Every month here on Reading and Stuff we cover a few books, starting with whatever publishers send us (hint – send more free books) and moving to anything new on our bookshelves. This month we’ll be taking a look at our favorite books on psychology and the mental game. As our pal Al Schoonmaker says, “It’s easy to know the right play, but it can be tough to make the right play.”
Our Rating System
- This book is terrible. If you own a copy you should give it to your worst enemy in hopes that they will read it and suffer a tremendous drop in both IQ and personal fulfillment. Jack high can’t even beat a bluff.
- Not great, but it has it’s moments. Sometimes Ace-high wins, but don’t pay much to find out.
- It definitely has merit, though there might be something better on the market. It’s just one pair after all.
- An excellent book that is likely to entertain you, make you more money, or both. Top set usually wins.
- Our highest ranking. A must have for any poker player. It’s tough to beat quads!
The Psychology of Poker –
by Dr. Alan Schoonmaker
Dr. Alan Schoonmaker did a fantastic job with this book, considered by many to be the king of poker psychology books. The good doctor covers a huge variety of topics to help you understand why you play poker and how it affects your decisions, giving you insight into your own game in a way that no one else has been able to do.
Once you understand why you play, you can work on why your opponents play and what makes them tick. What motivates them? How can you get inside their heads? Dealing with different player types and understanding your own motivations are covered well and Dr. Schoonmaker’s writing is a joy to read. This book is a must read if you plan to get serious about improving your game.
Buy The Psychology of Poker at Amazon.com
The Poker Mindset: Essential Attitudes for Poker Success –
by Matthew Hilger and Ian Taylor 
This is an excellent read for the new and intermediate player, with the possibility of saving a lifetime of frustration. Constant laments about the number of bad beats, the rarity of a particular happening, bankroll management, and every counter-intuitive concept in poker is handled within. DIMAT puts out great looking books, and Mathew Hilger and Ian Taylor have created a well written volume that will help you understand strategy books better and apply them correctly at the tables, even though there is very little nuts and bolts strategy in the book. This is the least advanced of the books we review this month, but very effective in getting it’s point across, and well written.
Buy The Poker Mindset from Amazon.com
Inside the Poker Mind –
by John Feeney, Ph.d.
The only thing that held this book back from getting all four aces in our ratings system is the fact that it’s a bit dated, and some of the strategy advice is not as relevant as it once was. Inside the Poker Mind contains some of the same information as The Poker Mindset, and some information that is more advanced but in the same vein.
The two books together do an excellent job of preparing the reader for a long poker career by showing them the counter-intuitive pieces, the math stuff very few people would come up with on their own, and a way to quantify their own skills. If you are going to get serious about poker, this book is well worth a read, and it will help shape the way you learn for the rest of your poker career.
Buy Inside the Poker Mind on Amazon.com
Your Worst Poker Enemy-
by Dr. Alan Schoonmaker
Dr. Alan Schoonmaker does it again with this, our favorite book on tilt control and the mental side of the game. Half sports psychology and half poker mentor, this book lays it on the line. We like it more than other books on tilt because it doesn’t allow you to hide behind any excuses. If you want to know why you tilt, what it costs you, and how important it is to stop, this book will be a huge help.
We have to warn you, there is no sugar-coating the subject in Al’s work, and this book in particular hits very hard. If you have a strong desire to play poker, and very little desire to work hard to stop losing, then this book is a waste of your time. If you are willing to follow doctor’s orders and do your homework, then this book could be a real game changer for you. If you make ti to the end you may actually accept responsibility for your tilt problems and begin to fix them for yourself, because your worst poker enemy… is you.
