The Psychology of Poker (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Part One lays the foundation for the rest of the book by discussing two unusual topics, whether you have the "right stuff" and why you..." (more)
Key Phrases: many free cards, slow play big hands, card reading skill, Century Edition, Passive Aggressive, Johnny Moss (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Poker demands many skills and strategies. To be successful, you must be able to master all of them and then apply them at the appropriate times. They include proper hand selection, appropriate aggression, bluffing, semi-bluffing, understanding tells and telegraphs, choosing the right games, and reading hands. These skills do not come easily since they require unnatural actions. You cannot win just by "doing what comes naturally." This book does not provide strategic advice; you should get it from other Two Plus Two books. Dr. Schoonmaker is concerned only with the way that psychological factors affect your own and your opponents’ ability to play properly.

For example, have you ever wondered why some players seem extremely aggressive while others are passive? Why some are tight and others loose? Furthermore, have you ever wondered why some tactics seem to come naturally to you while others don’t?

This text will answer many of these questions. It will explain why you and your opponents play the way you do. Many people know how to play properly, but play poorly. Simply learning strategy does not mean that you will apply it properly.

The author also suggests strategic adjustments that you should make to improve your results against different kinds of players, and he suggests personal adjustments that will help you to play better and enjoy the game more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Two Plus Two Pub.; 1 edition (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880685256
• ISBN-13: 978-1880685259
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #112,771 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book on a highly underrated subject, December 4, 2001

By	Andy Glazer (Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowing Yourself and the Game. , August 7, 2005

By	Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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It was hard for me to know whether to give this one four stars or five because it is not the best of the poker books out there, yet reading it definitely enhanced my game. All I can say though is that if you're a beginning or intermediate level player, the volume has much to offer.

A crucial aspect of psychology is understanding why we do what we do. Dr. Schoonmaker considers it of the greatest importance to determine what our internal motivations are for playing poker in the first place. Is it all about the money? Well, for me it is, but, for others, there may be numerous factors such as the need for socialization, and a need for competition. He introduces concepts like the eight principles of poker, a series of questions to help ascertain whether you have "the right stuff" for the game, the law of subjective rationality, and the egoistic fallacy. Yet, all of these ideas are presented in layman's term and not in sentences filled with psychoactive mumbo-jumbo.

The key section of The Psychology of Poker concerns The Styles Grid, in which we answer some basic questions about ourselves in order to figure out our style at the table. Of course, the most common style is one somewhere in between the four presented. I will mention them now and give their nicknames within brackets: Loose-Passive (Calling Station), Loose-Aggressive (Maniac), Tight-Aggressive (Stone Killer), and Tight-Passive (Rock). Out of these four, the optimal mode is that of Tight-Aggressive. I believe that Dr. Schoonmaker's perceptions and descriptions are clearly on target in regards to cash ring games, but, should one be tempted to apply his advice to tournaments, you'd be in big trouble. The book was written in 2000 just before the big poker craze began, so the author could not have anticipated just how much the gigantic freeze outs would predominate the way in which we play poker online. If one sits around and waits for great cards then, even if they plan on acting with focused, intense aggression should those cards ever arrive, they'll lose because it is probable that the blinds will eat you alive before you see those big pairs or big slick. You can't play conservatively and expect to make it past the first 90 minutes of a multi-table event (at least online as some of the blinds change at five minute intervals).

There was one aspect of The Psychology of Poker that immediately helped my game, which was Dr. Schoonmaker's analysis of playing with Loose Passive Players (LAPs) at the lower limits in what he labels, "No Fold `Em Hold `Em." He points out that this game is actually very good for the better players as discipline prevails. However, due to so many players sticking around until the river, the overall hand strength is so high that what can win in a regular game is a big loser if five people go to the river. Until I read his view, I could not figure out why I was losing so often with straights and trips. The moral of the story is that you just have to be patient when you play, and, also, to know thyself.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understand your opponents (and yourself)., July 24, 2004

By	Daniel Kessler (Farmville, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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 has 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 poker play more profitable!