There is a famous quote often attributed to Picasso (although there is much debate over who really said it first). “Good artists copy, great artists steal”.
Steve Jobs, when discussing this famous quote, is noted as saying “it comes down to trying to expose yourself to the best things that humans have done and then try to bring those things in to what you are doing.”
Designer Jeff Veen added, “The key here is to be intentional with what we steal. To look at what the principles are behind the things that are successful , and steal those, rather than just be a superficial copy.”
Rainer Falle made an insightful comparison between this concept and the Japanese martial arts concept of Shuhari which explains how people learn new skills in a 3 stages:
Shu: Follow (learn a technique)
Ha: Break Away (collect techniques)
Ri: Fluent (blend techniques)
My argument in this article is that this very same concept applies incredibly well to studying poker and to poker training.
I’ve watched hundreds (maybe thousands?) of training videos and talked poker with some of the best tournament players in the world. Many times I’ve left those interactions thinking that I could never be as aggressive as this player or as mathematically inclined as that player. I’ve watched players make moves that I could barely imagine myself ever making.
The problem comes when players attempt to directly copy another players style simply by watching a few of their training videos. At the end of the day, you are NOT that player and this is rarely going to be successful for you. You might not have that players instincts, tilt control, bankroll, reads on players and on and on. All of those factors (and a million others like them) combine with the players overall style to make that style successful for that individual player.
The key is to expose yourself to all of the techniques of the greatest players, understand what they are doing and then steal the things from their game that you can insert in to your game. Then, perhaps most importantly, you must build upon all those things you have stolen and make them your own. Adapt them to your own playing style. You might even remove some of them from you game after experimenting with them a bit. Don’t force it. We are not all Isildur1 and there is no reason to try and make your game as recklessly aggressive as his is. It works for him, which is awesome. But I can tell you for a fact that it would never work for me.
I think this also applies, in a bit of a different way, to the way we filter the information we choose to take in as a poker player trying to improve our skills. I’ve seen comments before on some videos (on Tournament Poker Edge and other sites) criticizing a particular instructors style, rational or a specific play they made. Now if we have a question about an instructors play we should of course ask that question. In fact, it’s encouraged and a great part of the learning process. But I have also seen players say things like “turned it off after 10 minutes” (or something similar). I know I have been guilty of discounting a persons opinion as simply wrong after discussing hands with them.
This general attitude is unproductive and I think when we take this approach with any chance to learn, we are costing ourselves a valuable opportunity to change our game in a way we never thought of. How will we progress as poker players if the only concepts we allow to influence our game are those that are easily digested?
So next time you are watching a training video, and you think maybe this is one of these videos you are not getting anything from. Give it a bit more time. Perhaps the urge to turn it off just comes from the fact that the instructors style or the topics being discussed simply do not fit nicely in to the familiar and comfortable playing style that you are used to. With a little more time you might just find a nugget in that video that you can apply to your own game and make it your own!
You can follow Killingbird on Twitter @derektenbusch or on Twitch.
The_Donkfish
A timely article for this poker girl. Thank you.
P-aire 146
Well done Sir………………
duggs
interesting take on it. I was thinking about this the other day and i kind of came up with the belief that each poker tournament contains a multitude of ‘spots’, some good, some bad, some marginal, each dependent on our reads/image/previous level of aggression. And every player individually notices some set amount of ‘spots’, no-one recognizes them all (some more than others). I thought that choosing not to take spots we perceive as marginal or bad is fine, but failing to recognize the spots or to even consider them is certainly limiting our awareness of the game and our ability to improve. so even if we choose not to implement something we see done in a video, or disagree with it, it certainly can only help our understanding of the game to consider it and be thinking about it.
Killingbird
thanks for the kind words guys! and duggs, I think you hit on something pretty cool that is closely related to what i was getting at. interesting take for sure.
ASAAL
Great reminder for me, tnx! I face the challenge of trying to absorb all the forum entries, books, videos, television, discussions, etc. only to realise: one thing at a time! One must also prevent trying to absorb information all the time, any chance you get (as this can be a bad habit) and not applying any of what you have learnt. Perhaps i should focus on TPE vids and only read say ONE book over 2-3 months in order to learn & absorb.
EaglesFn1127
great article derek!!.. it was great meeting u at borgata during the open too and thanks for the drinks lol
Brentl2
This is very well said. For ages I thought that people that played different to how I was taught and to play, and how I played were bad players. However, I just put the fact that they seemed to be more successful than me down to my bad luck or variance. What I have discovered is that in some instances the “bad play” was just strategy I didn’t understand at the time.
cstival
Very nice words…I guess the best way to learn better is to leave our egos aside, and open our minds.
hoozh
i think all poker players should be proud to change their points of view
Nice article!
ClintonMarley
Very refreshing,Thank you for the insight.
kondor
The 2nd biggest error I think I make is zoning out when another player is telling me their mindset.
The biggest error is zoning out when I have paid for it.
deluded
Very well said.
Air_Apparent
This game is continuously evolving…there is something to be said on the human’s desire to create, and I think it definitely applies to fulfillment in poker. No one just wants to be, another guy, but to be able to revolutionize a game that is continuously evolving is something we all should do. Adapting and making it better…adjusting. All big things a poker player must do.
jedimindpicks
Excellent article, I really liked the last few paragraphs. Nicely done.
Houligan420
good read KB
thelegend700
Great stuff. One of the most sensible things I have read in some time:
Shu: Follow (learn a technique)
Ha: Break Away (collect techniques)
Ri: Fluent (blend techniques)
kid_fro21
Currently doing the TPE university course (great idea guys learning heaps!) and feel this article should be at the top of the page. Naturally we work our way from top to bottom but I feel it would change the way beginners like myself view the first couple of series/hours of content.
Keep up the great work guys!
mykhalzyruskane
Great stuff here TPE! I came here to amp my game and break into the MTT world of NLHE. Was recommended on a pro’s Twitch channel. I came from the free stuff at PokerSchoolOnline and came here because I was hungry for more! Great work here guys!
Garfieldno
Very good read 🙂 amazing article 🙂 loved it!
Chapuisat
So true, I will do it. Thanks
Maniackid11
Love it, KB!!
MP89
Excellent read, great perspective