"most poker players don't understand what poker really is."

The majority of poker player lack knowledge about essential aspects of the game of poker.

Let me think about this.

I think it's connected to a question i ask a lot, "what is the essence of poker?"

I suspect a good answer is longer than a sentence.

Where can I buy this? Thanks.

Pokerhorse

A lot of people sit at a poker game and say, "How do ifeel about this bet/hand/win/loss." Instead of asking, what were the ev considerations that were relevbant to this plays. Is this connected to your argument?

No, I was trying with my racetrack analogy to basically say that the most important aspects to winning poker trump almost everything that is taught in books, and i believe that Phil Iveys comment was directed that way as well, thats why I reffered to it, although he didnt reference books directly. I hope a light bulb comes on for you , and I mean that respectfully.

Here: play with these for a while : Fear, Confusion, Aggression, Reading People not Hands

Will all due respect to Phil Ivey, players still need something they can actually use to work on and hopefully improve. Broad generalities, without some sort of strategic context, don't accomplish that at all - they're just words.

I think I understand the general idea that pokerhorse refers to.

I appreciate the reasons for his reticence.

Words is all we have.

Really? 'Cause I think he's playing "I know something you don't know." And that's a game I lost interest in when I was nine.

[QUOTE=Gonso;10514696]Will all due respect to Phil Ivey, players still need something they can actually use to work on and hopefully improve. Broad generalities, without some sort of strategic context, don't accomplish that at all - they're just words.[/QUOTE

Thats true .. kinda. Again, the reason for using Ivey is cause you might trust the message a little more. Im not a named player, and I dont want to be,
but once again the most important skills trump all the basic stuff by far.
Its not that the basics arent important but if for example you could read minds, the basics wouldnt matter much right? you would always know what your opponents had and adjust. Obviously no ones reading minds but they are reading people. And some do it at a level that is far beyond normal. Or if you knew how to induce fear in your opponents and cause them to react to you the way you wanted, and you were very good at it,
this would be huge right? Well, obviously there are players who ARE very good at this. They know how to condition your responses. I can go on, but I know you understand,....but you dont realize it . When you REALIZE how important
a handful of skills really are to your poker success above and beyond the ev calcs and equity curves, you will hopefully remember this thread. The beauty is you dont need to have all of them, just one. Look at the top players and
you will see their major strengths. None of them have to do with the stuff in any book ive seen. If you think this is fantasy of some sort well,.. I tried.

And no Phydux Im not playing a game its that most wont really get whats most important..... just like the racing form . How else could a Dolt like Phil Hellmuth be such a long term successful tourney player. He has one thing he does very well, and it aint calculating equity.

pokerhorse should look at books by Paul Ekman

Or Werner Erhard. Or maybe L. Ron Hubbard.

I forget where I read this, but Howard Lederer stated that he stopped talking to Helmuth at the table while playing a hand because Helmuth based his decisions on whether a player was weak or strong, in part, on accurate tone of voice assesment.

These DVDs were in the PokerStars VIP store but are not now. Are they out of stock or gone forever?

i think just out of stock...i think someone posted about it earlier...it may have been pokermike

LOL

All it is is that successful players are playing "You".
But if I said that simple sentence without a point of reference, I dont think it would have
the same impact.(im thinkin it still doesnt)
But the skill sets under this category are the most important, and if one doesnt become proficient at one of these, most likely not goin to be long term winner in the game. They trump all the other knowledge by a longshot. good luck guys, lol