An interesting topic came up in the poker forums the other day.  Are good poker players born or taught?  In particular, can you teach someone of average intelligence to be a "winning" online poker player?  The reason I find this interesting is that the same question would come up from time to time in trading.  That is...  are good traders born or taught?  I'm somewhat on the fence about traders (because they have to process more information and the game they play is not bound by rigid parameters).  However, I strongly believe you can teach pretty much *anyone* of "above average intelligence" to win at poker.  In today's poker environment, I'm talking about small stakes.  It's possible that as the games get harder, this may no longer be true.

When I say "above average intelligence," I mean not only intellectual aptitude but emotional aptitude.  I think the smarts is kind of an obvious requirement.  I suppose it's possible to be a complete retard and win at poker if they have some keen sense of when to bluff and when not to.  But if they are that keen, then you sort of have to go back to whether they truly are retarded.  One realistic example of how a retard could crush the games may be that he is a one-trick-pony.  Like the first guy who 3bet light and barrelled off probably could have won a ton of money without being too bright.  But it probably catches up with him eventually.  To be a well-rounded player, in a zero sum game, you probably need to be of above average intelligence.

The emotional discipline is something I've talked about a few times in previous posts.  Mostly it's been my rants about how the poster children for poker are the doofuses missing one of *the* essential qualities that successful poker demands - emotional discipline.  Emotional control is an essential part of tilt control, approaching the game correctly, and bankroll management.  Just being smart is not enough to be a good poker player.

I also think you need the right type of coach.  I have zero experience with coaches, as I've never used one.  I personally like the challenge of figuring things out for myself.  It's probably a little slower this way, but I have fun with it, and at the end of the day, that's important to me.  But going back to coaching, a good coach is someone who can understand how to make *you* understand how to fix your bad habits.  Unless someone is an exceptional moron, I do not think anyone of "above average intelligence" who is committed to learning is uncoachable.

Speaking of which, I decided to "help" someone with their poker game (later post).