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Your Worst Poker Enemy
Price:$7.95
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Product Description
"AT THE TABLE, YOU'RE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY." --Stu Ungar, the world's greatest poker player Do you play hands you should fold? Do you sometimes go too far with hands, hoping to get lucky while knowing that the pot odds don't justify calling? Ever kept playing even when you knew you were off your game because you were losing and wanted to get even? Have you let anger or destructive urges affect the way you play even though you know better? Don't despair! Now, in Your Worst Poker Enemy, psychologist Dr. Alan Schoonmaker shows you how to reap the full benefits of the poker knowledge you already have by helping you to identify and stop psychologically based mistakes. This must-have book also features detailed sections that examine crucial points far beyond the scope of most other poker strategy guides, including: Using Intuition vs. Logic
Evaluating Yourself and the Opposition
Understanding Unconscious and Emotional Factors
Adjusting to Changes
Handling stress Dr. Schoonmaker will help you to recognize and defeat the often crippling psychological factors that distort your perceptions about yourself, other players, and the game itself and send you on your way to becoming the best poker player you can be! |
Customers Reviews
2008-10-22
Good information in general, writing a bit tedious.
The general information in this book is well worth reading, the idea that most semi-serious players don't read enough and depend too much on luck is advice/information that many need to hear but just aren't willing to accept.
The book talks about stress, handling losing streaks, being at the wrong game, and many other things that can lead to losses, as well as discussing things that can help a game, reading and studying, using a coach or poker friend to critique one's play.
As far as readability, the book lacked in areas, it kind of drug on a bit, there were places I was thinking "okay, I get it already".
There are indeed other good poker books out there, but this one deals specifically with what is going on in the mind of a player, it's not a book about strategy at the table, he doesn't explain why or how to bet the river with a certain hand against a certain opponent, but rather asks you to consider whether your game is in a place that you should even be at that table, at that time and how have you prepared mentally and psychologically to be there.
Personally I've been knocked out of tournaments simply because the cards landed one way or another; I was on the bubble and went heads up against an opponent that finished with quad aces. You can't cry about that. Another tourney I got knocked out of was determined by a coin toss hand, you win half of those, so what can you say when you lose? But I've also been knocked out of tourneys, or lost money in cash games when I was playing poorly due to factors that were psychological and mental, not only making mistakes but making mistakes that I know not to make but made anyway.
I think that is the reason I recommend this book; it may very well point out one or two blind spots that keep you out of trouble, either putting money in your pocket or keeping it there in the first place.
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2008-04-25
A second vote for Didactic and Uninspiring
I agree with the other reviewer who felt Schoonmaker's tone was condescending and his analysis too rigid (I really take issue with his definition of "intuition"). In all fairness to Mr. Schoonmaker, I have not read his other book about being your best friend at the tables, but this book is not a good read for experienced players who are trying to improve their game or lift themselves out of a downturn.
Schoonmaker's characterization of prominent poker players like Doyle Brunson and Chris Ferguson as either intuitive or logical is also inaccurate (as the other reviewer noted) and he doesn't seem to understand the "art" of poker that only develops from a passion for the game, a willingness to learn and be humble at any stage, and the heightened perceptiveness (often called "intuitive" or "feel") that comes from spending a lot of time at the tables.
Schoonmaker seems to think there is only one way to approach poker -- from a purely logical standpoint. And in many respects he is right. But he does not allow for the creativity that comes from practical experience (I would say Doyle Brunson is more like this than an "intuitive" player). For the intermediate or even advanced player, I would suggest reading The Poker Mindset by Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger, respected authors and experienced players themselves.
