Quote Originally Posted by FriskyPirate
rank in order of importance the factors necessary for becoming a better poker player:

-reading and posting to forums
-reading poker books
-watching instructional videos
-hours at the table(s)

I'm happy to change my statement to "hours played" vs "hands played" if it will make people happier. Great athletes, businessmen, competitors outwork the competition...always have, always will.
Are you still saying that hours at the table is the most important factor? If so, then I guess you are set in your ways and don't really care to much to come over to the light side. Even though you are massively incorrect here in my honest opinion.

But I will give it one last chance. You state that extraordinary players MUST, and DO, outwork the competition? I concur that is is apparent as it is in any sport. However, it appears you still think hours at the table is the most important and best way to outwork the competition. I propose to you this. Is a bad player spending time on a forum asking and answering every possible question he can, in an actual attempt to better himself (and not just waste time)? Is a bad player spending hours upon hours of watching videos and reading strategy articles trying to totally rework they logic in which they use in certain situations so that it can become a more +ev situation in the long run? Or are they at the table playing many different hands absolutely incorrectly and losing money, only to spend more time at the table instead of turning to sources that will teach them why they play those hands badly?

So yeah, you have to outwork them, but that does not mean you simply have to put in more time than them at the tables. You have to put forth more time towards improving, and it so happens, time away from the tables can be more enlightening than time at the tables.