The 5 talents of winning poker players: Avoid Temptations

There is a lot that goes into becoming a winning poker player, and perhaps just as important as studying and learning the game is a set of natural talents that few players possess, and still fewer can teach themselves to do. Unfortunately these traits are hard to teach, but if you browse this list and find you have an aptitude for most of them than maybe poker is right for you!

Here is a look at five traits that you will find most winning poker players possess:

1. The Ability to Think on your Feet
2. Focus and Awareness of your Surroundings
3. An Innate Intellectual Curiosity
4. Mental Toughness
5. Ability to Avoid Temptations

Over the course of this five-part series I’ll explain why each is important to poker success; next-up will be: Ability to Avoid Temptations.

Ability to Avoid Temptations

As any poker player can tell you, temptations are everywhere in the poker world. Not only are you typically playing in a casino with its bright lights and many lures like craps, blackjack, and slot machines, but as a poker player you are also in these places late at night, when the denizens of the world are out -not that every person in a casino after 1AM is up to no good!

The very best poker players can avoid these temptations; while lesser players often give back some, if not all, of their profits to these many temptations. Whether it’s a leak like the craps pits, or strip clubs and bars, or even unsavory characters or drugs, poker players are often faced with choices that the rest of the population simply doesn’t need to deal with.

For instance, there are very few professions where 24+ hour sessions are normal, but for poker players this is a reality, and the temptation to use illicit drugs, or overdo caffeine or ephedrine, is always there.

It’s also hard to get a home cooked meal at 10PM, 3AM,or some other odd hour, which leads poker players to eat out quite often, an expense that can really add-up very quickly -especially if drinks are involved. From there it’s just a short walk through the casino to get back to the poker tables; which may involve a quick stop at a blackjack table. Basically, the temptations are always there for poker players.

There is also the temptation to fall into the habits of the people around you, which is very dangerous if you are in different financial situations. Things like prop bets and credit card roulette may be fine for some of the game’s greats, but trying to emulate these habits has ruined many a mid-stakes player.