A breakdown of the skill level of poker players Part 3: Today’s players

In the early stages of the poker boom the poker world was a newly stocked pond, and longtime poker players were few and far between, which allowed winning players to always have a fish on the line. Well, unfortunately times have changed, and with the availability of information on the Internet along with the constant “poker is a game of skill” drilling of poker shows the fish are becoming scarcer.

Poker pros are no longer a snake in  an aquarium, with their owner simply tossing in a mouse whenever needed, now poker pros are like a snake released into the wild who needs to go in search of their food –the food is still available, but it takes a lot more work and the results are not nearly as good.

In this article I’m going to take a look at how the “skill” breakdown of poker players has changed over the years, and what their expectations were, Before the Poker Boom, During the Poker Boom, and in Today’s Poker World.

Here is a look at the way I have broken down players by skill-set:

• Clueless Players – these are players who don’t understand that every hand is not playable and don’t factor in pot odds and other basic poker concepts
• Flawed Players – flawed players have a general idea of poker strategy but either cannot implement it or have other flaws that keep them from winning
• ABC Players – ABC players have usually studied the game, or have a good deal of experience, and can win in the right circumstances
• Thinking Players –Thinking players are good player, they adjust to their opponents and the gamed and are generally winners
• Professional Players –the best of the best

Today’s Poker Players

The current poker world is about as far from the pre-Boom days as humanly possible. A Solid winner, a professional player even, from 2002 could very well be the worst player in the game in 2012!

Poker books as a tool for success is a laughable thought with online poker training sites, poker forums, and private coaching being the outlets that turn struggling players into winners –poker books and articles still have their place, but they are no longer the be-all end-all of a player’s knowledge base.

Here is what you’ll find in a typical mid-limit poker game in today’s poker world:

• Clueless Players – >5%
• Flawed Players – 20%
• ABC Players – 20%
• Thinking Players  – 40%
• Professional Players — 10%

In today’s game even thinking players struggle to turn a profit, as the skill gap has been closed –players now have such small edges over the table that the rake can sometimes make a game unbeatable—and the ones that are winning are winning far less than before and during the Poker Boom.

Notice the complete change from the bottom-end of the breakdown to the top-end from the pre-Boom days to now. In 2002 Clueless and flawed players made-up 80% of the player base; today they are 25% at best.  Thinking players, a rarity just a decade ago now make up about ½ the table!

Part 1

Part 2