patience and reading the game are the most important skills when playing because with patience you can focus more on the game table and wait for a good opportunity to double up on chips and not make mistakes by playing in a hurry.
Reading is the most important help to read your opponents and their style of play and thus it will be easier for you to know what types of hands they can carry, but the most important thing about reading the game is to know if you are winning a hand or the you are losing.
They say that the best poker players are the ones who make the best fold in a playing hand.