The Psychology of Poker | Alan N. Schoonmaker

The Psychology of Poker | Alan N. Schoonmaker | Best in the "third" category of poker books

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The Psychology of ...

	The Psychology of Poker Alan N. Schoonmaker Two Plus Two Pub., 2000 - 330 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"The Inner Game of Poker"

Once you've read all the endlessly repetitive how-to's and studied the probability charts, starting hands, yada yada yada, this is your next step. Schoonmaker, a practicing psychologist who also plays a mean game of poker, has written a book that describes the motivations behind WHY people play poker. The various "types" he describes are those we've seen in varying degrees at every table, and his insights guide you toward infusing your own game with the basic glimmerings of playing the people, not just the cards. He also insists on a ruthless self-assessment, convincingly arguing that the penalty for ignoring one's own short-comings leads to leaks that will cost a player considerable money in the short and long run.

This is a book that indirectly explains why Sammy Farha can get away with playing 9 2 suited against a raise, because it works at taking the mysticism out of intuition and makes awareness a replicable skill.

Like Harrington's volume III workbook, this text offers interactive quizzes and charts that provide opportunities for self-examination that will inevitably lead to self-discipline and discovery. Highly recommended for the intermediate to advanced player of both cash and tournament games.

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Best in the "third" category of poker books

Consider that there are three categories of poker books; technical books such as those that Sklansky, Harrington, and Malmuth write, "tells" books such as Caros Book of Tells, and "head game" books.This is the best I've read in the "head games" category.

The author does a very good job of categorizing different styles of play into four "corners" similar to a Gartner box; Tight Passive, Tight Agressive, Loose Passive, Loose Agressive. He then discusses and describes these and includes a short "preview" section you can use as a review before you go play.

The author does a very good job of framing this psychological information strictly in the context of a poker game. It is a very readable and very interesting book. Unless you really believe you know everything there is to know (and there are a lot of those types of people out there) you will learn something new from this book.

I am developing a few books that I will reread and use as references; Sklansky and Malmuths new No Limit Holdem, Caros Book of Tells, and The Psychology of Poker.

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I don't want anyone I play poker with to read this book!!!

I would be happy if they took this book off the market today!!! Now that I have my copy!!! I have read more than a dozen poker books by the best and the best of the best. I've learned a lot about how to play hands, situations and math. I became a decent player and had been doing pretty well in several home games I play in on a regular basis as well as my local casino. My game seem to reach a point where I was doing well, but couldn't cross over to that "next level". After reading this book, my whole approach to the game has changed. It taught me the missing piece in my game. "PEOPLE"... Understanding who they are and what makes them tick. As the book will teach you, when you know why they play, you'll know how they play. My game has reached that whole new "next level". This book will pay for itself a hundred times over in a matter of just a few dozen games. I won two out of three of the tournaments I played after reading this book (The book's paid for!!!). This is the one book I wish I had found years ago. the money I could have won is only being made up for by the money I'm winning now!!! Every serious poker player should read this book. If it doesn't get much attention it's because (just like me) I hope nobody I play poker with ever reads this book. I have told most people I play with about many poker books I have read, but this one I have kept to myself. let them do their own homework on finding this one.

One word of caution: If you're not willing to take a "real" look at yourself while reading this book. Don't waste your money. You will quickly learn that your loses are not due to bad luck and bad beats. Winning and losing is all on you. Luck comes and goes for you and for others. You take and give bad beats. If your a good player you have already figured out that you take more than you give because you almost always go in with the best hand. That's because you're a good player. This book will show you how you really only beat yourself. More importantly it will show you how others beat themselves and how that means YOU WIN!!!

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The more you know....

....it's never a bad idea to soak up as much information as you possibly can to improve your game. This does present ideas that you may not run across in most other poker books.

Great book to view the insight of yourself and others on poker.

This book has several topics that most other poker books fail to express. Hence the name The "Psychology" of Poker. It discusses in detail on "why" you play the way you do, weather you're a winning player or not. It also teaches you how to correct your inner flaws and mannerisms that you never even knew about. The book has several grid charts to plot yourself and other players you encounter in the game. I personaly view the charts to be flawed and a waste of time. There are several ways players can mix there game up, to be considered plotted on a chart of this scale.

The book does not dicuss basic stradegy's (which is a blessing) and starting hand structures. It assumes most readers are already seasoned players. It more so, discusses methods on playing different types of players (4 types, tight-passive, tight-aggressive, loose-passive, and loose-aggressive) and different games. And how to spot the 4 types of players without even playing a single hand against them. The topics are refreshing and original. The only downfall of the book, is the author's tendency to berate himself! (for example... They author states, "because I nor you, have excellent card reading talents, we must fall on a set of standarized guidelines on weather to determine the "maniac" is bluffing or not." blah blah blah.) This kind of talking makes me think about how crediable the author is on the poker table! If the author himself doubts his talents, how can I take advice from him!?

Overall, If you want a book to become a better poker player on the felt. There are many other books that are worth there weight in gold (or more!) But if you want a book that brings a refreshing look into the mental game of poker. This is hands down the best one I have read so far. I have to admit, even with all its gripes and annoyances, the book has made me a much more knowledgable player, and has shown me how to defeat the biggest and most dangerous opponent in the card table... "Yourself!"

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reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5

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