Amongst the poker world, a question that arises quite often is "Who is the world's greatest poker player?"
This question elicits quite an array of answers including Ivey, Helmuth, Dwan, Brunson, Chan, Negraneau, Ferguson, etc
These are only a handful of names thrown out across poker tables, message boards, and cigar clubs around the world.
Perhaps the more important question becomes, "What defines a GREAT poker player?" or "What makes someone a Pro?"
Is it based on how many world series bracelets one has?
Is it turning a 6 digit annual profit?
Is it building a career successful enough to feed one's family on the foundation of 52 plastic playing cards?
Is it walking away from a promising degree and career and and grinding out a living born out of passion?
The variability exists when answering this question, because everyone's definition of "great" and "pro" differs vastly.
Am I a great professional poker player?
Well you decide...
-I won the first tournament I ever played at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City in 2005.
-I deposited $200 on Full Tilt Poker in December 2007 and have won over $650,000 in tournaments across all sites.
-I have been interviewed by Cardplayer.com and have also been published in their magazine on stud strategy.
-I have been ranked as high as 4th on officialpokerrankings.com on ftp.
-I have a positive ROI in all games including No Limit holdem, Omaha, Omaha 8 and Horse, with an overall ROI of 54% at a $128 avg buyin.
-I satellited into the first ever $25,000 HU championship, the largest buyin HU tourney in history, by winning 8 straight HU matches.
-I do personal one on one coaching, where players pay me from $100/hr up to $250/hr.
-I am one of an elite list of pros at PokerXFactor, one of the most successful, and longest running paid training sites online.
Can you look at someone's credentials and conclude they must be great at poker?
Maybe.
But there is so much more that goes into it. The numbers and results are a manifestation of all the hardwork and dedication the top players put into their game.
So many new players have a dream to be great at poker.. to quit their jobs and live a life of luxury... it is not that easy.. very few will find fame and fortune.. most will be grinders for life...
It requires stamina to persevere through dips and valleys, as well as humility to wholesomely welcome the uplifting highs. As I said in my interview, "It is amazing how quickly our minds can latch onto the illusory notion of invincibility when we are on a "rush." (Whether that hot streak lasts a day, a week, a month, or even a year). We allow our confidence and egos at times to blind us from the reality that our good fortune can turn...almost in the blink of an eye..."
So about greatness…
You are not great if you do not comprehend that one is always a student of the game...
You are not great if you cannot welcome constructive criticism...
Greatness involves listening...
Greatness is table demeanor...table etiquette...
Greatness is about not making excuses about bad beats or bad runs, because they happen to everyone.
Greatness is about not 'hating' on others who are succeeding, but spending your time trying to learn from them...
If you read the autobiographies of great people from history, all of them document how they derived inspiration by aspiring to incorporate the great attributes in previous leaders, previous great men and women. SO find someone who you think is great.... and ask them how they got to where they did.. read stuff they have written.. watch them if you can... listen to them...i have a list of people I look up to within the poker community and outside....and I constantly learn what I can from them.
I inch closer everyday...to achieving the greatness I aspire to attain...
The potential of greatness promised to us all,
should we be so fortunate, disciplined, and driven to achieve it...
YES, I do believe that living in our own microcosms, we too can achieve greatness!!!
So go ahead...what are you waiting for?
There's a lot of inching to be done...
I challenge you to be great.
