Some of the world’s best poker players have it all, wealth, fans, respect from their peers. If you were to compare the top players in the world there may not be much that separates them at the table. However if you look at their educational background you may start to see some differences. Does having a college degree or advanced degree mean you will have success playing poker?

Players such as Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch are highly educated with multiple degrees from some of the best universities in the country. There are other examples of pros that have degrees in fields that lend themselves to analytical reasoning, such as Barry Greenstein who has a degree in computer. While many of the top poker players have university degrees, not all of them do. Some of the best players do not have the same formal education that Chris, Andy, and Barry do. A few players have even dropped out of college to pursue poker professionally. Even though they may not have the college degree it does not mean they are dumb by any means nor does it mean they will not be successful as a poker player.

Having a college degree or advanced degree is not a requirement to being a pro poker player. But it does give you something to fall back on. Playing poker at the highest levels requires many of the same skills necessary to getting an advanced degree. Patience, persistence, an ability and willingness to learn, and sound analytical ability are critical to education and playing poker successfully. The pool of professional poker players is likely too small of a sample size to draw any correlation between education and success as a professional. There are also numerous other factors that may throw off any attempt to make a correlation. One factor however is highly relevant for both education and success at the poker table and that is dedication. It takes a lot of hard work to get a degree and it takes hard work to be a successful player, dedication can help you achieve success in everything you do.