The Psychology of Poker

Rating:
Summary: A fair observation of poker pschology
Review: "What in the world were they thinking?" I'm sure I'm not the only poker player who has asked this questions literally hundreds of times at the poker table. What drives players to play the way they do, especially if they play badly? What drives each of us to do things at the table that we know are costing us money? In The Psychology of Poker, Alan N. Schoonmaker, who holds a PhD in psychology, attempts to understand what motivates poker players and to understand how they think and why.

After an introduction, Schoonmaker asks the reader to examine their own game, looking at one's own motivations and skills critically and honestly. Of course, if one isn't truly honest, much of the rest of the book won't help, but the author does a good job of guiding the reader toward understanding their true motivations. Poker skills are covered next, including reading hands and game selection, with a discussion about how one's personal tendencies influence these skills. Next, Schoonmaker introduces a grid system on which players can be rated. Tightness vs. looseness and passiveness vs. aggressiveness are discussed, and the reader is guided through the process of rating oneself and other players on this scale.

The problem is that this doesn't cover the whole picture. As one example, a player can be tight and aggressive, playing few hands but playing those strong, but if these hands are garbage, they won't go very far. There's at least a third axis (and probably several more) that includes good and bad decision making. Counting the number of hands and the proportion of raises to calls can be useful, but it still gives an incomplete picture, and this may lead to an improper strategy. The author does mention the possibility that a player may be of a mixed type, for example, tight and aggressive before the flop, but a calling station from then on. However, the book doesn't give us a lot of information about why these people might play the way they do.

The next four sections cover various types of players focusing on the corners of the grid. We are told what the characteristics of players in each of the zones are likely to be, and some suggestions are made as to what motivates them. This is done from the perspective of analyzing the play of other players in each of these categories, as well as coming to terms with our own game if we fall into any given classification.

After this, the book presents some analysis of ways in which players self-destruct in their games, and what can be done to avoid it. Then we have the conclusion, and finally there are three appendices: A quiz covering whether the reader has the "right stuff" to play poker well, an article on why an aspiring poker player should think again if they're considering turning pro, and quick summaries of the previous chapters.

Schoonmaker claims that he's not a poker professional by any means, that he is a moderate winner in low limit games. He says that the purpose of his book is to analyze players, not give strategic advice, and that's fine by me. However, I see a great deal of strategic advice in this book. Some of it is quite good, for example, I don't recall seeing the concept of "buying outs" explained better. Some of it I have some minor disagreement with. The fact that David Sklansky reviewed the book from a strategic angle probably explains the generally good quality of this information. However, there isn't nearly as much information about examining the motivations and methods of other poker players as I would have hoped, which is the author's field of expertise, although what's there is fairly decent.

Another deficiency is that almost nothing is said about the less extreme, "average" players that don't have tendencies near the edge of the author's grid, which is where we would probably locate the majority of players. While it may not seem interesting to cover the average case, I honestly don't know what a "5,5" player in a local 3-6 Hold'em game might be thinking about, but I'd like to. I was hoping this book would tell me, but it doesn't.

Overall, we probably get a better grounding of the psychology of the people who play poker, both our opponents and ourselves, than we do in any other book. However, the book has more advice on how to play against these people and how to alter our play than it has information on why people play the way they do. I was hoping for more of the latter than I got. However, it is a good book, one that I found worth reading, although the true masterpiece on poker psychology has yet to be written.

If you are a new poker player and would like to start playing poker online at www.partypoker.com - make sure you use the bonus code: "AMAZON25" and you will receive $25 free on your first purchase at www.PartyPoker.com. You can also use the Bonus Code "AMAZON100" and you will receive a 20% bonus up to $100! If you already play at PartyPoker, you can also play at www.Pokerroom.com. Use the promotion code "100BONUS" and you will receive 20% up to $100.

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing view
Review: Dr. Schoonmaker is a student of the people of the game. He reports the increase in heterogeneity at low-limit games, and goes on to examine the psyche of these individuals. It is reading that feels more like a dynamic lecture in psychology and epidemiology. Dr. Schoonmaker also helps the reader turn some of these observations into an introspection of what type of player they are, and WHY. A very different and stimulating work.

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing view
Review: Dr. Schoonmaker is a student of the people of the game. He reports the increase in heterogeneity at low-limit games, and goes on to examine the psyche of these individuals. It is reading that feels more like a dynamic lecture in psychology and epidemiology. Dr. Schoonmaker also helps the reader turn some of these observations into an introspection of what type of player they are, and WHY. A very different and stimulating work.

Rating:
Summary: Skip this book unless you've never played poker before!
Review: I bought this book along with the book from the same publisher by Feeny. After reading PoP I was left feeling very flat. Of the information that is correct I didn't find anything that would seem suprising to anybody who had spent more then 50 hours at the tables. The information is laid out in a very formalaic manner which hides the interesting differences between different classes of players. Furthermore the author seems to think that all differences seems to produce similar sized changes in action. I feel this is so incorrect as to invalidate the whole book.

When I read Schoonmaker's comment on rec.gambling.poker that his book is seen an "Poker Psychology 101" and that you should buy Feeny's book if you were past being a beginner I was upset. It isn't clear in the marketing that the publisher considers these two books to overlap. Unless you consider yourself _very_ unobservant about human behavior I would _strongly_ suggest not buying this book. You should buy Feeny's book as it is very strong.

