How to tell if you are a good player or not

zinzir

zinzir

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We all want to believe that we are smart, good looking, and good poker players, but in reality it's a minority of people who possess each of these individual qualities, let alone the whole package.


For intelligence we have IQ tests, for looks beauty pageants (well, for women only, and then who's discriminated against here, right?), but how can you find out how good of a player you are?


Here is my answer to that question:


If you are mostly surprised by how bad the players who win against you are, you're a bad player.
If you are mainly surprised by how bad the players you win against are, you're a good player.
If you can't tell one way or the other, you are a donk.


PS: Don't feel bad if you found yourself in the donk category. You are still a bad player, but have more fun, and most likely lose less money at the tables than the other bad players who are not donks :)
 
D

DAVID KEHRER

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I think i am a average player there is still a lot to learn
 
Joe

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'Cogito, ergo sum.' René Descartes

'To change your mind and to follow him who sets you right is to be nonetheless the free agent that you were before.' Marcus Aurelius

'Heretics are the only bitter remedy against the entropy of human thought' Yevgeny Zamyatin

'It is a capital mistake to theorise before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgement.' Arthur Conan Doyle

'Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.' George Orwell

~~~~~


I'd put Liv Boeree forward as a 'triple threat'... :D

'Belief' is an interesting concept, similar in some ways to 'opinion' or 'perception'.

As for myself, achieving one out of three would be gratifying, let alone the full set! ;)

If you ask me, everything is a spectrum on a sliding scale and it's always a trade-off...​
 
zinzir

zinzir

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'Cogito, ergo sum.' René Descartes

'To change your mind and to follow him who sets you right is to be nonetheless the free agent that you were before.' Marcus Aurelius

'Heretics are the only bitter remedy against the entropy of human thought' Yevgeny Zamyatin

'It is a capital mistake to theorise before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgement.' Arthur Conan Doyle

'Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.' George Orwell


~~~~~








I'd put Liv Boeree forward as a 'triple threat'... :D

'Belief' is an interesting concept, similar in some ways to 'opinion' or 'perception'.

As for myself, achieving one out of three would be gratifying, let alone the full set! ;)

If you ask me, everything is a spectrum on a sliding scale and it's always a trade-off...​


You had me at hello - Steve Butabi
 
dopustim

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luck is also present in the game.middle-class player
 
vov4ik

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I won’t say that I’m a good player, but I know how to play, understand the situations in the game and I understand well by the combinations that you need to collect and win somewhere in tournaments and cash games and raise a bankroll, but I still need to learn some correct poker actions, it's like correctly raise bets against aggressive players and correctly make fewer mistakes so that even at some points reset AA and make less mistakes!
 
0546474

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You got a cool test in my opinion, which has very little in common with logic))) For me, everything is simpler - I go to the site with statistics and see if the person plays badly or not)))
 
kolyasik77777

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If you stay in the black from time to time, then you are a good player. Money is the real measure of professionalism.
 
EvertonGirl

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I try not to think about it. I would say my game has improved, but I wouldn't say that it makes me a good player.

When I first improved, I started to believe I was a good player, and that hurt my game, I was making tonnes of mistakes, I still make mistakes but nowhere the amount I was making at the start.

Just don't dwell on thinking am I good or bad, and just concentrate more on improving your game. It's the results that matters
 
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texasfoldem

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Here is my answer to that question:


If you are mostly surprised by how bad the players who win against you are, you're a bad player.
If you are mainly surprised by how bad the players you win against are, you're a good player.
If you can't tell one way or the other, you are a donk.

I do not agree with any of your answers. All you have done is made reference to someone's experience level. Anyone who has played more than a few hundred hands should be perfectly aware that bad players can beat you. You can be sitting on the button with AA against some VPIP 70 player who is in BB with K8o. If they end up with a set of 8s and you have just AA then you will lose... and probably a lot especially if you played correctly!


If you are surprised by anything at all then you are almost certainly not experienced. That means you are almost certainly not that good.

EDIT: Just thought I would mention - I think a good player is one that first learns how to play well, and then has financial success by using that knowledge. Experience and perseverance will then do the rest.
 
