Quote from jem:
Dottom- I have a question about poker. In rounders, the guy who told matt damon's character to just grind. I.e. play your good hands and dump your band ones, seemed to be giving good advice. Could a trader, who was sitting down at a table that he considered to be fairly low stakes--- apply the grind concepts learned by trading and do well at poker or would a trader go through the entire learning curve
Rounders was a decent movie. They obviously consulted poker pros when making it, although they did sensationalize and over dramatize a few scenes.
Playing poker professionally is just like trading. You make moves 99% by instinct and win or lose it shouldn't affect you emotionally. You know that you'll win your share of pots over time, just like in trading. "Grinding" is a very good description of how many poker pros make their living. You "grind" out small expectations. The term "grinding" actually refers to your
non-ideal game, but a game that is a positive expectation for you so you grind it out and make money. For example, a lower stakes game, or a game with the non-ideal mix of players but you still have an advantage. Your "ideal" game usually only occurs during swing shifts, and often only on the more popular nights, usually Thus-Sat night. You can also find good side games at major tournaments and always on nights & weekend right after payday.
As far as how well a trader would do, assuming that you understand and can apply poker theory during a live game (i.e. you make good decisions), being a trader will definitely help because good poker playing (once you get past the knowledge phase) is all about discipline. You need discipline to not play the hands that don't give you a positive expectation just to get action. You need discipline to be aggressive or passive when the situation warrants. For example, even some pro (male) players have a hard time raising or check-raising a pretty woman at the table. If they have a hand that they should raise (to drive other players out or add more $ to the pot because they have a value hand), but instead they do not, they are giving up a part of their +EV.
Playing poker professionally is a lot different than most people imagine. It's nothing like those Sat night poker games in college and nothing like the movies. If you're more interested in poker, the rec.gambling.poker FAQ is a good start. It has some good book recommendations as well.
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http://www.conjelco.com/faq/poker.html