Most of Us Don't Realize Just How Much We Don't Know

Hi. Come on in. Once again, we meet in a dark corner of your poker mind. It's getting warmer. Let's sit on the veranda and sip from a variety of fruit juices I have gathered.

We'll begin today's discussion with a question - and hopefully an answer. Why are some bad players completely oblivious to the fact they are bad players? If a person doesn't know amperage or conductivity from mashed potatoes, he doesn't think of himself as an electrician. If he can't throw a baseball 60 feet with enough power to squash a grape when it gets to home plate, he doesn't consider himself a baseball pitcher. If he hasn't studied law and proven himself at its practice, he doesn't consider himself a lawyer.

So, why in blue blazes do bad poker players so often consider themselves to be good poker players? They haven't studied the game - and they know almost zero about its finer points. Yet, they think they are good players. Amazing!

A few years ago I was asked to give a talk on poker to a social group of which I am a member. I came upon a somewhat typical case of a player overestimating his poker skills.

The talk was a freebie and the atmosphere was casual. We'd talk poker and have some fun. Just before we started, one of the guys said to me, "I'm already a good poker player, but maybe I can pick up a few tips." I asked him why he thought he was a good player. He answered that he didn't know, really, but just thought he was.

About halfway through the session, we took a coffee break. The same man came up to me and said, "My mind is boggled. I had no idea there is this much to the game." And I think that's the situation with most players. They don't realize how many fine points there are. They think that if they know with which hands to raise preflop or on third street, and when to protect a hand on fourth street, they are good players.

There are an infinite number of fine points that players not only don't know, but don't even know exist. They don't realize how much they don't know, or how much there is to be known. So, they never buy a book to learn. And yet, they tell themselves, "I'm a good poker player."

I've been playing serious poker for more than 30 years, and I'm still learning.

And now comes the very sad part of today's discussion. (Are you ready for this?) The fact of the matter is, there's a good possibility I'm talking about you. That's because another fact of the matter is that 90 percent of all poker players are bad players. So, the chances are nine out of 10 that I could be talking about you. Maybe, maybe not. And now you're probably getting a touch angry.

"Just who does this guy think he is? He's not such a hotshot. I saw him lose a couple of hundred in a $10-$20 game one day. Big deal." And you're right. I'm not a hotshot, and I'm no big deal. But I'm not telling you this to show you what a great guy I am; rather, I'm doing it to point out this possibility about you, in an effort to help. This isn't to inflate my ego, but to perhaps punch a tiny hole in yours to let in the thought that maybe, just maybe, you're not quite as good as you think you are. And then, maybe, you'll do something about it. If any of this makes you the slightest bit angry, on some level you do realize I might be talking about you.

The truly good players, who have total confidence in their poker skills, are taking this quite calmly - and even chuckling at the rantings of this poor, deluded man who thinks he knows something about poker. They know in their hearts that they are better, more knowledgeable players than I ever was on my best day. And they are not just kidding themselves; they know this to be the truth.

If you're not a better, more knowledgeable poker player than I ever was on my best day - get busy! You have some learning to do.

You really went for the guava juice. Now I need a nap. Take the rest of that bottle and kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Get his toll-free 800 number from his ad on Page 77.