Chess and Poker, a strange logic?

I have two gaming addictions in life Chess and Poker (NLH). And I am by no means brilliant at either.

In recent times I have found that adapting my "chess brain" to the poker table has improved my results, I win more and consistently. By a chess brain I mean applying a cold logic to a game of poker.

This has raised a few questions for me...

Are there any GMs or top rated players especially good at poker? (Or vice versa)

Is there any ways to combine these two games?

Is there a real logic to poker, not exactly in the same way as a chess, but say for example could a computer programme be a strong/winning poker player?

All feedback welcome, this is my first post here :)

Welcome!

I think the two very much cross. The games differ fundamentally in that poker deals with probabilities of outcomes due to incomplete knowledge--whereas chess is entirely deterministic--but these probabilities have set values just like chess pieces and positions do, which allows you (or a computer) to weigh and process that information in a way not unlike with chess. The basic game is different in its rules, of course, which will lend itself to a certain type of thinking compared to chess, but in much the same way that other deterministic games like Connect6, Havannah, or Breakthrough would. There's also a stronger element of psychology in poker, but again, it's present to a lesser degree in chess as well (understanding your opponent's strengths, weaknesses, and play style), and it's just another form of input based on an understanding of the subject.

I think one's skill in either game--and one's mind itself--can only be enriched by diversifying the tasks you try to solve.

Read books by Dan Harrington, Chess Master and the first winner of the WPT in 1995.

All very insightful and well articulated points, and I agree with your analysis completely.

"I think one's skill in either game--and one's mind itself--can only be enriched by diversifying the tasks you try to solve."

...thank you for that too I shall endeavour to expand my repertoire. I hadn't heard of many of the alternative games you listed :)

You may not agree with my synopsis, but.....

 Poker is easy, if you aren't afraid to lose your money. Chess is difficult, no matter how much you have to spend ...

IIRC ylon schwartz or something (can't remember the name precisely) made the final table of the main event and is also rated 2400 uscf. 

Ylon Schwartz wiki:

Schwartz has drawn comparisons between his tournament experience as a ranked chess master, noting that many of the skills he needed to succeed in chess are useful in poker and that the memory skills needed in chess transfer to retaining details on betting patterns of opponents needed to win in poker. He also pointed out that chess strategy provides excellent preparation for knowing when to time bets to prevent other players from folding when he has a good hand. Schwartz observed that the two games share the geometric relationships between the pieces on the chessboard and those connecting the cards and chip stacks of fellow poker players, while recognizing that chess is a game of complete information, in contrast to poker.'

The main difference between the two games is:  Everything is in the open in chess, but decisions in Poker are based on various degrees of insufficient information.

Contrast backgammon with pocket-pool...both rely on percentages.

Contrast bowling with bocce ball....and on and on.

The Asian game of GO isa unique animal, with a convoluted scoring and handicap system not unlike Bridge or Golf.

Every game stands alone.

You ask a computer mastering poker.There is a movie about poker.It told about a math college student spend his time to play poker in vegas.His memory is so strong.Combined it with his probabality skill made him had a lot of money.I forgot whether he has a special trick.

Based on that movie,it is possible to create computer winning poker.

I don't think the two are strongly related at all. In poker the goal is to play exploitatively, which is totally player dependent. In chess the goal is to play optimally, which depends on the position. I think poker is much harsher psychologically too, since there's no variance in chess. If you play the best move, you play the best move, and you get the benefit every time, whereas in poker you can get all in pre-flop with AA and lose ten times in a row.

Chess is logical, right? 

Wrong.

After years of playing I have discovered ways to trick my mid-level opponents into dropping a piece in the opening.  Playing Black Sicillian, e4 c4, Bc4 a6, Nf3 Nc6, and then...you guess.

So, chess and poker? No baccarat?

Are there too many poker threads?

I enjoy both games too  

Yes, many strong Chess players are also strong Poker players. One player that certainly would fit this list (that I haven't seen noted yet) is GM Hikaru Nakamura (on chess.com GM @Hikaru). He has been known to also play Poker (presumably well), but I think he only plays Poker as a hobby. 

Part of the reason that many Poker players also play Chess (and vice-versa) is because they share a lot in common and both games have certain minds that help at both. Many forums talk about this in depth, but a simple example is how good risk management skills can help Poker players (for obvious reasons due to the incomplete information) as well as chess players (as high level chess involves managing your level of risk, so your opponent messes up before you do). In poker, it could be stealing the blinds, or other exploitative forms of play. In chess, it could be directly exploitative as well or perhaps playing flexible waiting moves to delay committing before your opponent. 

As I briefly touched on, yes: both games share a lot of similarities. Computers have gotten into both Poker and Chess, but as expected they play quite differently than human players do. 

Lastly, perhaps someone will find this forum of interest. https://www.chess.com/forum/view/off-topic/what-poker-program-do-you-use 

COVID-19 may have killed poker in the casinos for a long while.

Chess (English: chess), formerly known as international chess, is an international game and a sport for two players. Today, chess is one of the world's most popular games with millions of people at home, in clubs, online, remotely and in tournaments. This game takes place on a square board, called a chess board, consisting of 8 rows (numbered from 1 to 8) and 8 columns (with letters from a to h), creating 64 squares of different colors. Dark and light alternating, with each player will have light colored boxes in the last row on his right hand when sitting at the chessboard. Each player will start a game with 16 pieces and will move one after another after the opponent has made one move (complete the move). The chess pieces of each side include 8 pawns, 2 pieces, 2 statues, 2 cars, 1 queen and 1 king. The white military leader is always the first to go; the other holds the black piece. The queen and the chariot are called heavy pieces, and the statues and horses are called light pieces.

The tradition of chess competition has been around since the 16th century. Today, chess is recognized as an official sport by the International Olympic Committee. The first World Chess champion, Wilhelm Steinitz won this title in 1886. Currently Magnus Carlsen is the current chess king.

Theorists have invented a lot of tactics and strategies since the beginning of chess. Many artistic aspects are also found in chess.

One of the early goals of computer scientists was to create computers that could play chess. Chess today is clearly influenced by chess programs as well as the ability to play chess online. In 1997, Deep Blue became the first program to defeat a world grandmaster when it defeated Garry Kasparov.

The other posts were far before the covid-19 pandemic struck. However, I don't know what you mean by a "long time." I urge everyone to take serious precautions (our lives are valuable!), but when this does subside, I am sure business will pick up again. When do you think casinos will re-open in the U.S.A @JuergenWerner? I am guessing mid-May, but my guess is as good as yours.

If they do open, maybe about 50% of people who went before COVID-19 will go. Maybe less.

Looks like poker is back in full swing again.

Not quite, but maybe in a few months it will be where I live. I'm looking forward to live poker games with the pandemic over