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Learning disabilities.
Mental arithmetic. I put my hands up. I'm not that great, never have been that great and will probably always be just that little bit slow, i'm getting there. I don't have a disability, but a lot of people do.
What about people with disabilities such as dyslexia/dyscalculia? Are their chances of becoming a successful poker player a pipe dream, or does it just mean a lot more hard work to catch up with the standards of others?
Are there any known professional poker players who have dyslexia/discalculia?
Just something that ran though my mind this afternoon.
What about people with disabilities such as dyslexia/dyscalculia? Are their chances of becoming a successful poker player a pipe dream, or does it just mean a lot more hard work to catch up with the standards of others?
Are there any known professional poker players who have dyslexia/discalculia?
Just something that ran though my mind this afternoon.
Comments
I suffer with Aspergers Syndrome and although thats alot different to the types of things you mentioned i think it can affect the game. Im a seriously slow learner aand although i can pick up basics it never sinks in.
Therefore stuff that looks kool is what i do often. Huge leak in game theat really does cause problems.
I think it would be a generalisation to say you can or can't play good poker. It will be specific to the person. You'll never know unless you try.
This is why i try to avoid drinking in public aswell.
I've worked with youngsters with Aspergers for over 10 years. The outward symptoms vary from person to person although there are general similarities.
It is estimated that a person with Aspergers can have a brain processing information at up to 300 times that of the average person. This has both benefits and drawbacks. Often social interaction is a problem simply because the person with Aspergers is processing many times more information whilst the average person will utilise a major part of the brain processing to the conversation. As Don says this can give a false impression of what the Aspergers sufferer is trying to convey.
It is not unusual for an Autistic person to manage 5 seperate tasks at the same time. I often do the Daily Mail cryptic crossword when playing poker. This I find actually helps me concentrate.
There are plus sides. Simultaneously solving numerous problems is possible but not unique to Autism. Concentration can be either heightened or can be a problem. One of the most common problems is the inability to understand consequences - this can be a major drawback when you consider Poker. The inability can also cause problems of a violent nature (never challenge someone with Aspergers) as the consquences of any future actions or outcomes probably won't be considered by them.
As I said at the beginning, there is no single set of rules that covers Autism and it is really down to the individual. Dyslexia can often accompany Autism but it is by no means certain to.
I have a "borderline" autism score you could say, and I do suffer with the anxiety of social situations where I'd be worried to say the wrong thing, doubt my poker playing ability, have difficulty concentrating for long periods of time. This is why I am far more confident playing online.
As elsadog mentioned, there are great benefits and drawbacks of aspergers. I have a friend with aspergers who is very much into his roulette, and he can work out odds in a nanosecond!
I have slight (maybe quite big actually) obsessive tendencies which makes me strive to succeed, learn and refuse to give up. As a whole that's a fantastic trait to have, just not the anger and over analysis of losses and mistakes which I put down to over-obsessiveness.
I guess what ever disability you may have, if you strive to succeed - then nothing should get in your way.
Stumbled across this thread and can I just say this has been a great read!!! My son is 3 and a half and only last week we had an appointment with the Child Development Team who informed me he needs extensive help with his speech and learning development and they want to place him a more specialised nursery. Thay have said they are considering autism (along with other things) and want to run further tests.
If you don't mind me asking Don when were you diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome? I've waited a year to get to this stage with my son but still don't know when they will start doing blood tests etc
Thanks guys
Autism covers a wide range, not just Aspergers. If you think of the Autistic spectrum as a pyramid then Aspergers would be about half way up. People not demonstrating autism would be at the base with severe autism at the point.
Specialist educational help can work wonders. Once diagnosed the child will be eligible for a range of state help.
I'm hoping that with the extra help he is going to get that his speech/learning will come on leaps and bounds, at the moment he can only say single words, but I must say since he started nursery in April his behaviour has improved so much!!
Thanks for this info it's been great
I used to go with a girl who looked after a young boy with autism or Aspergers or whatever it was. I'll admit I was ignorant to any difference. I'd read "The curious incident of the dog" and thought I was prepared. But I wasn't. It was so tough at times because he could be an angel at times and a devil equaly with no reasoning behind it.
I don't know what else to say other than "best of" to anyone with these problems that I'll happily admit I have no understanding of.
gl
There is reasoning behind the behaviour it's just that it's not what we would consider logical. One of the traits of Aspergers is to take things literally. You need to be careful how you explain things particularly to children with Aspergers because they can become very frustrated by what you say.
