Those who have more than a passing interest in Poker know that it is only a game of cards on the surface. Scratch just a little deeper and you discover a complex game of position, deception, observation, intuition, aggression, manipulation, psychology and more. The cards on the table mark the beginning and end of each hand, but in between is where the real battles are fought. Like other strategy intensive games, poker can become a contest of wills as much as a game of chance. So, what are the qualities that lead to success in this arena? <READMORE>What traits and behaviors does a successful player need to cultivate in order to improve? How can the challenges I face at the poker table help me in the game of life? This article will attempt to answer some of those questions.

What are the qualities of a successful poker player? Patience, discipline, courage, risk tolerance, generosity, awareness and aggression are among the most important that come to mind.

Patience is the foundation for success at the poker table. We talk about the “long run” all the time but the majority of players never stick around long enough to catch a whiff of the long run. They come, they play, they leave their money on the table. If you find yourself becoming restless after your first ten hands, first ten sessions or first ten months in the game then you need to sit back, relax and learn to enjoy the ride. Doyle Brunson did not carve out his place in poker immortality without patience. It is somewhat more difficult for the online player to understand and appreciate this quality, after all the timeframe of internet play is vastly accelerated compared to live play. I am sure if you ask Scott Fischman or even our own David Huber after a ten hour session 8-tabling sitngos he can tell you the value of patience.

Discipline is most important when it comes to bankroll management. Playing within your bankroll is the only way to grow and improve over time. Even if you are winning at a level outside your bankroll you could be the beneficiary of positive variance and set yourself up for a big fall when the odds catch up to you. Remove all ego attachment from the stakes you play and concentrate on becoming a winning player at that level. Another aspect of the game where discipline plays a huge roll is record keeping. This is an area of the game that is made much easier online through software like Pokertracker and PokerOffice, but don’t let those become a crutch. Pay attention to your own play and that of your opponents. Use the note features to keep track of their play and take notes on your own play during the game and also afterwards.

I am not going to romanticize poker by saying poker players are courageous, but it is true that one of the highest compliments you can give another player is that he is “fearless”. What exactly does this mean? It doesn’t mean that he is reckless, as described above this player most likely possesses the qualities of patience and discipline, and he is not just slinging chips blindly. When it comes down to it playing without fear means that you are playing within your bankroll and you are confident in your abilities so when it comes time to make that big call or that big bluff, or even that big laydown the only factors that come into the picture are the profitability of your decision.

This can in part be attributed to risk tolerance, which is a necessary trait to succeed at the higher levels of this game. Anyone can learn to grind it out at the small stakes, playing mechanical tight aggressive poker, but as you move up in stakes you will find more and more that people are constantly applying pressure when you least expect it and how you respond will determine your success. The only way to develop a healthy level of risk tolerance is to play within your bankroll. If you are playing for the thrill of putting “it all on the line”, that is not what I mean by risk tolerance and that can in fact lead to destructive compulsive behaviors. You do have to have a certain amount of “gamble” in you, though because otherwise you will be passing up too many profitable opportunities because you were afraid to play.

Some may be skeptical when I say generosity is a common trait of successful poker players, and in fact necessary to their success. I don’t mean that these people are giving their money away right and left, although I have seen successful players who are very liberal with their winnings, what I mean is that they are generous with their time and with their knowledge. The Pocketfives community is a prime example of this as we have some VERY successful players who are regular contributors to the site and can often be found giving advice freely on the forums. They do this for a variety of reasons I think, first because someone was probably there for them in a similar capacity when they were getting started and secondly because it helps them improve their own game to be constantly evaluating and reevaluating their play.

Awareness is perhaps the most difficult of these traits to acquire through study and practice. If you don’t begin with the ability to take in as much information as possible from as many different sources as possible it is hard to learn how, but you can certainly improve. When the general public first hear about people playing poker online their first question is inevitably, “But how can you play when you can’t SEE the other player?” Well, like a man deprived of one sense, the online player learns to rely on the other sources of information. The most successful online players are masters of recognizing betting patterns and speeds as well as using the chat box to solicit valuable hints as to other’s play.

Aggression is not often characterized as an admirable trait in daily life, but at the poker table it is the bread and butter of all successful players. Winning pots uncontested by betting unmercifully, coming over the top with resteals, picking up blinds and antes late in the tourney, being unpredictable with bets and raises are all techniques of the aggressive player. I liken a poker player’s ability to be aggressive to ambition in any other line of work. If there is something you want in life, you go out there and get it, you don’t wait for it to come to you.

It may sound like I am describing talents that the best players are born with, but all of these characteristics can be learned through hard work and practice. The pay off of cultivating these skills at the poker table will show in your bottom line but you will also find them contributing to your success away from the tables.

Two books I found very helpful in the writing of this article were The Psychology of Poker by Alan N. Schoonmaker and Inside the Poker Mind by John Feeney.
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