Poker is without a doubt a game of skill and to get good at poker you need to develop a very unique set of skills. This is the reason we see some players succeed at the highest levels while other players never graduate from the micro stakes.

What skills are required to succeed at poker?

  • Make Decisions with incomplete information.
  • Understand Basic Poker Math.
  • Understand Psychological Conditioning.
  • Successful Poker players develop a Strategy.
  • Successful poker players are constantly analysing there game.

Make Decisions with incomplete information

Poker is a game of incomplete information. Some variations of poker like stud and hold’em provide you with more information then five card draw. Experienced or skilled players will be able to take this limited set of information and be able to respond to it in such a way that they maximise their expected value.

Understand Basic Poker Math

Winning players know the basic poker math they have spent time learning how to do the following:

  • Calculate Pot Odds
  • Calculate your Hand Equity
  • Determine Opponents Hand Range
  • Evaluate your hand equity against your opponents hand range

Understand Psychological Conditioning

The best players understand and actively employ techniques that allow them to play there “A” game. The most common skill successful poker players learn is tilt control. Variance is just part of the game, good players have coping strategies that allow them to make positive expected value decisions even during draw downs.

Successful Poker players develop a Strategy

Most successful players have taken the time to develop a strategy that works for them. By having a basic strategy players can then evaluate different methods of play with statistical significance.

My Basic Poker Strategy

Pre-Flop

  • What position am I in?
  • How many players are in the pot?
  • how many players are left to act?
  • What is my M?
  • What is my opponents M?

M=Stack size / (Big Blind + Small Blind +Antes)

  • What equity does my hand have against opponents range.
  • Bet/Check/Fold/Raise

Post Flop

  • Calculate Pot odds
  • Calculate Outs
  • Factor in fold equity and psychological aspects
  • Bet/Check/Fold/Raise

Post game

  • Review game play as a whole.
  • Calculate expected value for any hands that were borderline.
  • Use an ICM calculator and do a hand by hand review.

Successful poker players are constantly analysing there game

Successful online poker players use tracking tools take quizzes and seek help from more experienced players. They read books and subscribe to training sites as they realise poker is a game of skill. Would people go to these links if poker were not a skill? I think not. Poker is also very similar to trading, most people do not question if trading is a skill though. You can read some similarities between poker and trading.