In the context of live poker skills, today we reflect on the characteristics of sports disciplines compared to Texas Hold’em poker. In any sport, the slightest mistake by an athlete can jeopardize the success of their performance; if the perfect execution of the sports gesture automatically leads to success, a mistake offers an advantage to the opponent. However, in traditional live poker tournaments, it is not exactly the same. One could have an optimal game strategy without any guarantee of victory, and at the same time, make a mistake without suffering consequences or, even worse, still receive a reward.

Hidden Truths of Poker
These structural characteristics are well-known to Texas Hold’em professional poker players – PPP – who have adopted as a mantra some fundamental truths elaborated by authors Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger in their bestseller “Poker Mindset”. These truths emphasise the importance of the balance between skill and luck in poker, the role of luck in the short term and skill in the long term, and the importance of focusing on small advantages to succeed in the game. Furthermore, they highlight the fact that poker is a game with a high variance factor.
The authors underline the importance and necessity for PPP to accept these truths to adjust their mindset and focus on the quality of decisions. It is evident that the poker truths are guided by principles based exclusively on probabilistic mathematics and long-term analysis.
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