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albosaltenio

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I think if I had the patience of many good players I would be much better.
And one way to know how good you are is when your opponents tell you how well or badly you play, opponents always tend to recognize or mock your game
 
Maikychan

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Hummmm... I think that if you have a big game count, for a long time, you have a positive chart and making a considerable profit, you can already be considered a good player.
 
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Vlad Nesterenko

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In principle, I agree with your judgment) I do not consider myself a bad player or a good one, but I know that I need to learn and develop without stopping
 
Lena M

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We all want to believe that we are smart, good looking, and good poker players, but in reality it's a minority of people who possess each of these individual qualities, let alone the whole package.


For intelligence we have IQ tests, for looks beauty pageants (well, for women only, and then who's discriminated against here, right?), but how can you find out how good of a player you are?


Here is my answer to that question:


If you are mostly surprised by how bad the players who win against you are, you're a bad player.
If you are mainly surprised by how bad the players you win against are, you're a good player.
If you can't tell one way or the other, you are a donk.


PS: Don't feel bad if you found yourself in the donk category. You are still a bad player, but have more fun, and most likely lose less money at the tables than the other bad players who are not donks :)

I consider myself a beginner player. I do not spend money on the game, on the contrary, I manage to increase my bankroll every month. So, I am a beginner player with good potential. :icon_flow
 
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texasfoldem

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I think also it is important to remember that there are new players who are bad and good too, for their level. If a new player comes in and doesn't really find out how to play (and just wings it!) then they are a bad new player. If a new player studies loads of advice and then applies that in practice then they are a good new player.


I admit that I did wing it (somewhat) to start with, but only to get a feel of the game. Within a short amount of time I recognized players that were playing bad though. They were probably still better (in some way) to me, just purely because of their experience. If those players continue down that path then they will get overtaken though.

I am not good overall because I simply have not played long enough. I did learn to play well though and continue to try to examine my mistakes and learn from them.
 
Dzob

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I think that in poker the matter is simple to determine if someone is a good player or a bad player - all you have to do is check the balance since playing poker - whether it's a plus or minus - whether he is a winning or losing player.
 
Newzooozooo

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Hi.
Overconfidence can lead to losses.
I play poker for fun and my goal is to enjoy the game, so your classification is incorrect.
Good luck.
 
wagon596

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I'm maybe a little above average, I just play way too tight.
 
jesuisjesus

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I think since the rewards for the game is money. I still have a long way to go to Neagreanu, but I have a good start.
 
VivicvrMga

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I am an evolving person. the best I can be the moment I find myself but still a little far from being the best I can be.
 
jordanbillie

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Honestly, you know you're "good" when your results don't pull you around like a puppet on a string. A lot of players are capable of making the correct decision at some point in a tournament or session. The trick is maintaining this faculty of reason, and to avoid tilt/anger/desperation from influencing your "decisions." Once the faculty of reason is lost, forget about being a "good" or "bad" player, you are now irrational.
 
Dailon Arroyo Blandon

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I think that if one is able to generate income month after month ... then you are good at playing poker ... that simple ... beyond if your strategy is good or not ... the results are what determine if you are good or not ...!
 
PHX

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Being a bad poker player is just like being stupid you will never know. From your perspective you would always consider yourself a good player who can improve. In order to find out you can review your results over a large sample size. Or you can ask some knowledgeable poker player for an honest evaluation.
 
jcxmendes

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I get stuck in the donk category but looking to improve with information and study to try to be a good one! it takes time but i will manage









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zinzir

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I think that if one is able to generate income month after month ... then you are good at playing poker ... that simple ... beyond if your strategy is good or not ... the results are what determine if you are good or not ...!


I agree with your statement, but only if we are taking into account freerolls and home games with no rake.

If we consider raked games, than ability to generate income month after month sets the bar too high, as it does not make one a good poker player, it makes him a great player, part of a small elite. That is simply because of how efficient rake is in continuously and mercilessly removing money from the table.

For example, you are player who's skill I consider to be easily in top 5 of all members of Cardschat. But you are not profitable outside of freerolls as per sharkscope, and in my opinion you are still a very good poker player, above what I predict I could ever become myself.
 
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