psychology of poker
 

i've been playing cardroom poker for a year now and am interested in how psychology might enter into the game. would alan schoomaker's psychology of poker be a worthwhile read?

Re: psychology of poker
 

Some people like it, some do not. I remember when if first came out the general consensus was that it was a worthwhile read. I don't think it will kill you to read it, but I don't think it has any truly useful insight, either. But I digress.

Re: psychology of poker
 

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general consensus was that it was a worthless read.

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Re: psychology of poker
 

I think you should go for Ace On The River instead

Re: psychology of poker
 

If I'm a bit tilted, I'll read some of Dr. Schoonmaker's books. Calms me down and I'm on my way.

That said, it's worth reading, but it's not worth $30 either.

Re: psychology of poker
 

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general consensus was that it was a worthless read.

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Re: psychology of poker
 

thanks all. i was checking out other 'net sites and also found generally disapproving comments there. it sounds like there are serious flaws witht the books strategy advice.

Re: psychology of poker
 

As to its value, well it was published by 2+2- that should be a clue. Its major flaw has been that it has been heavily mined by others so that you may already be familiar with much of the contents from osmosis. I'd say the main value is earning to recognize your opponents' styles and more importantly your own. You are supposed to take a hard look at your own style of play and continue from there, making a conscious decision whether you want to play a fun or a winning game.

Re: psychology of poker
 

I thought it was a great book.

It makes a lot more sense if you play live since it was written for and about live play. For examples, the loose-passives described in his book are a fixture at B&Ms, but not so much on-line.

I think a new edition that examines the same issues but includes why people play the way they do on line in addition to why and how people play live might be a good update. I think there are similarities, but they are not the same.

Re: psychology of poker
 

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general consensus was that it was a worthless read.

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Really? Where were you guys when I wrote stinging reviews of this book and read about how much of an idiot I am?

I admit that I wrote the review in the psych forum a few years back. They did NOT appreciate my thoughts.