Do gamblers / poker players need a huge ego to succeed?

[The Camel]

Seems to me that many gamblers have a huge ego.

The fallouts on TFT are usually caused when the biggest egos clash.

Is this a by-product of being successful, or is it a prerequisit to achieving success?

And why are the two linked? After all, compared to other, more noble ways of making a living, we haven't got a great deal to brag about.

All we do is exploit people who have less understanding of the true odds of participants in various sports.

It's hardly finding the cure for cancer.

[DungBeetle]

On the poker side, I think the ego players tend to be those that haven't had any work experience outside poker.  They also tend to me middle ranked players, not the ones who have had huge scores.

I think it stems from the fact that if they aren't successful at poker then their lives (in their own eyes) amount to nothing.   The ego in these scenarios is simply insecurity for their lack of any other achievements in other areas of life.

[celtic]

Off the top of my head, deadman and jake don't have an ego and seem to be v successful.

Toby too.

Could prob think of others and some that do have an ego.

Don't think it is essential to have one tho to be successful.

[celtic]

Probably more important to have a competitive edge than an ego.

Chompy has a ridic competitive edge, oh, he has a massive ego too 😀😀

[DMorgan]

Success has to come first, without at least a modest amount of success an egotist is just delusional. That success only has to be perceived of course.

I wouldn't imagine that if you compared people with regular jobs and pro poker players/sports bettors with the same take home ££ that you'd see a much greater incidence of egotism from the gamblers, but thats just my perception, not really based on anything.

[Tal]

Thread really is whether successful people need huge egos to succeed.

Poker and gambling are fundamentally results driven. Walking the walk is what it's all about, when all is said and done.

The most important asset a poker player or gambler can have is confidence in their decision making. Without that, they can never be truly successful. That comes from talent, hard work and strong analysis but it's there in everyone from Johnny Moss to Douglas Polk.

Inevitably, that means many at the top have very high opinions of themselves and the ego mob are over-represented in the elite. I can't imagine there's a single area where people compete where this principle doesn't extend. It's true in business, sport, journalism, art, internet fora...

[TightEnd]

a fine line between self-confidence and egotism in any walk of life

in gambling you tend to hear from winners more than losers, and a fair share of winners confuse stochastics with their own skill, and that feeds the ego

lot of respect for the "get it quietly" people, who resist the natural urge in many characters to shout it from the rooftops...

[The Camel]

Thread really is whether successful people need huge egos to succeed.

Poker and gambling are fundamentally results driven. Walking the walk is what it's all about, when all is said and done.

The most important asset a poker player or gambler can have is confidence in their decision making. Without that, they can never be truly successful. That comes from talent, hard work and strong analysis but it's there in everyone from Johnny Moss to Douglas Polk.

Inevitably, that means many at the top have very high opinions of themselves and the ego mob are over-represented in the elite. I can't imagine there's a single area where people compete where this principle doesn't extend. It's true in business, sport, journalism, art, internet fora...

Yes, I worded that way, but possibly more interest is WHY do so many successful gamblers have big egos?

I don't have much knowledge of any other industry, is it the same in all walks of life?

Are the best bus drivers cocky and arrogant? Do posties who finish their round an hour earlier than most belittle their dilligent but less speedy colleagues?

[The Camel]

a fine line between self-confidence and egotism in any walk of life

in gambling you tend to hear from winners more than losers, and a fair share of winners confuse stochastics with their own skill, and that feeds the ego

lot of respect for the "get it quietly" people, who resist the natural urge in many characters to shout it from the rooftops...

After timing is the most annoying outlet for people to show their ego.

What exactly does posting a winning bet on Facebook prove?

Unless you have plans to sell your tips in the future, why would you want to boast about winning a bet?

Anyone who followed you in is happy anyway, but if someone chose not to (or even worse backed something else in the same heat!) they are just going to be riled up by your boasting.

[Jamier-Host]

What exactly does posting a winning bet on Facebook prove?

Unless you have plans to sell your tips in the future, why would you want to boast about winning a bet?

It's nothing to do with the bet, it's just something else to boast about generally. Same reason people post pictures of holidays, or some awesome event they're at. Our weird social "life" these days mainly seems to revolve around projecting an image of success greater than reality to a loosely connected circle of "friends".

[RED-DOG]

I'm far too good to have to rely on ego.

[DungBeetle]

What exactly does posting a winning bet on Facebook prove?

Unless you have plans to sell your tips in the future, why would you want to boast about winning a bet?

It's nothing to do with the bet, it's just something else to boast about generally. Same reason people post pictures of holidays, or some awesome event they're at. Our weird social "life" these days mainly seems to revolve around projecting an image of success greater than reality to a loosely connected circle of "friends".

Yep.  Seems to me these days someone would rather spend most of a concert filming it on their iPhone so they can put it on facebook and get some attention than actually spend time enjoying the concert with their own eyes.  People are weirdos.

[Tal]

Thread really is whether successful people need huge egos to succeed.

Poker and gambling are fundamentally results driven. Walking the walk is what it's all about, when all is said and done.

The most important asset a poker player or gambler can have is confidence in their decision making. Without that, they can never be truly successful. That comes from talent, hard work and strong analysis but it's there in everyone from Johnny Moss to Douglas Polk.

Inevitably, that means many at the top have very high opinions of themselves and the ego mob are over-represented in the elite. I can't imagine there's a single area where people compete where this principle doesn't extend. It's true in business, sport, journalism, art, internet fora...

Yes, I worded that way, but possibly more interest is WHY do so many successful gamblers have big egos?

I don't have much knowledge of any other industry, is it the same in all walks of life?

Are the best bus drivers cocky and arrogant? Do posties who finish their round an hour earlier than most belittle their dilligent but less speedy colleagues?

It's definitely more obvious in competitive environments. That's just basic sociology.

[nellberg]

When you're punting, you're essentially thinking my knowledge is better than that of the bookmakers, I know the true odds of an outcome, I can seek out value etc etc. So I think there has to be a certain amount of ego in there, if you're thinking the bookies have it sewn up and they've got no ricks in their books then you shouldn't be having a punt eh!

So I'd say as a starting point you need a bit of ego, and being a competitive person must surely help, but it can't just be all about that. If a punter is too ego-driven then they may struggle to have sound bankroll management for example.

As to why successful punters may have bigger ego's than in other walks of life, I would say it's down to the standard belief that the bookmaker always wins. If you grow up hearing that time and time again and then you find a method to beat the bookies then a by-product of that may well be the ego being swelled.

[AlunB]

I would posit one reason being the loneliness of gambling and poker and the lack of praise or positive feedback from peers or authority figures.

Why post a winning bet? So somebody recognises you and validates you. That's a perfectly normal human need.

It's noticeable, although obviously lol sample size, that the newer generation of UK pros who have big circles of poker pro mates tend to be less ego-driven than most.