EasyRhino said:
I think we've got (at least) three different viewpoints going on here:
1) The "team" mentality that stresses the importance of practice and a high degree of training. (Everyone agrees that practice is important, it's the degree that there seems to be debate about). Anyway, this viewpoint seems to be most vociferously supported by those who play on a team. Not a coincidence.
I would guess this approach would have two benefits specific to teams: a) it would enable a more diverse of outsiders to achieve a baseline skill level, and b) it would engender trust in the skill level of teammates. While the other benefits of practice can help anyone, these two are specific to team play.
2) The "theoretician" mentality. Guys are like the math, the theory, the count systems, the sims, the obscure areas of research. Guys like Qfit, Schlesinger, Dr. Thorp, and AutoMonkey. Not coincidentally, these guys are often very good at the mental gymnastics involved, but this might be due to a surfeit of brainpower, not necessarily the training regimen.
3) The slackers. These people are for whom advantage play is merely a route to some other goal, which could include:
a) comps
b) a sustainable way to get the thrill of gambling
c) the high-roller image
d) the fun of sticking it to The Man
e) the prospect of not having a day job
f) I could go on
(I put myself in the last category.)
These three camps aren't Shia, Sunni, and Kurd. Each brings different perspectives to the table, and there's no need to balkanize. And we can all agree that we're all good at arguing.
1) The "team" mentality that stresses the importance of practice and a high degree of training. (Everyone agrees that practice is important, it's the degree that there seems to be debate about). Anyway, this viewpoint seems to be most vociferously supported by those who play on a team. Not a coincidence.
I would guess this approach would have two benefits specific to teams: a) it would enable a more diverse of outsiders to achieve a baseline skill level, and b) it would engender trust in the skill level of teammates. While the other benefits of practice can help anyone, these two are specific to team play.
2) The "theoretician" mentality. Guys are like the math, the theory, the count systems, the sims, the obscure areas of research. Guys like Qfit, Schlesinger, Dr. Thorp, and AutoMonkey. Not coincidentally, these guys are often very good at the mental gymnastics involved, but this might be due to a surfeit of brainpower, not necessarily the training regimen.
3) The slackers. These people are for whom advantage play is merely a route to some other goal, which could include:
a) comps
b) a sustainable way to get the thrill of gambling
c) the high-roller image
d) the fun of sticking it to The Man
e) the prospect of not having a day job
f) I could go on
(I put myself in the last category.)
These three camps aren't Shia, Sunni, and Kurd. Each brings different perspectives to the table, and there's no need to balkanize. And we can all agree that we're all good at arguing.