i think one of the natural abilities you have to have is being able to take risks. that does not mean having bad bankroll management etc, but it does mean that you have to be able to pull the trigger late in a tournament. 
 

Yep….I can’t agree more here. I find this line more or less separates the great from the good.

i had a super indepth response to this all typed out but im on my gf's stupid mac and i hit a normal combo of buttons for a pc and it caused the browser to go back and i lost it all.. so if my articulation is lacking now its cuz im lazy after losing the 15min…ROFL

Donskey said:

I suppose some aspects of poker are just not quantifiable

But how do you gauge table dynamics, instinct, or just a plain feeling on the hand you have or the range or hand your opponent has? Can that be taught?

I've noticed that the more I play, the more vids I watch, the more I watch the good and great players, that I'm getting better and better at picking off bluffs and bluffing and overbetting when it's warranted etc.

Is that teachable? Or does it come with playing, watching and implementing and then learning from the experiences of what is working and what isn't?

Don what you speaking of, and directly mentioned, i classify as INSTINCTS.  These are skills, often happening subconsciously, that lead to that mystical concept of “feel” that many of the greats often talk about. Can these be learned and developed, surely. However, the depth and breadth of these skills seem to be governed by the level of awareness and perception people use when learning them and subsequently the level of awarness and perception they consciously exert each playing session.

For those who do not agree i offer a small example. Remember when you began playing and couldnt fathom being able to know what someones realtive hand strength was without a flop or turn? …. how on earth could i do that???, you thought.

Now compare that to what you now understand and what happens when you see a guy raise in a loose game UTG 3x with 8 runners?  * * * ding ding ding * * * ALARM BELLS

I wholly believed these can be learned and developed but it can take a lot of experience, effort, and determination to do so. And as with the above example, with continual experience, they become innate like breathing and subconsciously you know somthing is off, even without knowing why at first.

bennymacca said:

Phil Galfond:

“I've narrowed predictors of poker skill down to three major categories:
Deductive Logic
Psychology, social adeptness, understanding how people think and how they are affected by things (considerate people)
Math / Statistics
Those are in order of importance, in my opinion. Yes, math is last (a distant last actually, though still clearly makes the list).

There are also three minor categories, which are less about predicting poker aptitude and potential, and more about predicting how likely you are to reach and use that potential:

Competitive Drive (especially with oneself)
Humility and Self-Awareness
Self Control"

I do agree with a lot of what Phil Galfond says, however i think there is an element he is missing, that im not sure he may mention later on in his writings. I call it….

MENTAL FORTITURE: The ability to continually focus on the task at hand with optimal concentration; blantantly disregarding past obstacles, while harnessing the essential lessons of obstacles as adjustments in relation to the task at hand.

Compare this to shooting in basketball. The best players shoot around 50%. This means they miss half or more of their attempts. Therefore, dwelling on any single shot is counterproductive because you realize there will be many more opporunities in the future. HOWEVER, if said shot was forced in an awkward way or was just a ball hoggin street move, then the best players take note that that type of shot is poor and not only hurts their immediate results; but can often lead to bad habits and tendencies, which alienate them productive playing and winning.

Therefore, they clear their minds of the actual shot itself, yet they note not to take that type of shot in the future. They dont waste physical and emotional energy dwelling on the past missed shot. They clear the mechanism and move forward, adjusting to what they have learned.

Poker players can indeed learn a great deal from this:

Ok….. so you 3 bet super light on 3 limpers or you lost half your stack because you reraised the turn with middle pair-A kicker into a shortstack bettin 1/2 pot, but that half pot was half of his remaining stack. So, note the error and then clear the emotional mechanism for the next hand. Allowing it to cloud your judgement on the following hands will only result in compounding errors as time goes on. Its your choice to allow mistakes, which we all make in EVERY SESSION we play, to hang above you and be an excuse to dictate further action.

Instead i would suggest to use these mishaps as self motivation. You make a bad move… Remebe that awful play for what it taught you NOT to do and now make a game out of it.  How long can i play the best poker i can play…. then time it. Then maybe write it down and keep a running tally. Hopefully, sooner or later you will not even need to write it down because it will have become an engrained habit such as ranging will be.

It would seem that the best individuals in all competitive endeavors share this sort of singular focus. That is why in sports or business you often hear discussion of the calm, cool, and collected archtype. They are observant, yet wholly focused on the task at hand and any obstacles in their path they welcome, because it challenges them to adjust; therefore allowing them become stronger in their fields, which gives them a mental skill advantage to rise above rest.

Dont take my word for it. Try it — test it as you should any theory before accepting it. All i can guarantee is that it will work in your favor, even if you fail because you will be flexing mental muscles.

coolers if people didnt discuss things and offer opinoins, then offerings like Galfonds wouldnt exist.

Philosophies are much like playing poker. While no one can for certain ascribe which is the best; there are many approaches which work for differing individuals. How you play shorstacked is different from how Brunson, Bigdog, or Aznallin plays them. Not one way is always correct. But, they fit the indviduals style which relates to his or her experience, confidence, and situational awarness.

Therefore, I offered up a point which i dont see much talked about and I find helpful for everyone; IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE, not just poker. I know this particular mentality has helped me obtain almost every goal in my life.

And for that, i wanted to share it with my TPE fam