Defining talent is an amorphous undertaking. A person's potentiality quotient is shown by the goal he is aiming for and how close he comes to reaching it. Relying on pure talent to accomplish a goal may work if the goal requires very low standards or is quite simplistic. What separates the good player from the bad in any arena is the intestinal fortitude and tenacity to thoroughly educate themselves on the subject at hand. Almost everyone has potential and may even know their talents, but they do not have the discipline to pursue them.

The professional player does not dwell on talent and will not be afraid to exert himself. They are self-critical and act on what they find to minimize their weak points and maximize their strong ones. Everyone needs, whether beginning or expert, a general idea of what talented play looks like at today's poker tables. The pro will take this further and attain the discipline required to understand the game and its strategies, no matter the type of poker.

To become a successful player you will have to practice incessantly and constantly learn from your practice. This learning you will in turn convert into an efficient method by trial and error.

Undisciplined talent relies on luck. Amateur players rely on luck. They play for the thrill of a game of chance. The disciplined talent is determined to reduce chance to the minimum. The professional is not interested in simple thrills, with occasional gain. The good player's purpose is to empty your pockets every time, regardless of whether you are an amateur or a pro. Pro's pitch themselves against Chance and against another pro's proven method.

Start with self-searching and analyze carefully what you discover. If you allow yourself to be distraught with the weak points you discover, then deny them for self-preservation, you will not learn from them nor will you overcome them. It is destructive to cling to activities that you have no talent for and to avoid reaching out to find something different that you just might excel in. Some indulge in the fantasy that someday just by hanging around they will gain talent in the activities they are not good at but refuse to admit the truth These guys are a professional poker player's dream opponents

The first thing a professional poker player does is to decide which poker to play. Limit poker does not engage the same faculties as non-limit poker. It requires patience and caution to play limit poker successfully, since it takes time, requires gradual building up of advantages and information. To be successful at non-limit poker it takes the opposite kind of discipline: a seemingly recklessly maintained aggression which is at the same time well controlled and calculated.

Among the most common flaws in "talented" and overconfident amateurs is their inability to restrain themselves. They concentrate on the fact that they are "good" at this and neglect the strategic advantages of a timely retreat. If your purpose is not to flatter yourself, but to maintain a consistent record of success, you will have to temper your narcissistic tendencies and learn to leave when there is no way to win or when you are loosing control.

Everyone will find themselves in hot water on occasion, the pro clearly identifies the situation and will get out before the water becomes even hotter. The last of his worries is losing face.