For instance a simple thing like looking out of the window and seeing it raining, then exclaiming ''it's raining cats and dogs'' will confuse them. They will literally expect to see cats and dogs falling from the sky. This might seem astonishing for most people but they take what you say literally. A lot of aspergers sufferers also have trouble reading facial expressions and may mis-interpret a smile or laugh. It's not all bad news because with the modern understanding of the condition much can be done to help both the child and the parents.
I worked with a young lad of 12 who was extremely violent at times and too much for his parents to cope with. I worked with him for 2 years, during which time he lived with us, whilst we prepared him for a specialist residential placement. We kept in touch during his time in residential and by the age of 17 he returned home. His Mother describes him as a wonderful caring son now. Major success all round.
I don't think a learning difficulty/disability will ever definitely mean you can not play poker to a high level. There is one top online pro who is widely believed to have Aspergers from reading the boards across the web (not going to name the person as while it's widely believed, it's still gossip).
Ohh and one last thing. Elsa, The Daily Mail? Sighaments.....
LOL - It's the only cryptic that lasts long enough for an mtt m8 .... and I win prizes
I considered becoming a professional cryptic crossword puzzler once......... for about 2 minutes.
As many know I'm a non practicing mental heath nurse, dually qualified in sex offender treatment and ASD services.
I always kind of felt that some ASD traits leaned towards a good poker player. I myself hugely suffer from OCD. But I think this is what it takes to be a solid poker player. Attention to detail and observing what most overlook.
Llamas makes a few great comments, in regard to social adjustment and comfort. Have to admit I'm at the other end of this in comfort zone. One of the few social circumstances where I feel comfortable is sat at the table lol.
I would think that dyslexia and other related issues may not hamper too much in long run...? As we dont as much need to dynamically calculate odds but remember a range of odds in circumstance? Quite possibly very wrong here.
Agree that this is one of the most interesting threads I have seen.
I actually put together care plans and risk assesments to take one of my detained patients to a local redtooth game a number of years ago. It was greenlighted but then cancelled at last minute which was a shame.
it wasnt until i was 17 they then diagnosed me with anxiety which again theyve suspected since a very young age.
One thing ive spent a number of years learning is complete self control. Which i still havent grasped in my actions, but thinking about things more now, which helps.
Again Dohhhh mentioned something a few months back about all my desisions in poker being almost instant. Would you say this is an effect of it ?
Also i may contact you for futher advice mate as clearly you know much more than i do. Ive only been able to go by what my mum has explained, as clearly to me this is all natural.
Contact when you like Don
Absolutely brilliant thread – guys.
For what it’s worth I will put in my “six penneth”.
Autism Spectrum Disorders are far more prevalent in males (sometimes 10:1) ratio – and often referred to as the “male disease”. You only have to look at the pastimes of blokies – train spotting, Eddie Stobard lorries etc. (lists are fascinating aren’t they?)
An extremely useful diagnostic tool is the Triad of impairments which I will try to simplify right here.
1 – an Impairment in communication – (not necessarily talking but the ability to express)
2 – An Impairment in Social Understanding and situations – (a real awkwardness in knowing how to act and react in company)
and most importantly – and crucial to the diagnosis
3 - an Impairment in Imagination (better described as a failure to understand consequence) – often resulting in behaviour where the outcome is not understood by the perpetrator. An example of this would be action: slapping somebody – the slap is understood but not the pain of the recipient.
The diagnosis cannot be successfully made without the presence of all 3 parts of the Triad to a greater or lesser degree.
One very reassuring fact is that we can all see these traits in ourselves and everyone else we know – and without the influence of Asperger Syndrome our quiz team would not be half as successful as we have been over the past 15 years!!!!!!!!!!!
You show an autistic child a tube of Smarties and ask what's inside. They say (quite understandably): Smarties.
Then you open the tube and show them that actually there is a pencil inside. Then you ask what their Mum (who is outside the room) will think is inside the tube. They say: A pencil.
i.e. the autist knows what 'they' know but they have trouble inferring what others know or might think. This manifests as inability to pick up on hints (both verbal and non verbal) with obvious consequences in social situations.
I guess this cognitive impairment must affect poker, because so often you are trying to make inferences about what other people know or are thinking. On the other hand, I reckon this could be compensated for quite readily, e.g. perhaps you are less vulnerable to metagame antics, I really don't know.
+1
As I said at the start, there will be advantages and disadvantages but concentrate on the strengths and you never know.
It might interest you to know that I never, ever, do the maths in poker.
The truth is I can't. For that reason I never get involved in hand analysis.
I simply concentrate on what I can do well and so far it has got me through with some success.
Every single member of the communtiy whos commented on the issue has been very supportive,