Real Poker Psychology

During the last few years, there has been much new information produced that comes under the heading of poker psychology. The idea is to cover that area of poker which is less strategic but still important to one s overall success at the game, and a new area of mental coaching has appeared.

But poker, being a game based on probability that can be very counterintuitive and which also has a large short term luck factor can trick many players into thinking that things are a lot different than they are. Thus, the supposed need for psychological tools to help with ones play. But it turns out that gaining a good understanding of everything poker which includes the strategic concepts that govern expert poker play as well as the counter intuitiveness and the short-term luck factor will usually solve all problems.

In Real Poker Psychology, mathematician Mason Malmuth who has written numerous books on poker and gambling including Gambling Theory and Other Topics and (as a co-author) Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players, takes a fresh look at the psychological side of the game. He approaches the topic of poker psychology from the perspective of a professional player, setting this book apart from some other books in the field and leading to many different conclusions when compared to these other works. Topics covered include Variance, A Mathematical Model of Tilt, Poker is Counterintuitive, Craving Action, The Maniac, 10,000 Hours, Being a Tournament Star, What Your Opponent Thinks, It s Not What You Eat, Visual Cues, Fight or Flight, Apathy, Sucker Privileges, Self-Weighting Hand Histories, Recent Erroneous Concepts, and much more.