What makes a good player? Part 3

     When players of any other sport are judged on how well they play, the different aspects of the game are evaluated. I think the best way to figure out the 'secret' of the game of poker is to break it down into it's parts. So what are the parts of poker. We know what the rules are depending on the game. Using NL Hold'em, dealt 2 cards...bet...flop...bet...turn..bet...river...bet. What is so hard about that? Why is there so much variation between players?  There must be a difference between the variables and variations that occur with the cards, or with the betting and the decisions to be made by the player. The same cards are dealt to everyone in random sequence.  Sooner or later if players are in long enough, they will get dealt pocket aces, pocket 27 off suit or J8 suited.  Everyone in a tournament starts with the same amount of chips. Then the only real variation between the players is in the decisions.  So by this, it must mean that the 'secret' must lie within the decisions.
      There are players that say the 'secret' of poker is in knowing the odds. They can rattle off hand odds mid-game like they were born with a deck of cards feeding them through their umbilical cord. There is safety in the numbers. Follow every hand methodically and no tough decision must be made. It becomes easy. Lose a hand, blame the numbers, win a hand, it is all due to the mastery of the numbers. So, we ask the question, is this what make a good player?  Mike Caro has studied the odds numbers for what seems like centuries.  And if Mr. Caro is right about his odds, and, if odds are the 'secret' factor, then it would only make sense that a player reaching the WSOP final table one year, due to the number of entrants, should not be able to do it repeatedly in his/her lifetime. (More than 5000 players, only 10 seats at the final table.)  By the odds, certain hands should win and certain hands should lose.  Over many thousands of hands played, even if there is some luck, the odds will eventually play out and some random player should be the 'lucky' one to be sitting in the proper seat.  Since we know, that players do go very deep in successive years and some have reached the final table several times, either the odds are wrong, or they are not the 'secret'.
      Pre-flop hand selection.  I sat a table last week and listened to a player harping on every other player at the table. He was criticizing any player that didn't play the hands he felt they should play. His comments were, “You will never win that way”, “How do you expect to beat me with rags like those” and other similar comments. While it is true that playing ATC (any two cards) can make it difficult for a player to win consistently, I would have a hard time saying that playing only the best cards the 'secret' of poker.  I know many players that will only play the best starting hands and yet, have a great difficulty winning.  I can hear them saying, “My aces were beaten again.”  Gus Hanson is famous for playing ATC. Many consider him very good. The funny thing about that game last week, the player that was criticizing the starting hands of every other player, I took out with 45 suited.  I don't think he approved of my starting hand choice.  I don't know...I ignored the chat box.  Starting hands are not the 'secret'.
      I tried, I really did try to get the secret into this one...next one...I will get it in.

http://www.glossforum.com/2009/04/06/what-makes-a-good-player-part-4/page1/