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Maryann Guberman has been a writer and editor with many gaming publications, including Sports Form, Card Player, Poker World, Player's Panorama and Systems and Methods. She also has written and edited numerous books on gambling.

May 19, 2007

Become a Poker Genius -- Part One

I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. -- Pablo Picasso

There's no doubt. Some of the older generation of poker players had to have been born with a skill to read cards and people while some of the newcomers (and many of them are of the older generation) have had to learn the skill via tons of practice. The ducks-to-water theory played out with some guys but most wannabes had to opt for the nose-to-the-grindstone approach.

The debate over innate talent versus learned skill might always continue, were it not for information about the individual ability to become a super whiz at the game.

In 1985, Alfred Barrious, who founded a self-programming center in Los Angeles, declared his findings which dispelled the belief that geniuses were born and not made. His studies into the lives of the world's foremost intellects - Edison, Socrates, DaVinci, Einstein - showed that each of these and others of the same caliber had 24 personality characteristics in common. These characteristics were the driving factors that created super thinking, reasoning, and action prowess. Barrious taught that anyone can apply the 24 points, which will assist them in rising to and operating from the starting point of excellence.

In essence, if you haven't been born with the ability to see through the back of a card to an opponent's heart and soul, you can learn the skill. You, in effect, can practice the characteristics of geniuses and become one yourself.

In this article, we'll look at the first six characteristics, paraphrased, of course, in alphabetical order from the bottom because the last one is the one that most poker players will identify with.

Willingness To Take Chances. Everybody makes mistakes. No, backspace that sentence. Anyone who wants to excel will act, and anyone who acts will make mistakes. Those who fear they will fail will never act and therefore, will not excel. The person who won't call a third raise because he is afraid he will lose will never be a good player. Call that raise, even if it's your last chip. Lose the pot and you go home and wait for your next session. Win the pot and you've learned that the risk was worth it. Either way, it's not the end of the world. If you call the raise, knowing you are beat you will lose and you will learn that wanting to keep your opponents honest is not good poker. You won't be afraid to take chances once you realize you can learn from your mistakes.

Versatility. While you may play a decent game of hold'em, you can become a better player if you try other versions of the game. You don't have to serve them to yourself as a regular menu but the more you learn, the more confident you can become. Try some stud, some Omaha, maybe even some horse.

A Sense Of Humor. Granted, some comics, satirists and would-be social commentators exude a sense of humor that preys on people and events. But if you are going to play a decent game of poker you have to be able to laugh away your mistakes, and laugh with those who think something you did was funny. So what if the dolt in Seat 3 laughs at you for your fashion statements, your balding head, or your fold out of turn. If you get offended, he got his anticipated result. Laugh with others and with yourself.

The Power Of Persuasion. Holding a pair of sixes and want to convince your opponents you have a powerhouse? That's subtle persuasion but you should think about developing a table image of a con man. First, always believe in what you are doing, then convince others to believe as well. When you address someone, focus fully on them. Make them feel as if what you are saying is of the utmost importance to you and to them.

Perfection. Don't settle for second best; don't settle for feeble attempts. No matter how good you are, you can always get better. Read, practice, dissect your game and analyze your play. Don't focus on individual hands that might come up once every six months. Instead, look at how you play against a range of opponents and concentrate on how much profit you will make from any particular investment into a pot. Seek to make the big picture perfect so the small pieces will fall into place.

Perceive the World Around You at All Times. Even though you might think the world revolves around poker, it doesn't. A true genius stays awake to the world. He watches the people, observes the activity, and takes care to store it all in his memory bank to use it then and in the future. This is the part of a mindset that keeps geniuses from getting run over by rapid transit, from stepping into open manholes, and from getting blindsided at the table by a beautiful woman with a lot of cleavage. (Think about it.)