{"id":31659,"date":"2022-06-10T17:30:35","date_gmt":"2022-06-10T22:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=31659"},"modified":"2024-01-02T08:21:43","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T14:21:43","slug":"poker-in-dna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/poker-in-dna\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Some People Naturally Good At Poker – Is It Down To DNA?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In the past couple of decades, many people have turned to poker as a career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost limitless potential to make money coupled with the free lifestyle has been one of the main reasons behind this phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, while there are dozens of thousands of people playing poker for a living today, it\u2019s quite clear that a select few have been a lot more successful than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Players who manage to turn the game into a\nprofitable endeavor spend a lot of time learning the ropes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most go through many ups and downs before\nfinally finding their comfort zone, but some seem to skip this whole process\nalmost entirely and go from learning the rules straight to winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This naturally brings up the question of why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is it that makes these players master the game with such ease? Are they somehow naturally predisposed to excel in poker? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is the game somehow a part of their being, and, more importantly, is poker in your DNA?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re a poker fan of any kind, you must\nhave pondered at least once or twice what it would be like to play the game\nprofessionally. Even for the calmest and most rooted of spirits, the idea has\nsome appeal to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, there is always the big question that\ncomes from these thoughts. Do I have what it takes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First and foremost, poker is a game of numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll hear many different opinions on the topic, but the bottom line is that if you don’t understand the math behind the game, you won’t do well in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you always had a knack for numbers,\ngraphs, and percentages? If yes, there is a good chance you could do well in\npoker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the players who you see on TV and who built their bankrolls from scratch enjoy numbers more than most people can fathom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s one thing to understand how percentages work. Reveling in them is a different matter entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve read the last few paragraphs shaking\nyour head, don\u2019t worry: Not all is lost. Being crazy about numbers can be a\ngreat asset for a poker player, but it\u2019s not essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, if you hate math and don’t want to\nbe anywhere near it, poker probably isn\u2019t in your DNA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the things that makes poker a game of skill and strategy is its mathematical aspect. Without it, it would just be another game with cards in which the luckiest person wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another personality trait that could indicate poker might be in your DNA is good instincts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, all of us have instincts, but not everyone\nis as confident about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re someone who has very good instincts and intuition, you probably know it by this point in life. You\u2019ll have been in situations where you relied upon them, and they helped you out of some difficult spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the poker table, good instincts can be truly\ninvaluable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As much as the game is about odds and stats, you\nrarely have the full scope of information to work with. A part of it is\nguesswork. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, math wizards rely on complex GTO calculations<\/a> to figure it out, but good instincts can also be very helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if you’re good at “reading” people,\ni.e., figuring out when someone isn’t honest with you, you\u2019ll find that this\nskill will be of great use, especially in live games, where people often can’t\nhide their emotions or do a very poor job of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, poker has a gambling\nelement to it in the short run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even the best poker players<\/a> have often been in the position where they came close to busting their entire bankroll (or actually did), either due to really bad luck, poor bankroll management, or, usually, a combination of both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when you listen to them talk about it, you\ncan almost hear the excitement in their voice. You don\u2019t get the feeling\nthey\u2019re talking about something unpleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is because people who have poker in their\nDNA have a much higher tolerance for risk and don\u2019t see this aspect of the game\nas tragic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re truly naturally predisposed for the\ngame, you\u2019re going to enjoy every aspect of it in some way \u2013 even the\nnot-so-pleasant parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve probably heard poker players refer to themselves as \u201cdegens” (abbreviation of degenerate gambler, meaning always broke because of gambling). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, you might think, in what world can this word have any positive connotation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer is \u2013 in the poker world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t want to be a \u201cdegen” or reckless,\nbut, at the same time, you kind of do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Playing poker isn’t just about making money.\nIt’s about having fun and experiencing everything it has to offer. The good,\nthe bad, and all that comes in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be reading this and thinking \u2013 that\u2019s\nnot right, there are so many great players who don\u2019t behave like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re absolutely right! <\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t a mandatory personality trait to\nexcel at the game. There are many great players who observe it purely as a\nbusiness and have had consistent results for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These players have usually built their\nbankrolls over long periods of time, and they’re very unlikely to go bust.\nTheir calm, calculated, and systematic approach to the game has served them\nwell over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who made their seven-figure bankrolls in a matter of months are also much likelier to take big risks in the future and bust. Just think about someone like “Isildur1<\/a>.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n He could go through seven figures in a matter\nof hours without blinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when he\u2019d bust, he\u2019d go back to grinding\nlower stakes and rebuilding his roll, just to do it all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t what you\u2019d call \u201cnormal\u201d behavior, but up until recently, poker hasn\u2019t been considered a normal profession, either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the fact that poker is still not that\nwidely accepted, to fall in love with the game, you probably have to think\noutside of the box. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a society established this way, how do you\ncome up with the idea of playing cards and shuffling chips for a living?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happened to good, old-fashioned hard work\nand ambition?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What most people outside of the poker world\ndon\u2019t understand is that playing poker seriously is hard work. It\u2019s not just\nabout learning to play well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard to put your best effort every time\nyou sit down at the table and to repeat it session after session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It seems easy to someone looking from the\noutside, but it\u2019s anything but easy, even if poker is in your DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering all these things, you have to be\nthe kind of person who feels comfortable stepping outside traditional social\nboundaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless you\u2019re very fortunate, your loved ones\nwill be at least mildly shocked by the idea you find poker a viable career\nchoice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes a special kind of a person to resist all the negativity and stand their ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, if poker is something you truly love and enjoy and if you feel naturally good at it, it won\u2019t matter as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s weird, really, but it\u2019s one of those\nthings you\u2019ll probably know after playing in your first cash game or a\ntournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with very limited knowledge about exact\nstrategies, the game will just make sense to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You will feel like you belong at a poker table\ndespite being surrounded by players much more experienced than you having a\nfeeding frenzy on your stack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll know that there is a way to get better\nand return the favor, and you\u2019ll be eager to learn about the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you find poker boring or not too exciting, you might still become a very good player, but you\u2019ll never enjoy it as much as someone who cherishes every moment of it in some way, including mandatory bad beats<\/a> and coolers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Risk Tolerance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Not Caring Too Much About What People Think Of You<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hard Work vs Natural Talent – What Matters Most?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n