Age vs. experience in poker

An accelerated learning curve, or a worldly wise head? Which is the strongest trait of a poker player? Which road have you traveled to learn poker?

Movies seem to have conversely romanticized or demonized gambling as an occupation. Now that leisure is big business, it has emerged from the shadows to be much more accessible to all.

In the internet age, learning obscure skills and unfashionable pastimes like poker has become more mainstream.

Which type of player has the edge in this New Age?

Nerds and geeks have picked up poker books and videos, and found the math and fast action paced tycoon-style game to their taste. The virtual animated platforms disconnect them from the real money aspect. With sophisticated mathematical tools at their fingertips, they soon identify mistakes, both their own and others, crushing the small margins.

Veterans who have gambled for money in live games already received an education of their own. Often without realizing it, they can identify out-of-character plays by opponents. They’ve seen it all before and are less fazed by the outrageous. They are able to believe half of what they see and none of what they hear.

Reading a book or watching a video does not always provide perfect guidance. The student may pick up on the wrong aspect of the poker strategy and incorrectly believe they are invincible. They become their own worst enemy, over-betting, playing poor hands in position, over-bluffing, and calling light too often because the numbers appear to say so.

The experienced player, on the other hand, also has barriers to overcome. 21st Century poker is an evolving, faster-paced game which has been thoroughly studied, and donors make mistakes less often. Long, tiring sessions where lucky or alert players are ground down and coaxed into traps are almost non-existent. Traditionally successful plays can become defunct, and without realizing it, they begin to leak their wins.

Which way will win out?. There is undoubtedly a middle ground and combining the two is valid

Many accomplished poker players from yore transition to internet games and learn new skills. They have the ability to play poker games well, because that is what they do. 

The educated students know no fear and do not accept failure as an option. Once they learn to analyze the stats from their data into their hard drive, they quickly fine tune their skills.

In the poker future, the game will evolve and whoever learns best will profit first, while others will have to call on their strengths to adapt, or fall by the wayside.