It is said that hard work is the single greatest competitive advantage. I think that rings true in all environments; school, work, sport and poker. It's something I try to instil in my daughter, it doesn't matter how difficult something is, if you want something bad enough and you work hard enough, you can achieve anything.
Think about it; everything you do short of eating and breathing comes from learning and trying. Walking, talking, riding a bike, driving a car, passing exams. We've all done it and sure, for some it comes more naturally than others, but we all had to work to some extent to get to where we are today. Very few have ever failed with the hard work approach to making it in life. You may rise slowly, but you will surely rise. I think this translates perfectly to poker. There are, of course, natural talents that have an instinct for the maths, or the ability to read people, or a coolness in stressful situations, but ultimately those skills will only get you so far, especially in today's poker world where so many players are putting in so many hours of hard graft. Stephen King once said “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” Simply put, if you are relying on talent alone, you will not be successful.
So how should you work on your game? It is not working on your game to be watching the football on TV while keeping half an eye on someone streaming on Twitch. You didn't study for your finals watching the game and your phone in your hand, so why would you study poker like this? Work should be planned and structured, just like most jobs. You should set time aside for studying and improving your game, making sure that you can focus properly. Understand that it is OK if you can only afford an hour or two a week so long as you make sure it is good, solid focused study and you recognise that you will not improve as quickly as someone who is prepared and can afford to study for four or five hours a day.
Henry Ford said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get”. If you want to get lucky, work hard. If you want poker to be your main source of income, work harder. If you want to win the World Series of Poker, work hardest. I come across many players, especially in online forums who are "ready to go pro", or want to make a living from playing poker, or perhaps are just desperate to give up their day jobs and live the poker dream. It is clear to me that these people are almost always not aware of what is required to be a successful professional poker player. They view poker as a get quick rich option, but we know that this is very, very rarely the case. Poker is anything but a get rich quick scheme; it is a slow grind, littered with bad luck, disappointment and tournament bubbles. But if you work hard, apply yourself, you'll get more lucky, you'll learn to deal with the disappointment better and those bubbles will turn into trophies.
Greatness isn’t handed to anyone; it requires a lot of hard work. The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to their crafts. There is no substitute for hard work.
Thank you for reading my latest blog. If you enjoyed it, please share it with your friends and give me a like and leave me a nice comment. Have a great week.
Matt Burns