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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 26, 2007

Become a Poker Genius -- Part Two

What people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can. -- Henry David Thoreau

If you read Part One of the current topic and began putting some of the information to use, you are well on your way to becoming a poker genius. You should have made easy work of the first half dozen of the 24 characteristics Alfred Barrious (also spelled the preferred Barrios, which I will use from this point forward) states geniuses have in common.

If you thought the first six were too esoteric to apply to poker, shame on you. Still, there's hope. The next group of six, again in alphabetical order from the last to the first, should actually look as if they came from some expert's poker primer.

Have patience. Now where have we heard that word before? The poker player who can't tolerate a slow game, can't wait for the right cards at the right time, who gets exasperated by the bad beats put on him by fish that are just swimming by, well, that's just another kind of fish. .Thomas Edison didn't wake up one morning with a light bulb suspended over his head telling him to invent the phonograph. His success came from patiently assessing the problem. In poker, you must wait for the right cards at the right time in the right place, and almost always while suffering fools. Barrios does suggest however that you should be impatient with yourself and expect you can do better.

Be outgoing. While some geniuses have been know to be a tad reclusive, or slightly disoriented, or lacking some emotional stability, they, by and large, have the same foibles you and I possess. In defining outgoing, Barrios notes that the overall effect of an engaging personality is the ability to make valuable friends. This in itself is important for the player because friends reveal more than casual acquaintances and since there are no friends at the poker table, it makes sense to develop and take advantage of the results of this factor.

Exude optimism. If the geniuses of the world had any doubt about reaching their individual goals, the world would be a quiet, dark, slow-paced place to live. The poker player who expects to win does just that. The one who dwells on the negative ends up losing. Always expect the best from your game. Believe you can win. Make that special effort not to over analyze the wrongs. Be happy.

Accumulate knowledge. In reality, life should be viewed as one lesson after another. The more knowledge an individual accumulates, the more inclined toward genius he becomes. People of superior intellect never stop reading, questioning, wondering, searching. You can do the same. If you start today and learn one solid poker concept each day for the next six weeks, you will have improved your game because you will clash head on with one of those concepts during the following six weeks and you will appreciate the reward it brings.

Maintain your individuality. Don't try to copy other poker players. Play your game, the one in your comfort zone or just a slight bit above. Don't try to emulate the high-stakes players who seem to have no care about money unless you don't care about money. Make up your mind as to who you are and be that person. Your bankroll will thank you.

Be imaginative. Ah, now this is a fine thought with which to end this installment. Today's poker player has to be a cut above the automaton who used to grind out a living at the tables. Before everyone learned what a great game they could get, a solid, by-the-book hold'em player could scratch out a decent living at the middle limit poker games around the country. But today, that same player has to look at the game from different angles. He has to visualize various scenarios and see which one fits the moment. Start by dumping all the garbage that's cluttering up your mind and give flight to fantasy. Think about poker the way you might think about the perfect date. If you can imagine scoring that, well, enough said. Don't take that pair of kings to the river just because they were the perfect starting cards in the perfect position.

Before ending, here's one more thought. Alfred Barrios could conceivably be considered a new-age guru but his credentials (Ph.D. UCLA in psychology - 1969) indicate he has some level of expertise in personality evaluation. Perhaps a handful of geniuses might not fit all 24 prerequisites, most will measure up to all. If we as poker players put some effort into improving in each of the areas, I'm willing to be our opponents will feel the sting.