Chess and Poker

C

cardmaker

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A lot of chess players become poker players. I include myself in this category. What do you think the immediate translateable advantages are, and what are the potential disadvantages if you think there are any?

I look at it from a strategy versus tactics mindset.
Tactics are individual positions and choosing the best move available.
Strategy is an overall approach regarding equillibrium and advantage.

For example, tactics are discussed when we talk about raising in a position, min betting, continuation bets, double barrelling etc.
Strategy is discussed when we talk about ranges, when we talk about managing your stack size, tight vs loose, and aggression.

There are also similarities in game styles
You can trap people, which is an entirely situational approach, that requires an eye for tactics.
You can weave strong narratives, utilise bluffs and table control, but this works best against loose players, and those with a tendency to overlook tactical advantage.
You can utilise theories like Steinitz developed, which depend upon understanding a draw is a likely outcome if no one makes a mistake, therefor you do not attack until the opponent reveals a weakness, but develop effective defence (maintaining your blinds and overall solid play), once a weakness is revealled you seek to expand upon the advantage it gives to destabilise the player and not let them recouperate. This is purely strategic, but how brilliant you are at it depends on tactics.
You can be an exploit creator, where you challenge solid theorists with unconventional plays, with low risk, high reward... set mining, playing suited connectors, manipulating pot odds, and putting pressure on the opponent to force a mistake or oversight.
Or you can be a hybrid, like Nimzovich, who uses exploit creation in a solid way that adapts to changes in the climate. For example, if flops are following a trend to reveal overcards, flushes, straights, you stop playing pocket pairs, and reduce bet sizes on your made pair or two pair. Yet in climates where it is sedate you try to extract as much from a guy with bottom pair as possible.

In chess you learn useful concepts too, like, the poison pawn.
Where taking a pawn initially looks like a free meal, but works out to actually lose you material because of tactical disadvantage it brings. This is true in poker too... You can lose material, but gain tactical advantage, or gain material but lose tactical advantage. For example, you initiate an all in climate to a three way match where guys want to end it quickly, in order to use a big hand to wipe them out, you might intend to lose the first few bets but gain immense tactical advantage.

Or how to spot the tactical weaknesses of opponents from their betting patterns.

Or how to utilise tension to create mutual pressure on each other and plan out development and protection of material at the same time.


I dunno,
Chess definately warmed me up for poker though, letting me dive in much more head on than I would have otherwise because they are both games of near infinite possibilities and strategy

What do you think of chess and how it applies to poker?
And how much of an advantage do you think it really has?
 
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XXPXXP

XXPXXP

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total different games
chess, complete information
poker, incomplete information

beside, Chess no rake involved, totally skill
poker...humm, because of the rake, it is a negative sum game.

in generally the characteristic of being a good chess player does not related to that of being a good player.
or else why the top chess player in the world not switching to poker tours, that pay is much bigger than won a chess champion ship.
 
Entrik

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Naturally chess much more interesting, and of poker too normiks)
 
Sakolik029

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Although chess backgammon that poker is all game related with strategy in every this game you need to build your hand,but I think that chess is more complicated than the other games listed above
 
bettafold

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one translates well into the other
 
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kTactics

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I play both chess and poker I believe that are totally different games.

The only benefit I see in playing chess is discipline that many chess players have.
 
BigJamo

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Discipline is proberly the best skill to have for both.
Chess and a lot of board games use all the pieces or most there of from the start of the game. Poker and other card games have this "uncomplete" part off the game which brings in a whole different sets of variables.
 
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Well I prefer the poker more chess is better in terms of strategy in my opinion.
 
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Aces2w1n

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thinking two moves ahead.

patience

and using chips as pawns

keeping face while u have a great killer move :)
 
diego farfan

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both games are similar because if you try to analyze and dominate your opponents to determine their weaknesses and thus make the right plays and win
 
Havik

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chess and poker are kind of similar in a way, but also so different. one of the biggest differences I see is the luck factor. If i had to place a bet on pro poker player or a pro chess player verse a unskilled player at either game. I would defiantly take the pro chess player. There is just so much variance in poker.
 
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I disagree with the mindset that these are two different games,both work on the mindset and setting up traps. Really enjoy playing chess to see how many ways I can convince the player I am after one thing well broadsiding them on the other side of the board. Trap in both games are similar and it takes a certain mindset to be able to lay devious traps for the player over time.
In poker its over multiple hands like calling with garbage repeatedly and being caught with it to show up with the nuts when the pot is worth while. Chess is similar in you are making the player believe you are after a set piece or giving up a piece with a alternative goal then what it may seem.
Great for developing this aspect of your play in my opinion.
 
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I think that it would help you to think ahead. What are your out what are your odds. Pros can do that well but a chess player has that built in i would think..
 
makisaa

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They are different games. Both need psycology. Poker needs maths and luck. These mean that chess is a fixed game, you learn it, you learn the moves and you play, and so the most experiensed players can end a game to a draw.
Poker is a more free game and it is different every time you play. It is a numbers game and more exciting.
 
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Patience is the best advantage that you are bringing with you from chess to poker. Both games are as exciting as watching paint dry (which has been stated this way many,many times). And as we all know, the exciting hands are few and far between.
 
John A

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The main thing is that they are strategy games. There's certain strategies that you would play as black, that you would play for example when you're out of position in poker.

But there's a lot of differences. Of course any strategy game at a high level well transfer over some concepts to another strategy game.
 
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9HighLikeABoss

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I'm a chess player with an elo of 1950 which is fairly good for a non pro, but still struggling with the poker :) I do know several chess players that avoid the 9-5 by grinding cash online.
 
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dejan85

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every day play chess and poker interesting games....
 
Vadimka2704

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Chess is the logic.
Poker is a tactic.
 
antonis32123

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total different games
chess, complete information
poker, incomplete information

beside, Chess no rake involved, totally skill
poker...humm, because of the rake, it is a negative sum game.

in generally the characteristic of being a good chess player does not related to that of being a good player.
or else why the top chess player in the world not switching to poker tours, that pay is much bigger than won a chess champion ship.


I agree with some of what cardmaker said about similarities between these two games , but I don't think playing chess prepares you to play good poker or the oppossite , cause poker as XXPXXP says it's a game of incomplete information and thats very important .

When you move your paws you know the outcome of it and can predict the moves of your opponent with a great precission if you're very good , but in poker you have to calculate alot of variants/take into consideration many aspects to make the best decission and influence the decission of your villan.

Luck and variance are a lot more unpredictable in poker than in chess , so in conclussion I would say they are two different games .
 
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Mka69

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any game where it is necessary to think develops intelligence and skill. it is possible to compare, but these are different in sense and the direction of a game.
 
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romanbokel

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the biggest differences I see is the luck factor
 
9peso

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In chess the key is logical thinking, in poker - LUCK
 
Moonchild

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I agree with most of the posts on simularities and differences, accept this one:
In chess the key is logical thinking, in poker - LUCK

If you really think the key in poker in luck, I would advise you to choose another game, where no money is involved, unless you are a millionaire who likes gambling.

For me a big simularity in both chess as poker ... if you want to become a great player, you need to be willing to study, know your weaknesses, every game is a new war, knowing when to be patient and when to be brave, enjoy the game instead of looking at the price.
 
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