Am I Better Because of Poker: Intellectual

The most fascinating person I’ve ever met is a friend of mine, Jim.  Let me tell you a bit about his life story.
This is the sixth part of a series where I am examining all parts of my life and how poker has impacted it. The criteria I will use in looking at this question include all parts of my life:

• Spiritual
• Financial
• Career
• Physical Fitness
• Marital Relationship
• Parent
• Intellectual
• Friendship
• Psychological

I first met Jim when he was assigned to be the project manager at a large Aerospace company for a project that I was driving for the consulting firm I worked at.  He is maybe ten years older than me, probably more although I can’t quite recall.  This was the largest project I’d ever been involved in, and it was built around a management concept that  I’d developed.  Jim was in the Total Quality department, and as I got to know him I learned more and more about him.  He’s still a good friend, although I rarely get to talk to him as he’s in LA.  He’s worked for me twice since that first meeting, and we’ve shared fun times and the worst of times with clients.

I won’t get the order correct, but Jim has been a computer programmer, a Total Quality guy, an artist (specifically painting landscapes in oils), a writer (he’s written three screenplays, getting one to pre-production meetings before funding fell through).  He moved to LA from Phoenix, and now he’s decided he builds custom acoustic guitars.

I’ve never asked Jim how or why he’s taken this circuitous life path, but an underlying implication of his life story is one of life learning.  His learning hasn’t been cocktail learning, skimming a couple of books to be able to talk about stem cell research or Thai brothels or organic foods. No, Jim’s is more like life mastery of certain topics.  He has become proficient enough at five or six topics to make a living at them.  I’m not sure what a Renaissance man is, but my guess is his picture is next to it.

Of course, one doesn’t have to take a new job in something to be intellectually challenged, nor is it particularly important to become an expert on different subjects.  But is your life a learning life?

Poker has sparked an intellectual curiosity in me that had been foreign for quite awhile. It is an intriguing prospect; can someone become good or excellent at something new?  Poker is a combination of knowledge, skill, observation, recognition of previous events, analytical capabilities, decision making, and continual learning.  There are ultimate success measures which allow you to determine how you are doing vs. previous results, as well as against others.  There are many other process measures which influence results, and there is no end of resources for those willing to invest time and focus to learn more.

I can tell you I haven’t spent as much time as other people have, nor has my time been spent as disciplined as I would like.  But it has been an interesting journey for me, to see my mind sparked, to test my ability to learn, to take those learnings and try to incorporate them into quick decision making, to witness my ability to stay the course whatever the short term results happen to be, and to see my struggle with that.  Reading weakness, coming over the top, then watching someone call with bottom pair.  Making the right call only to see the last card fall against you.  Again, poker is more of a placeholder for working to learn and attempt to become good at something against others trying to do the same.

Is poker unique in this arena?  Other games of skill have significant limitations for the neophyte.  Want to become one of the best tennis players in your state in two years?  You can learn and enjoy the game if you have some basic athletic ability, but I would guess only a handful of people could become a top local player in two years, much less compete against the best in the world.  Chess?  I’ll let others comment on this, but I don’t think so.  This poker experience does show me that most of us can tackle new things and become more learned, more skilled, more proficient.

As we get older, it is easy to fall into long stretches of mental stagnation, where we just don’t tap much of our intellectual resources.  Maybe we add more stuff to our hard drive, but do we maintain our ability to keep learning and thirsting for knowledge?

I must say that I am distinctly better intellectually because of poker, and I am hardly a poker theory or strategy giant by a long shot.  I avoid writing articles about poker strategy unless I can facilitate the thinking of others, pulling their thoughts and expertise together so that I can learn more and hopefully readers can as well.  What my poker learning experience has shown me is that I can still tackle a new subject and learn.  I think it’s always been one of my strengths, but poker has been one of the few where I am tested on that learning.

Yet what separates me from Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby, who started playing poker in the summer of 2005?  I’ll have to think more about that.  I’ve met several people who started playing not much longer than I’ve been playing who regularly crush games at high levels.  I’m not sure.  Maybe it was goals, maybe it was focus, maybe time.  I’m not sure.  I haven’t spent alot of time thinking about it, but I probably should.

Send any thoughts or comments to csquard@gmail.com, or leave a comment if you like.  Hope everyone had a good weekend, and hope you’re getting something out of this series.