Flashy bikes, pretty girls, late nights, millions of dollars and lots of booze, is that what the word ‘poker player’ bring to your mind. It is that and much more. Much more of skilled effort, hard work and dedication. It is a completely different world and a very complex lifestyle.
We all know that poker is a card game but few of us understand that it is more than just a game and how it defines an individual’s lifestyle. As they say “Poker is a hard way to make an easy living” seems to be 100% correct when you interact.
We all know that poker is a card game but few of us understand that it is more than just a game and how it defines an individual’s lifestyle. As they say “Poker is a hard way to make an easy living” seems to be 100% correct when you interact with any successful poker player. When we say successful poker player it doesn’t mean just any good poker player. There is a big difference in a successful poker player & any good poker player and this is of their lifestyle. This game does not only reward a successful player with money but also with attitude, skills and little bit of arrogance.
So what does it take to be a successful poker player?
One answer is definitely more than knowledge of the game, it takes great amount of technical skills, financial acumen, emotional stability and practice. Other traits which make a successful player are –
Discipline – In poker discipline doesn’t mean doing everything on time, its connected with taking the right decisions in the favour of situation in which you are. That means not getting allured to easy opportunities or chasing losses. You have to be at your best in every point of the game.
Motivation by heart – Poker attracts almost every second person playing card games but it’s not easy to sustain here. You feel like winning and you end up losing everything at the same time which makes this game sometimes harsh but interesting at the same time. To tame this card game you have to be highly motivated at heart and always full of enthusiasm.
Creative Mindset – There is no trick to be a successful player in poker, everyone develops its own way of mastering this game and playing style. You cannot always follow standard rules of the game to expect to win, you have to be experimental and try a mix of poker strategies to outplay your counterpart.
Emotional wizard – Believe it or not, poker tests a player’s emotional quotient in every second of the game. A Player has to not only understand other players’ mindset and betting patterns but also their facial expressions, body language and emotions. You have to be an emotional wizard to understand every player’s actions sitting on the table.
Another question that may come to anyone’s mind is about the lifestyle of a poker player? To be a poker pro you should be totally a poker addict, follow poker events, mostly you have to spend sleepless nights and be a part of this nocturnal fraternity. Being adaptable to losing times as well as winning ways, long breaks, poker tours and stress levels, these are the elements which start defining your lifestyle as you get into this world deeper.
So the poker lifestyle isn’t an easy way of living. It comes with with a lot of travelling and distance from family and loved ones. The Proverb mentioned earlier seems to be the most right one for this game. Poker is just not a mean of winning money, but it’s about living a poker lifestyle.