What kind of skill is really needed to succeed at poker ?

I've seen too many successful players from various background (maths or computer guys, psychology, sports, laws, chess, backgammon, games,...) so i think that a common skill (not precisely defined yet) exist among these players but i don't know what is this exactly.

Is this :

- Emotional Intelligence skill ?
- Analytical skill ?
- A strong motivation skill ? (if we can qualify this as a skill)
- A risk aversion skill ?
- A fearless skill ?

A common strait among these players is that most of them have already achieved success in an another domain (School, sports, trading, ..)

A note about trading : After reading Market Wizard - Interview w/ Top Traders (Jack S.), most of them play or have played poker before.

Any ideas are welcome
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It's a combination of things but you don't need them all to succeed. I am lazy, not fearless and not particularly good at the psychology. But I am great at analysis and discipline. Other successful players might be fearless but suck at discipline. The very best players (Ivey, Antonius etc) are good across the board.

As an aside, "risk aversion" is definitely not a trait you want.

- Emotional Intelligence skill ?
- Analytical skill ?
- A strong motivation skill ? (if we can qualify this as a skill)
- A risk aversion skill ?
- A fearless skill ?


I play small stakes MTT and for me, it's just knowing the odds since people bluff less when they do correct raises before any antes. Most players I read are just soft, they will fold to any large flop bet.

I use the odds for every hand. You can read who plays by the books and who are just donks. People will valuebet with their hands and you compare their range with your hand and you can see what odds you have.

Risk aversion, not sure what you mean, as in would you call an all in with a flush draw? I almost never shove so I'm usually on the other end figuring if I have to call or not, I guess this still will go in the analytical category.

Fearless.. I'm definately not, I either raise or fold, with heavy aggression on me, if I have nothing, I'll simply fold even though I could be bluffed.

You need a combination of PATIENCE, EMOTIONAL STABILITY, READING SKILLS, ANALYTICAL INTERPRETATION , KNOWLEDGE OF HAND VALUES , and STAMINA. If you can master all of these ELEMENTS then you'll do GREAT! (Two Thumbs Up) of the felt.

emotional stability, patience, bankroll management, game selection, hand selection, position, math, creativity, deception, perseverance, dedication (on the felt, online, forums, books, magazines, tv), desire to get better even if u r a proven winning player already, etc, etc, etc, etc

Motivation.

Lots of people have competetive background, be it starcraft, sport, chess/backgammon, and so on.

I don't really think it's a skill as much as a personality. People who want to win are more likely to win.

Or go broke.

Also, that bs about being a "feel" player is lol. You have to have a logical mind, beliving in the maths, ranges, and so on, and not luck. Being result oriented is awful.

RoSeeker you just listed my stuff. I have a background in Starcraft, sports, and chess. Not backgammon though, I don't know if I've played it.

Yea having the skill is one thing but working really hard in learning and playing as most efficiently as possible and putting in a high amount of time is more important I think. I like your avatar RoSeeker.

chip reese said that the 2 things required to be a great poker player were the ability to withstand adversity, and adaptability.