Summary

The author learned valuable lessons about dedication, study, and the importance of fundamentals from playing poker, which they apply to the craft of writing.

Abstract

The author recounts their journey from illegal poker games in a snooker club to becoming a professional poker player, emphasizing the role of coaching, rational thinking, and embracing failure in their rapid progression through the stakes. They draw parallels between the skills required for poker—such as understanding fundamentals, deliberate practice, and reviewing mistakes—and those necessary for mastering writing. The author critiques the common advice to write prolifically, arguing that without a foundation in writing principles and a willingness to engage in thoughtful practice and accept criticism, one cannot achieve mastery in writing. They stress that true expertise in any field, including writing, requires time, dedication, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Opinions

The author believes that simply writing a lot does not lead to improvement or mastery in writing.
They emphasize the importance of understanding and applying writing fundamentals, similar to the strategic thinking in poker.
The author values the role of coaching and mentorship in developing skills, as evidenced by their own experience in poker.
They suggest that a significant part of learning involves making mistakes, reviewing them, and striving to improve.
The author posits that embracing failure is crucial for growth in both poker and writing.
They advocate for deliberate practice and study as essential components of skill development.
The author maintains that there are no shortcuts to mastering a craft, and that dedication and years of practice are required.
They highlight the importance of being open to critique and feedback to enhance one's writing.
The author encourages readers to support writers on Medium by becoming members, indicating a belief in the value of writer compensation for quality content.

The Most Effective Writing Advice I’ve Learned Came From Poker

Too much doing, not enough thinking

Not one for rules, I started playing poker illegally at 17 in the backroom of a snooker club.

Most people in the club played for fun, but my two friends took it seriously. One friend was already a professional, and the other was still in university but on the way to being a professional.

I began to play more poker when I went off to university a few years later.

Initially, I thought it would be a great way to make drinking money, but I began to see it was more than that.

My two friends started to see the amount of time and effort I was putting into poker and decided to coach me.

They reviewed my hands with me. They helped me develop good basic fundamentals. They taught me how to think through a hand rationally and not act impulsively.

My progress was quick, moving from $5 stakes up to $50 stakes in the space of a year from their help. My knowledge was growing. I was getting better at holding many variables in my head.

From there, I never looked back.

I would conquer each stake and move up to the next one. To then get humbled by the professionals at the next level. Forcing me to study harder and adapt so I could beat their strategy. It taught me to get real comfortable with failure.

I had 11 good years in poker (8 of them as a full time professional).

At the same time, I had a few other friends who tried to go professional but failed to make it. Struggling to move past the stake they first started on.

It got me thinking, why was this so?

See, playing poker is easy, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to any learning. You can play poker for years, provided you have enough money to lose and show no improvement.

I have watched many of these poker players stuck in the same thinking. Many will let their ego get in the way and chalk their losses down to bad luck.

Learning how to play poker takes dedication, study and deliberate practice. It requires having a good understanding of fundamentals.

You have to build your knowledge up, card by card. You have to understand what is a value bet and a bluff. You have to know what is a thin value bet and a fat value bet.

You have to spend a lot of time understanding what hands you play in what positions. What boards are better for you, and what is better for your opponent.

You always have to review your mistakes and even the hands you won to see what you could do better.

You have to immerse yourself in your work and fall in love with it—even the bad parts.

I made many mistakes along the way. But I learned and improved by virtue of those mistakes.

What does this have to do with writing?

The most common piece of writing advice I see on the internet is to “write, write and write some more. Churn out as much content as you can.”

There’s a big glaring problem with this advice.

If your writing is shit, it doesn’t matter how fast you churn out content. Shit travelled at the speed of light is still shit on the other side.

Anyone can write, but merely doing doesn’t lead to mastery.

You have to think first and start with fundamentals. You have to study and dissect what good writing looks like. You have to understand the rules before you can break them.

You have put in deliberate practice, make lots of mistakes and strive to improve. It’s producing a piece of writing and showing others so you can be critiqued. It’s being humble enough to know that you aren’t there yet.

To write is to be comfortable with failure.

There is no quick path to mastering anything in life. No get rich quick scheme or hack. All the book knowledge in the world will not make you a master of your craft without years of deliberate practice or study.

No matter how much potential or aptitude, those are not enough without long stretches of painful experience.

To become a master of any skill, you have to understand it takes time.

And it’s a hard journey that few will make.

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