For purposes of analysis and strategy, I cannot see how one could correlate poker with trading. This is just my opinion, but I think a static deck of cards, even several static decks in any one game, holds only so many probabilities, and those remain static to the players at the table so long as the deck is not shuffled. The market is also full of probabilities, but is shuffled constantly by millions of emotional people pushing the magic buy and sell buttons, and those unique, updated probabilities are dynamic after each trade, never to return as the same set of probabilities, ever again. Emotions do not affect what cards are waiting to be dealt. Emotions do rule which button most traders push. For practice? Heck yeah, I'll bring the pizza.
True, but emotions do affect how you PLAY those cards. Playing well despite your cards or emotions is the mark of a great player. Just like trading well despite your emotions is essential to being a good trader. IMO.
I am horrible at Poker but I think its a fun game, especially with other traders! I can afford to lose a roll of pennies in Poker, because I am great at something else. I wholeheartedly agree with your statement on emotions, which is why I brought up the fact that most traders trade on emotion.
Remember: you don't play the cards, you play the players. Annette Obrestad, who won the first ever WSOP event held outside America, which netted her £1m ($2m), played an entire 180-person sit-and-go without looking at her cards - and she took it down. http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10281315 http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-new...er-interview-with-annette-annette-15-obrestad