Rating:
Summary: Skip this book unless you've never played poker before!
Review: I bought this book along with the book from the same publisher by Feeny. After reading PoP I was left feeling very flat. Of the information that is correct I didn't find anything that would seem suprising to anybody who had spent more then 50 hours at the tables. The information is laid out in a very formalaic manner which hides the interesting differences between different classes of players. Furthermore the author seems to think that all differences seems to produce similar sized changes in action. I feel this is so incorrect as to invalidate the whole book.

When I read Schoonmaker's comment on rec.gambling.poker that his book is seen an "Poker Psychology 101" and that you should buy Feeny's book if you were past being a beginner I was upset. It isn't clear in the marketing that the publisher considers these two books to overlap. Unless you consider yourself _very_ unobservant about human behavior I would _strongly_ suggest not buying this book. You should buy Feeny's book as it is very strong.

Rating:
Summary: I LIKED IT
Review: I play mostly internet texas hold'em. So this book was a great resource in some areas...others it was just ok. I look forward to playing live soon and then I think I will be able to bring all of my game together.

If you are a new poker player and would like to start playing poker online at www.partypoker.com - make sure you use the bonus code: "AMAZON25" and you will receive $25 free on your first purchase at www.PartyPoker.com. You can also use the Bonus Code "AMAZON100" and you will receive a 20% bonus up to $100! If you already play at PartyPoker, you can also play at www.Pokerroom.com. Use the promotion code "100BONUS" and you will receive 20% up to $100.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific book on a highly underrated subject
Review: Most people think poker is a card game played by people. Those who advance to expert status eventually realize that poker is a people game that happens to be played with cards.

I have probably read every poker book that has ever been written, in part because I want to improve my own game, in part because I want to know what the competition is saying and/or thinking, and in part because I believe it to be the height of "penny-wise and pound-foolishness" not to spend a few bucks on a poker book when ONE good idea or notion in a poker book will probably earn the buyer many times the price of the book.

All that said, when I ranked poker books written in the year 2000, Alan Schoonmaker's "The Psychology of Poker" was an easy choice for me as "Poker Book of the Year" for 2000. Over time, the cards tend to even out. What does not even out over time is our ability to understand our opponents' emotions, and our own.

The only think I don't like about TPOP, as I call it, is that it will probably cut down on my profits when I play, because even though it has helped me--and I was already very good--it figured to help my opponents even more, because I had already focused the majority of my poker study energy into the psychological aspects of poker.

For a completely raw beginner, i.e., someone who has never played or who has rarely played and when playing has played for very low stakes, TPOP probably shouldn't be the FIRST book you buy. You need to understand more basic card and strategy elements. If you aspire to ever being more than a mediocre player who can hold his own against other mediocre players, and you're not some sort of poker savant or expert who has been winning heavily for 30 years, you should read TPOP at your earliest opportunity, and even if you are already quite good and have read it, you should probably re-read it anytime you find yourself in the midst of a losing streak.

Rating:
Summary: Understand your opponents (and yourself). Win big!
Review: The strength of this book is in helping you understand why you play the game (it may not be what you think), and more importantly, why your opponent is playing. Understanding motivations can help you understand and predict the actions of your opponent. In poker, knowledge is power, and this book will help you to win pots you may have folded, and lay down hands when you are beaten. The chapters on various playing styles are especially important. Following Dr. Schoonmaker's tips during my first trip to Vegas helped me to get out of the way when beaten, and jam the pot when I had the best of it. Thanks Dr. Schoonmaker for helping make my first casino trip a profitable one!

Rating:
Summary: Dave in Cali on the Psychology of Poker
Review: This book outlines the basic concepts behind WHY people play the way they do, which is essential to understanding how to play against different types of players. The playing characteristics of looseness and tightness are rated on one dimension, passiveness and aggressiveness are rated on another. These dimensions outline the four basic types of players, loose-passive, loose-aggressive, tight-passive, and tight-aggressive. Each player type is described in detail, their strengths and weaknesses are outlined, and strategies for playing against them are discussed as well. The reader is given opportunities to assess their own play according to the principles outlined in the text. This book is especially good for the beginning poker player to whom these ideas may be completely new. Advanced players who have not read this book will still undoubtedly learn much from it as well. One of the books listed on the *required reading* list for the San Diego Poker Discussion Group.

Rating:
Summary: Dave in Cali on The Psychology of Poker
Review: This book outlines the basic concepts behind WHY people play the way they do, which is essential to understanding how to play against different types of players. The playing characteristics of looseness and tightness are rated on one dimension, passiveness and aggressiveness are rated on another. These dimensions outline the four basic types of players: loose-passive, loose-aggressive, tight-passive, and tight-aggressive. Each player type is described in detail, their strengths and weaknesses are outlined, and strategies for playing against them are discussed as well. The reader is given opportunities to assess their own play according to the principles outlined in the text. This book is especially good for the beginning poker player to whom these ideas may be completely new. Advanced players who have not read this book will still undoubtedly learn much from it as well. One of the books listed on the *required reading* list for the San Diego Poker Discussion Group.

I should mention that I played a role in editing this book, and that I am good friends with Dr. Schoonmaker, and the readers of this review should know of my potential bias. However, I still stand by the book, if it wasn't good I would simply refrain from saying anything.