The Psychology of Poker Book Review

Are you looking for a book that teaches you how to determine pot odds and show you how to calculate probabilities in your head? If you are, you’ve got the wrong book. The Psychology of Poker has nothing to do with how you play your cards. This book won’t teach you how to play small pocket pairs or suited connectors. It will, however, teach you how to play your opponents.

Why do you play poker anyway? If you said “to make money” you’re kidding yourself. There are all kinds of ways to make money. You can get a second job, freelance, rob banks, whatever. People don’t play poker to make money. They play because they like the challenge. They play because they like the camaraderie. They play because they like the excitement. Knowing why your opponents play and why you play is the key to taking your game to the next level.

In The Psychology of Poker, Schoonmaker helps you understand your reasons for playing poker so you can make better decisions. In addition, you’ll learn how to profile your opponents to help you understand what their reasons for playing are. This information can be invaluable.

For example, let’s say you notice a person is playing tight-aggressive. Your opponent is very thoughtful and pays attention to every hand-even the ones they’re not in. This person plays poker for the challenge. They love to read hands and play their opponents. They’ll make plays to mess with your head. They’ll set you up and take your money. These players are dangerous and if you’re playing a pot against this kind of player, you’d better have a monster.

By contrast, if you have a player that plays almost every pot-especially the big pots-you might have a maniac on your hands. These players play for the thrill. For these players, poker is like a drug. The adrenaline rush they get from being in a big pot trumps everything-even reason. These people will play a weak top pair like it’s the nuts. These people are walking ATM machines.

The Psychology of Poker will teach you how to recognize what kind of player you’re up against and what their strengths and weaknesses are. After reading this book, you’ll be able to spot the sharks and the fish in seconds. You’ll know who to target, and who to avoid. This knowledge is the key to winning big in poker.

Poker is a predatory game. You may be a shark at the $300 no-limit games at your favorite online Poker Room, but you’d be a fish at a high stakes poker table against players like Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, etc. Making money in poker is all about finding people who aren’t as good as you are and taking their money. That’s what The Psychology of Poker will teach you to do.

Poker isn’t all about the cards. If you want to take your poker game to the next level, you need to learn how to play your opponent. Alan Schoonmaker’s book The Psychology of Poker will teach you that skill and add a new dimension to your game.