<snip> >I guess what I was trying to >say is that being a successful player is about a lot more than just the >odds of a certain draw or pot odds...knowing the odds is only a start to >the skills you need. > > Another skill you need to win consistently at poker is luck - now hold on before you despise that statement - Even if you do everything with the best mathematics it is still possible for you to not only lose all your money, but to always lose all your money; there isn't a good poker player that isn't at least a little bit lucky. I'm not saying it is likely to be good and still always lose, just that everything gets a little fuzzy when you try to be clairvoyant through math; just like card counters and blackjack making one mistake about the count in an hour can often cause more fiscal damage over the course of that hour than if they hadn't counted at all, and just because the count is good doesn't mean you'll win. Poker isn't just a numerical game, there are people involved and you must take that into account, always. I'd rather be consistently lucky than good.