Good vs Great Poker Players

Shells

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If you have played poker long enough, you will see a wide range of poker styles. And occasionally you can pick out players who play exceptional poker regularly.

In your opinion, what separates a good poker player from a great poker player?
 
Marshmalo1994

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If you have played poker long enough, you will see a wide range of poker styles. And occasionally you can pick out players who play exceptional poker regularly.

In your opinion, what separates a good poker player from a great poker player?
It always amaze me the skill of a good reading. Not just an ocassional one, but there are players that has a lot of great hands, making great hero calls or amazing folds.
I really like PapoMc, he had a great hand A3vsA5 on the main event this year, that unfortunately ends with a bad beat.
 
Luvepoker

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The ability to adjust to different player and different situations. Can be super nit vs one player, a TAG vs the next player, a LAG s the following player and a maniac against another all at the same table in the same game.
 
jcxmendes

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The difference is that one from the other is the winning consistency!
 
ninocabral

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I think a good poker player plays with good hands, knows well the ranges of hands he will play, a great poker player knows when to put pressure on his opponents, plays with different ranges of hands depending on the moment of the game and makes good reads the opponent's game
 
Ogma

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I think the best word to describe what separates the thousands of good players from the few great players is dynamism.

To break that down from its metaphysical definition, the ability to go from attack mode to defensive mode in a split second and vice versa. And the ability to be creative and be confident to express new ideas.

All players should have a foundation of patience and discipline.
 
Rost

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If you have played poker long enough, you will see a wide range of poker styles. And occasionally you can pick out players who play exceptional poker regularly.

In your opinion, what separates a good poker player from a great poker player?
I think a good player is someone who plays for the sake of winning, for the sake of results, for the sake of a good game. And a great player is someone who until recently was good, but once or several times he was very lucky, and since then he can be considered great :)
I just think that after a good player, the next level is a great player, but unfortunately, only a few in a million are so lucky.
 
Tero

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The ability to make good, sound decisions day after day instead of letting emotions (good or bad) coming in the way.
 
Propane Goat

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Very solid understanding of the math involved: pot odds, ICM, etc.. I think it's possible to get decent results "playing from the gut," but going to the next level without a thorough understanding of the math isn't possible. A lot of recreational players who are just in it for the fun won't put in the work to study outside the game.
 
Flyer35

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I think a good player is someone who plays for the sake of winning, for the sake of results, for the sake of a good game. And a great player is someone who until recently was good, but once or several times he was very lucky, and since then he can be considered great :)
I just think that after a good player, the next level is a great player, but unfortunately, only a few in a million are so lucky.
I know. My most profitable hands are the 'lucky' ones, when unbeknownst to me I'm not favoured to win. Although in my case that just advances me from mediocre to fair (at least in my mind) for a moment or two. :) :)
 
black and

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Good players play a good game, great players are different in their scale, they play a great game :)
 
CheezeWiz

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That is a good question, Shells! or should I say, GREAT QUESTION...lol

I guess in my mind there is a Huge Difference between a Good Player and a Great Player. I feel like there are a lot of good poker players but very few great poker players. I would say that in order to be considered great, you would have to be profitable at all levels of play, and continue to move up in stakes and be profitable. Once your poker profits permit you to play in tournaments with four or five figure buy-ins, and you are still profitable, then you may want to submit your name for consideration by the GPC (Great Player Committee). LOL!
 
john_entony

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If you have played poker long enough, you will see a wide range of poker styles. And occasionally you can pick out players who play exceptional poker regularly.

In your opinion, what separates a good poker player from a great poker player?
I believe that great players are not emotionally affected, that is, they will never raise or all-in with a weak hand on emotion. Great players change their style during the game. Great players also value every chip in their stack. :unsure:

Good players are most of us. We are indeed good players, but we all have weaknesses. I know my weaknesses and I have improved my game in the last year more than I did in the previous 15 years. And it's all thanks to CardsChat! ;)
 
Dejana

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The main difference between good and great/excellent - great ones have an incredible ability to change their game plan during the game, almost imperceptible...+ I would stay with old sayings that good poker players play the game, but great ones play the other players at the table... ;)
 
Sulfuros001

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What Separates a Good Poker Player from a Great Poker Player

1/ Skill Consistency: Good players have flashes of brilliance; great players consistently perform at a high level.

2/ Adaptability: Good players stick to their game plan; great players adjust seamlessly to opponents and changing conditions.

3/ Emotional Control: Good players manage emotions; great players maintain composure under pressure.

4/ Reading Opponents: Good players understand strategy; great players read opponents' tendencies effectively.

5/ Risk Management: Good players weigh risks; great players optimize risk versus reward.

6/ Continuous Learning: Good players improve steadily; great players stay ahead with ongoing learning.

7/ Bankroll Management: Good players play responsibly; great players manage their bankroll wisely.

8/ Long-Term Focus: Good players aim for short-term gains; great players prioritize long-term profitability.
 
pentazepam

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To stir things up with a little controversial statement:

The difference between good players and great players is pretty small in a game with a rake and an element of luck.

That's why I always preach (not that I think people will ever listen) that you want to find VERY BAD players and spend all the time playing against them in cash games.

Table and player selection is crucial for a big win rate.

If your goal is to earn the most amount of money that is.

If you want to play for fun or earn a little extra money or the glory and excitement that comes with winning a big MTT - nothing wrong with that. Every percentage you are better than your opponents in any particular skill or talent matters of course - but not as much as most people think. Especially not in the short term.
 
Shells

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To stir things up with a little controversial statement:

The difference between good players and great players is pretty small in a game with a rake and an element of luck.

That's why I always preach (not that I think people will ever listen) that you want to find VERY BAD players and spend all the time playing against them in cash games.

Table and player selection is crucial for a big win rate.

If your goal is to earn the most amount of money that is.

If you want to play for fun or earn a little extra money or the glory and excitement that comes with winning a big MTT - nothing wrong with that. Every percentage you are better than your opponents in any particular skill or talent matters of course - but not as much as most people think. Especially not in the short term.
I like this! Definitely more food for thought!
 
CRStals

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A good poker player understands the math, the odds, and the bet sizing for the situation

A great poker player knows all of that but can read an opponent and pick up on anything that will give away the hand strength and take that into consideration when acting next.
 
Igor G

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Good players are players who play consistently and have consistently good results and consistently good income. Great players are players who have consistently good results, consistently good income, but due to a few particularly big wins have significantly increased their status and can be considered professional champions.
 
A kiravio

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In my opinion, good players are the result of many hours of study and practice, they choose their hands and opponents carefully, they try to take as few risks as possible knowing the math game and always lose just because of the unexpected variation.
Great players are those players who know everything those good players know but take advantage of their strictness always creating scenes in their favor, they are very adaptable, intuitive, and very fake sometimes playing with the opponent's mind.
 
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There are many things that can separate the two types of poker players. The thinking, the game strategy, the calmness when you have a strong card.
 
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