Question for David and fellow poker fans

[FineVol]

What is the most important skill in being a good poker player. If I miss an important key add your own.

1.Card reading ability
2.Starting hands
3.odds/math
4.dicipline
5.reading tells
6.being able to change gears in different games
7.Reading studying books 2plue2
8.knowing positional importance
9.bluffing proper
10.experience

I know a great player has all these but if you had to rate them what would your list look like?

[Prodigy54321]

1 Reading studying books 2plue2
2 odds/math
3 Card reading ability
4 dicipline
5 being able to change gears in different games
6 experience
7 knowing positional importance
8 Starting hands
9 bluffing proper
10 reading tells

[emerson]

[ QUOTE ]
What is the most important skill in being a good poker player. If I miss an important key add your own.

1.Card reading ability
2.Starting hands
3.odds/math
4.dicipline
5.reading tells
6.being able to change gears in different games
7.Reading studying books 2plue2
8.knowing positional importance
9.bluffing proper
10.experience

I know a great player has all these but if you had to rate them what would your list look like?

[/ QUOTE ]

From what I've read, you don't even list the most important thing: game selection.

[FineVol]

Great point

[eviljeff]

I don't think you're going to get any great responses here because a lot of these overlap

[PokerXanadu]

Underlying all of these is objective observation. If you can practice and improve this skill, you will improve across the board:

1. Card reading - better observation of your opponents betting patterns, etc. will lead to better card reading.

2. Starting hands - observe which starting hands pay off for you against which type of players and which games. Observe what your opponents are starting with to match up against your hand selection.

3. Odds/math - observe which players are applying correct math and which aren't. For example, can you get your opponent off their draw (flush, straight) with a bet which makes them pay more than the draw is worth? If not, you are wasting your money in the long run - better to value bet, hoping they don't draw out.

4. Discipline - observe your own signs of tilt and such, and adjust your play accordingly.

5. Reading tells - obviously the better your observation skills the more tells you will spot.

6. Changing gears - observe which opponents are thrown off by this and which aren't. Who is going to pay you off or fold if you play the hand differently than usual?

7. Books - use your observation skills to test the theories in the books. See which principles work at real games.

8. Position - observe which players use position properly and which don't. Which ones respect your position bets and which don't.

9. Bluffing - identify the players who can't put you on a bluff.

10. Experience - we all learn by experience. But the more you can observe about each situation the more useful information you will garner.

Some good exercises for improving your observational skills:

1. Take any object and look at it. Try to see it exactly as it is, without preconceived notions. See what it looks like in different light, different distances, etc. Note the details. Close your eyes and try to picture it exactly, then open your eyes and compare.

2. Go to a mall and watch people. Look at their mannerisms, their eyes, their gait, emotions expressions, etc. Try to find similarities and differences among them. Listen to conversations and try to detect emotions and attitudes.

3. Take nature walks and observe what you see. Don't spend time talking to a buddy, but rather look at your surroundings, listen to the sounds, etc. Try to see as much as you can.

4. At poker games, spend more time observing your opponents than looking at the cards.

[Piers]

Most of what you give are techy things you need to know about, however…

What’s really important is focusing on getting the money, and not letting conflicting desires distract you.

[ALawPoker]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think you're going to get any great responses here because a lot of these overlap

[/ QUOTE ]

Not only that, but it's different from player to player. For example, if someone mostly knows most of the major concepts covered by books, reading them isn't nearly as critical for him. You can be a great player without ever reading books. It just means you think about the game in different terms.

If you're a very bad people reader, you do yourself better by mastering the analytical side of the game. Etc.

Being a good/great poker player requires you to see some sort of "path" to where you want to be. So I guess you could say that understanding your self is the ultimate skill to being a good poker player.

[FineVol]

I think one of the most underated skills is the ability to be honest about your own game. Just because you are mad you got poped on the river does not always mean you did not make a mistake.

[alphatmw]

[ QUOTE ]
1. Take any object and look at it. Try to see it exactly as it is, without preconceived notions. See what it looks like in different light, different distances, etc. Note the details. Close your eyes and try to picture it exactly, then open your eyes and compare.

2. Go to a mall and watch people. Look at their mannerisms, their eyes, their gait, emotions expressions, etc. Try to find similarities and differences among them. Listen to conversations and try to detect emotions and attitudes.

3. Take nature walks and observe what you see. Don't spend time talking to a buddy, but rather look at your surroundings, listen to the sounds, etc. Try to see as much as you can.

4. At poker games, spend more time observing your opponents than looking at the cards.

[/ QUOTE ]can you paaaaint with all the colors of the wiiiiiind