Take a look at some of the most recent WSOP winners. Not just the Main Event. But all events. The guys who have taken home the big prizes and the huge checks have one thing in common. They’re ridiculously clever.
Poker isn’t a game of luck. Yes, there’s luck involved. But it’s really a game of skill. It’s all about making the right move at the right time. It’s all about outsmarting your opponent by making them think you have something you don’t. It’s all about scooping up large pots by reading your opponents correctly.
So how do you know if you’re good enough to play and win at poker? How do you know if you’re clever enough to be poker’s next big thing? Just look for these traits in yourself and you could make the next big poker news story.
You’re ridiculously good at math
I’m not talking about simple addition and subtraction. Not even regular multiplication. I’m talking about statistics and odds. Poker is a game of odds and anyone who can calculate the odds of hitting a certain card will find themselves on top. Remember, poker is all about playing the hand you’re dealt with only a few known factors. You know what you’ve been dealt. You know the community cards (assuming you’re playing Hold’em or another game with common cards. But you don’t really know anything else. If you can figure out the odds of hitting a card you need based on a few known factors, then you’re definitely clever enough to play poker.
You’re good at reading people
Ever get the feeling that someone is lying to your face? And are your suspicions eventually confirmed? Then you might be clever enough to play poker. A major part of the game is being able to tell what the other guy is thinking and if he’s lying. If you know what to look for in terms of facial patterns, non-verbal language, and voice cues, you might be able to determine if that player is actually holding the pocket Kings he’s claiming.
You’re good at lying
There’s really no other game where you can actually win by having the deck stacked against you. Think about it. In basketball, your chances of walking away with a victory against a talented squad if your team is made up of a bunch of people who never played before is pretty low. But in poker, you can hold a 7,2 off suit (the worst hand in poker) and still win a huge sum of money if you can bluff other players out of the hand by making them think you have something you don’t. This can be accomplished by making certain moves at certain times and never giving away any information through tells.
Of course, this is just a snippet of the type of cleverness you need to succeed at poker. You also need to understand the game. That’s why we recommend practicing at Slots of Vegas. While we don’t offer any player-vs-player poker games, you can test your luck playing free video poker. All it takes is a free casino account, so sign up now.
