Is poker a talent-driven domain? Is hard work not enough to be the best or at least in the top class?

To answer these questions, we have to think out of the box for one moment. First of all, we have to understand that poker is a game of many skills and not just one. And those skills are not necessarily talents. Sure, some people read others easier based on talent, and I’ll give you a very good example: It has been said by scientists that women have a sort of a “GPS signal” for body language, so they understand it without much effort and subconsciously, and this is motivated by the need to understand the children which do not speak yet, as a mom. Others, that can’t emphasize that much with the person across the table, will resort to other skills to direct them.

There is no such thing as the complete poker player. Some pros lack in the reading department, for example, but compensate with other skills, I’m talking about you, online players! You know who you are!

In all senses, you might have seen a lot of stories, watched even YouTube videos of pros who just started playing and climbed the ranks and limits to be poker millionaires and to take on the best of the best. I can even remember Tom Dwan saying in this video that he started with 50$ and just ran it upwards will leave you a mind-blowing impression that this man had all that’s needed to succeed before even starting out:

What he doesn’t say is the sheer amount of work that it took to get where he is. (I did listen to some other interviews and he did say he had trouble at some limits and he had to move back down a few times before beating them).

Let’s take another example: Jungleman. We’ve all heard about Daniel Cates being one of the best Heads Up No Limit Texas Hold’em players in the world.

Well then, he talks about taking him almost a year to grind his roll in 5$ and 10$ Sit and Go’s up to 3000$. That doesn’t sound like talent to me, that sounds like a slow and steady upwards trend followed by a lot of variance and not that big Chip EV. But he did get a subscription to CardRunners and started playing Heads Up Poker because he saw that there was a lot of money there. And he started improving a lot on his game till the point that he was playing the guys who were making the videos he was watching! But it did take a long time, of course. Why? Because he had to put a lot of work into it and a lot of grinding!

So, the question remains, is talent a major factor in your development as a poker player? Yes and no. Talent and work and dedication might still not be enough versus an extremely hard-working addicted man.

This is especially crucial if you’re playing the micros. Starting off on the right foot is crucial and having someone to guide you through the whole process will save you a lot of time!

We, the team of CrushTheMicros, would like to aid you in that journey, so check our website often for new strategy articles, coaching videos, and watch our 24/7 coaching TV so you can improve your game to your Maximum Potential!

Here’s something to have fun with, if you want more of these check YouTube Channel SrslySirius.