Who is the Best........

[PShabi]

I have ABSOLUTELY no business even being in this poll. Tourney player???? LMAO!!!!!!

People on this forum think I'm a lot better than I actually am, I guess.

I'm SLIGHTLY better than average tourney-wise. Slightly.

As for my vote, I obviously need to vote JD, because the results do all the talking. However, I think Zy is right up there. His analysis is top notch, and he proved himself in the last league.

TP, although on a bit of a dry run, is a very very solid player. He did final table a WSOP event. I respect his game immensely.

As for me, there are people (Lou, for one) that are better than me and not even on the list. My vote goes to JD with Zy and TP for a very close 2nd.

[Talking Poker]

I was wondering how you made the list, since 98% of your play is 6 max limit cash games. Must be because you post a lot! It's all about the brand recognition these days.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying you are a bad MTT player or anything (far from it), but if we are talking in terms on NL tourneys, I'd go with guys like bdawg, meanness, studiopet, etc, before I'd bring up the shabi.

[PShabi]

I think it was best player at first, then he changed it to so it was more defined.

Either way, even if it was "best overall player" I'd put JD, TP, ZY, Bdawg, AT LEAST AHEAD OF ME.

Possibly more.

The attributes that have got me to the level I'm at are:

1) extreme self-discipline
2) the ability to be honest w/ oneself
3) the desire to study and get better (intrinsic motivation)
4) basic, above-average intelligence
5) table/game selection
6) TABLE/GAME SELECTION

[Talking Poker]

And these are very important qualities in a poker player. JD has come a long, long way, but he's still behind everyone on that list with regards to #1, and I think he'd be the first to admit it.

No matter how good you are, you'll amount to nothing but a broke waste of talent if you don't have good bankroll management skills. That's just a fact.

[JDMcNugent7]

Very true. I really need to work on that still. Oh and #5 and 6 are pretty bad too - but i like to challenge myself and i think its made me better playing really good players, for wutever thats worth.

[PShabi]

See, that's where we differ. I get better by posting and reading here and elsewhere. I study my own play and the play of others. I've hired coaches, posted videos, even had TP railbird.

However, when I'm playing online, I'm a predator. I'm seeking the weakest of the weak and trying to squeeze as much out of them as I can before they dry up and wilt away.

If I didn't pay ANY attention to table, and more importantly, SEAT SELECTION, I think I'd be breakeven at best. I'm have abosolute nothing to prove to anyone.

JD, you're young, and you have a chip on your shoulder. I love that. However, in my situation, I don't need pride. I'm looking to maximize my hourly earn, end of story. I don't need to think/know I'm better than these players. That's not my goal. My goal is to win as much money as I POSSIBLY CAN during the time I spend at the table.

[JDMcNugent7]

Well ya so is mine. I think it could be argued that playing better players than me, and losing money for a short time, which would make me better in the long run... could actually increase the $ i win overtime.

but man, i reallized how bad my BR management sucks when just 2 weeks ago when i was running horrible, i decided to play a freakin $5,000.00 HU SNG to try and get back to even... luckily i pwned the fool lol - but it was still really really really really really really really really really really dumb of me.

[Talking Poker]

And I'm somewhere in between the two of you. I understand the value of preying on the weak, but I PREFER to play against better players than weaker ones (this is an intentionally vague statement - this depends on a LOT of things). I find they are more logical in their actions and thus much easier for me to figure out.

And let me tell you, it's pretty damn rewarding to sit down with the best in the world and not only know that you are hanging with them, but that you aren't even outclassed. No, that's not to say I am (even close to) as good as the best in the world. It just means that I can hang at that level, and I can be successful. I'd get KILLED in the Big Game, but I like my chances in any given WPT event nearly as much as those of any given "pro."

Back to my first point. You know the whole "Levels of a Poker Player" thing that I've mentioned a few times before? Well, I don't think it's possible for you to play more than 1 level above your opponent. So if I am a Level 4 poker player, the best scenario for me (IMO) would be for me to be playing against a Level 3 player, where I'm one step ahead of them. Playing a Level 5 player would obviously be bad for me, but if I'm playing a Level 1 player, I can only play at Level 2 anyway.

This is a good topic for a new thread (maybe I'll write it up sometime), but basically, if your opponent barely knows what HE has and has NO IDEA what you have, how in the wolrd are you going to know what he thinks you think he thinks you think he has? Obviously, 90% of your talent is going to waste. He doesn't even know what you have, let alone what you think he has (and so on and so forth).

[Zybomb]

Yea the original posted question was who is the best poker player

I responded saying Limit? NL? SNG? MTT?, because obviously theres different answers for each -- so he changed it to make it more defined (you already said that)

[PShabi]

Well, this poll doth suck then, because I've never even seen SJay play a tournament before.

[Zybomb]

[sjay2k]

LOL this thread is awesome

JD is definitely the best tourney player (although I voted for myself for kicks, lol).

I used to play lots of NL tourneys (started my bankroll by placing in a freeroll tourney, then built it up playing micro SNGs) before I migrated to limit cash games. These days the only tourneys that I play are headsup limit SNGs, although they stress me out for some reason. I prefer to stick to 6-max limit, where I've run hot so far (5bb/100 over 50k hands). I need to play more, but I get very disheartened by even minor downswings and I can't stand holding more than a couple of thousand on the internet. I also feel somewhat degenerate if I'm playing poker for any more than two hours at a time. So I don't think I'll ever be a big-time player.