As a professional poker player for nearly 20 years, I’ve spent most of my efforts in one discipline trying to become the best player possible. With that being said, I’ve always believed that concepts can be gleaned from other games or sports and applied to poker.

There are going to be certain similarities in elite performers across all disciplines, especially in matters of mentality and preparation. I have respect for anyone who is at the top of their craft and I enjoy any window where I can peer through into their process.

Some Principles of Chess Apply to Poker

For me, I naturally gravitate towards the games and hobbies I enjoy watching and playing. Chess is one of the first games that comes to mind. And while there isn’t a luck element in chess, I’ve still noticed a number of ideas that run parallel in both poker and chess, especially at the highest levels. 

Expert chess players often spend a great deal of time in their opening preparation, the first part of the chess game where potential moves and lines are memorized by both sides. Executing these moves is more a matter of study, repetition, and memorization than in-game spontaneity or creativity. With that said, there is still room for creativity in the preparation process, in selecting certain strategies versus certain opponents and looking to guide the game down a particular path that leads to an advantage. 

Preparation Is Key

Preparation in today’s poker world looks quite similar to this process. Most top-level players have done hundreds or thousands of hours of study to understand how most situations should work.

Practicing or working with computers is a big part of poker and chess preparation as computers play both games at a superhuman level and much can be learned from their play. If we regard preflop and flop play similarly to the opening of a chess game, most poker players feel comfortable here executing memorized strategies.

In both poker and chess, world-class players will struggle to gain a meaningful edge over one or another in the openings as each maintains a strong knowledge of how things should proceed. When playing against weaker opponents who make glaring errors in the openings, players are going to find strategic deviations that may not have been a part of their preparation. 

Instinct and Innovation

In my opinion, the beauty of both games begins to unveil itself as players come out of their openings and have to innovate in unfamiliar situations.

In chess, some players like Fabiano Caruana prefer to extend the opening and remain in lines they have spent time preparing for as long as possible. Outworking opponents with superior preparation has often given Fabiano an advantage coming out of the opening, and he has been able to convert that into enough victories to be ranked as high as #2 in the world.

Other players, like Magnus Carlsen, prefer delving into the unknown. Relying more on instinct and feel than preparation, Magnus is always eager to leave the opening stage and feels confident battling his opponents in unforeseen middle and late game positions. 

This idea of there being players who are stronger in their study and preparation and others who are stronger instinctually is one that really resonates in poker.  And while ultimately the best of the best will have built a game based on both preparation and natural feel, most players know themselves to be stronger in one regard or the other.

I’ve always identified as more of an instinctual player, although to compete at the highest level I believe there is a certain amount of poker preparation that needs to be done. 

When Poker and Chess Converge In Real Life

We’ve seen a crossover of strong chess players into the poker world. Players like Dan Smith, Jennifer Shahade, and Alexandre Vuilleumier have translated their talent at the chess board into successful poker careers.

This comes as no surprise to me, as a similar set of skills is required to be successful in either arena. The ability to focus for extended periods of time, having a sharp attention to detail, and making objective analyses are intrinsic requirements to win in either game.

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