read little-to-none about the game.

For myself and a few friends who have actively tried to learn more about the game, it took a fair amount of learning to realize we sucked at poker. When I first started playing, I was f'ing awesome (until I busted my $450 bankroll in one day). Two years, 25+ books, hours reading 2+2 forums (was mostly a lurker until recently), and several $K in winnings and I still don't think I'm very good. My roommate, on the other hand, has also played about 2 years, but read only parts of a few of my books and has busted about 5 times this year. He still thinks he's great. The game is very deceptive, and will continue to deceive most people unless they take steps to learn about it.

[SlowStroke]

Don't confuse winning with good, or losing with bad.

Many good players are losing players.

Many good players who win at limit X insist on playing at limit X+1