rifflemao
Pugs Not Drugs
Silver Level
The word "aptitude" helps me understand your point better. Somehow the word "talent" implies that it's possible to start out with a talent for poker. I think the game is complex enough that even some of the elite players stumbled around for a while at first.
JaxA
Rock Star
Silver Level
This is a good topic. The 10,000 principle is really interesting. I have to agree with OP that you must have a minimum aptitude, hard work will take you far but I don't think you can be a world-class, elite player without some natural attributes. I think the idea goes against what a lot of us are taught that we can do anything we put our minds to. I am a firm believer that you can go far if you work hard, I just don't know if you'll be the best.
DarkRoster33
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Unpopular opinion but with arguments
Hard work can achieve anything, its just if you have any talent it will get you there faster, lets say guy spends 5 years playing poker and gets stuck at some level, if he never improves, he is ignoring on what he needs to work, sometimes its even something else, how good you focus, or what are your social skills, or how you shoot out people psychologicaly or anything else, there is stoping when you are ignoring the fact on what you need to work, but if you are open minded and try to grasp every aspect that could matter, you can work out till the top, its just time it takes for the ones who have talent and the ones who don't
p.s. I believe in reincarnation and if you were a musician previous life, this life it may show as talent which is actually work you done before
Hard work can achieve anything, its just if you have any talent it will get you there faster, lets say guy spends 5 years playing poker and gets stuck at some level, if he never improves, he is ignoring on what he needs to work, sometimes its even something else, how good you focus, or what are your social skills, or how you shoot out people psychologicaly or anything else, there is stoping when you are ignoring the fact on what you need to work, but if you are open minded and try to grasp every aspect that could matter, you can work out till the top, its just time it takes for the ones who have talent and the ones who don't
p.s. I believe in reincarnation and if you were a musician previous life, this life it may show as talent which is actually work you done before
L
locha2013
Rock Star
Silver Level
I think you can't really say if someone have talent or no. In my opinion luck is more suited than talent, especially at poker. You can't have talent and win long period without having much luck. I don't really think that you can win with talent. But with hard work you can achieve your goals long term. Hard work go hand in hand with strict concentration.
doncaster
Rock Star
Silver Level
sometimes no amount of hard work will help.
For example i have been playing golf for 15 years but my skill level , despite playing 3-4 times a week and practising as often as possible,has brought me up to a level of being a good weekend hacker.
Poker I have been playing for 8 year or so and I play too much ( I know !!) but I am still an amateur who has lost more than won $$$$$$$.
It is hard to beat luck,no amount of skill will get you past all the donks and fish out there.
Even hellmuth (the best poker player in the world---according to HIM) never featured well in the wsop 2013 .
For example i have been playing golf for 15 years but my skill level , despite playing 3-4 times a week and practising as often as possible,has brought me up to a level of being a good weekend hacker.
Poker I have been playing for 8 year or so and I play too much ( I know !!) but I am still an amateur who has lost more than won $$$$$$$.
It is hard to beat luck,no amount of skill will get you past all the donks and fish out there.
Even hellmuth (the best poker player in the world---according to HIM) never featured well in the wsop 2013 .