NFL teams play predetermined schedules. NBA teams play predetermined schedules. NHL teams play predetermined schedules. Teams in these leagues don't get to choose their opposition. Their schedules are set by the league and the teams play it. Thriving in such an environment requires being the best.

Poker is much different. If you're a cash game player, you can enter or leave games as you wish. As a result, it's possible to be a winning player in the long-run even if you're the ninth worst player in the world. Simply sit in games exclusively featuring the eight worst players in the world.

Tournament players can also choose the tournaments they want to play. As a result, you can be a winning tournament player in the long-run if you play events where the field contains a high percentage of players who are weaker than you are.

Poker skill entails mastering the strategic elements of the game and applying an understanding of tells to exploit those who exhibit them. Poker profitability entails playing in games where opponents are exploitable in identifiable ways. Interesting consequences of this dynamic are that:

1) It's possible that some of the best players in the world are losing players.

2) It's possible that some of the most profitable players in the world are not the best players

On one level, this is a simple reiteration of one of the most important aspects of playing poker profitably: game selection. On another level, this is a way of expressing how important it is to properly process all the poker knowledge that's thrown at you. It's possible that we're all missing out on pearls of wisdom from poker geniuses who happen to be losing players as a result of extremely poor game selection; however, the biggest obstacle that many players face is adhering to untested advice from big winning players.

While some notably big winners are among the best players in the world, it's still possible that other big winners are either somewhat above average players with superb, disciplined game selection or losing players who simply haven't played enough for the long term to catch up.

Someone who has won a lot of money doesn't necessarily have a strong theoretical grasp of the game. And even if you're getting advice from one of the best players in the world, can that player precisely communicate the nuances that go into his decisions?

A line of play that exploits a certain player type might get you into a lot of trouble against an unknown opponent. If action A shouldn't be taken unless B, C, and D are true, have conditions B, C, and D, been sufficiently articulated?

Although you should distrust every piece of poker information that you're exposed to, you should always seek information. But dissect everything!

Don't just do as your told; don't blindly follow convention. Ensure that everything you assimilate into your game is built on a logically sound foundation. The best learners in poker as well as pretty much every other discipline are those who persistently question their teachers. Instead of assuming that they're being taught correctly, they prove to themselves that they're being taught correctly.

Regardless of your skill level, it's possible to identify exploitable opposition, assuming that you know what to look for. Putting yourself in a position where you can exploit the highest possible percentage of the opposition is a much tougher task. Accomplishing it requires:

1) Processing available information

2) Verifying the validity and applicability of processed information

3) Creatively theorizing and being open-minded enough to explore the unexplored

Tony Guerrera is the author of Killer Poker by the Numbers and Killer Poker Shorthanded (with John Vorhaus). Visit him online at www.killerev.com, and check out his weekly show, Killer Poker Analysis, on Rounder's Radio (www.roundersradio.com) Fridays from 5:00PM to 6:00PM Pacific Time.