Younger Players Versus Older Players in Poker

Many players, such as Daniel Negreanu, insist at almost every opportunity that young players have some special inside track to dominating the world of no-limit hold'em. There is no denying that the young players have exploded on the poker scene and are definitely are some of the best in the world. Some of them are simply phenomenal. As their numbers continue to swell I do believe that you will see them winning more and more poker tournaments.

I am not taking anything away from the the young poker pros. I am just saying that I don't see any connection between age and the ability to play excellent poker. It is not brain surgery. Actually, I'd probably prefer my brain surgeon be 55 and not 25! Let's say that is not like running the 100 yard dash, but you know at my "advanced" age I feel confident I can take the majority of most young poker pros in their 20's. So that's not a good analogy either. The point is that there is no reason that poker pros of all ages can't meet on a level playing field.

There are many characteristics that make up a good hold'em tournament pro: stamina, the ability to handle stress, deception, staying calm after a bad beat, math ability, confidence, bluffing ability, etc. I don't see where any of these relate to age. I can see if someone is very unhealthy physically or they have lost their mental edge then the argument might have some merit. Negreanu went as far as to say that it was a "scientific fact" that younger players have an advantage. That "scientific" theory seems to be on pretty shaky ground if you point to the recent tournament successes of many of the "old school" poker pros. Look at Erik Seidel. Didn't Carlos Mortensen just finish third in the L.A. Poker Classic? Didn't the 64 year old Barry Schulman defeat Daniel Negreanu to win the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event? How did that happen? Then Schulman goes on to finish 3rd in the PokerStars Carribean Adventure three months later? Impossible!

I could cite countless examples of recent success by the old guard. My main point is that as the younger pros start to take over poker there is still PLENTY of room for players in their 40's, 50's, and 60's to achieve success in the poker world. I can admire the poker prowess of the some of the younger players while at the same time taking issue with the "fact" that age is a critical factor in playing great poker. I just don't see it.