Gambling with fate – skillfully. The differences in personality traits and cognitive abilities between professional poker players, recreational poker players, and people who not play poker
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14659/PJOEP.2014.05.02Keywords:
poker, personality traits, cognitive abilities, income, emotional intelligence, gamblingAbstract
The focus of this study is the relationship between one’s personality traits and cognitive abilities with the achieved financial results of poker games, as well as the characteristics and differentiate poker players from people who do not play poker. The research sheds new light on the perspective that defines poker purely as agame of chance, like roulette and slot machines. The study was conducted among top Polish poker players, recreational players, and people who do not play poker. It was hypothesized that there are personality traits and cognitive abilities that are associated with the amount of income from poker. The results indicate that emotional intelligence is the only variable significantly correlated tothe amount of winnings. It has also been shown that poker players have significantly higher levels of emotional intelligence, emotional control, sense of internal control, and risk inclination, as well as and alower level of impulsivity, compared topeople who do not play poker.References
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