Skills needed in poker.

There’s certainly an element of luck in poker, but all-in-all, the game itself is pretty much based on skill. Luck may have a word or two to put in short-term, but skill is the factor that decides things in the long-run.
Poker (Texas Holdem at least) is quite unpredictable over the short distance, in the long-run however, it becomes predictable. That means, luck is swept aside by skill.
One of the most fundamental poker skills is discipline. Without discipline, you can never be a good poker player because: you can study all the poker books and articles in the world, and know every last bit of poker theory that’s out there, you will never know hoe and when to apply that knowledge.
Poker in general, and online poker in particular, are designed in a way that they test the limits of human discipline all the time. There’s some sort of temptation every step of the way, and if you can’t figure out a way to resist temptation, you’ll soon find yourself in an emotional turmoil that will lead to tilting. Going on a tilt is just about the last thing you want to do when playing poker. Players on a tilt pay out like a broker fruit machine, and other players flock around them hungry for some pickings.
Your observation skills need to be extremely sharp too. Do not be the person who always plays cards instead of playing opponents. Many beginners commit the mistake that they pay no attention to what their opponents do whatsoever. They’re buried trying to figure out how their hand will pair on the board, and sometimes they even fail to consider board texture when trying to assess the hands their opponents may hold.
While at lower limits/stakes you may get away with not paying attention, as soon as you move on to more respectable tables, you’ll be surprised to see how big of an importance observation suddenly gets.
There are countless reads poker players give out knowingly or not in poker. In online poker reading the opposition is a bit tougher, but the biggest of all poker tells, the betting pattern, is still readily available.
Pay attention to how your opponents play their cards, and how they act on different hands. Remember, if someone plays poker, it is inevitable for him/her to give out tells every now and then…
Flexibility is just about as important as any of the skills already mentioned. In poker, you’ll have to adapt to far more situations than you’d ever think possible. Take a simple STT for instance: you begin acting extremely tight, then gradually loosen up, in order to turn into a raving maniac at the end of the game, in the heads-up stage.
Flexibility is important in cash ring games too, not just tournaments. People come and go from these tables all the time, one minute you’re playing 10-handed, the next you’ll find yourself in a short handed game. If you cannot adapt fast enough, you’ll see your bankroll ebbed away soon.
Managing your bankroll is certainly one thing you’ll never make do without in poker. One of the most basic poker concepts is that in order to provide yourself the right kind of odds, you need to play properly bankrolled at all times.
Again, it is a common mistake among rookies that they join tables where they are hopelessly under-bankrolled.
All articles written by (c) James West.