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2007-11-18
Didactic and None Too Inspiring
Schoonmaker's writing is didactic, condescending and opinionated. He lectures as if he's a school principal admonishing an errant pupil. His approach to "helping" you boils down to: your results at poker are disappointing because you overestimate your abilities, rely too much on intuition, spend too little time studying the game and believe in luck. He argues that if you believe you have great intuition, you're memory is too selective and that it's actually hurt you more than it's helped you. Logic is essential, but ignoring intuition - the vast subconscious mind and all it has to tell you - is nonsense. Amazingly, Schoonmaker opines that you should spend more time thinking about your own limitations than exploiting those of your opponents. By focusing on exploiting your opponents' weaknesses, you will minimize your own weaknesses. I just finished writing a book on cross-examination for criminal defense lawyers; rather than tell my readers why their results are so disappointing (which is negative feedback and incidentally I don't know that their results are disappointing), I teach them how to think about strategy, exploit or cripple witnesses, and persuade the jury - all positive direction. Schoonmaker offers little positive direction. He freely admits he's not a great poker player, but insists that neither are you. If you think you're a great player, you're denying reality. I threw the book in the trash (I've never before thrown a book in the trash). It was a total waste of time to read and his ideas on categorizing players as tight, loose, etc. are unnecessarily complicated. After ten hands, I usually know if a player is loose or tight.
If you want to improve you're better off buying Harrington's three volume set on No Limit. Without being condescending, he teaches you how to evaluate your own hand, put an opponent on a hand (or at least narrow it down), how to bet for value, ect., and think about poker in general. His writing is so conversational and, at times, witty, it was a pleasure to read. I couldn't recommend Harrington more highly.
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2007-09-19
Surprisingly good...
I have to admit that I've been on a poker book buying binge as of late and wasn't really expecting much from this book.
I read it from cover-to-cover in one sitting and it's a solid book on controlling yourself at the table.
Seriously a good read.
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2007-09-17
Great Title
This is a great book, both for poker and life itself. Finally, a book that screams at you to take responsibilty for your own actions. Imagine how nice it would be to play in person if everyone had read, and lived, this book. I am not sure that there is anything earth shattering here, but it is very in your face in effort to make us realize that only we are responsible for our long term results. Thank you.
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Little Known Ways to Recognize Poker Addiction"Just because you are prone to addiction doesn't mean you're going to become addicted. It just means you've got to be careful." Dr. Glen Hanson
 Information for reflection. The term 'addiction' was previously applied exclusively to chemicals such as alcohol, drugs, or nicotine. With recent research on the brain and its processes, we now understand that many behaviors can become as chemically addictive as a substance. The term is often reserved for drug addictions but it's sometimes applied to other compulsions, such as problem gambling, and compulsive overeating.
By the way, compulsive gambling can be categorized into two types: action gambling and escape gambling.
- In action gambling, the gambler is addicted to the thrill of risk-taking as his or her "substance of choice," much in the same way that a cocaine addict is hooked on cocaine. The action itself becomes the drug. Action gamblers typically engage in games with other players, since part of the adrenaline rush is in the appearance or identity as a "winner."
- Escape gambling occurs when the gambler seeks to blot out some discomforting feelings or emotional life crisis. The action of gambling is secondary to the numbing effect of the activity. Escape gamblers prefer more singular outlets such as slot machines, where they can avoid human contact. Men tend more towards action gambling, and women tend to become escape gamblers.
Just about everyone can become poker (gambling) addicted by act of law on gambling. With an explosion in legalized gambling around the country and more than 800 casinos in 28 states, the days when gamblers headed to only Las Vegas or Atlantic City are long gone.
 According to the American Psychological Association, scientists find teenagers and young generation several times more likely to become pathological gamblers than adults. It's not a secret that pathological reckless players use tobacco, alcohol, drugs more often than do other groups.
Statistics say that four to seven per cent of all people playing casino games are gambling addicts. But unfortunately only few of them understand the danger. And most of them have no idea their passion for gambling has become a disease.
How to recognize the "hidden illness" symptoms? And in general should we do that? The American Psychological Association reports ten diagnostic criteria for determining the extent of gambling addiction. These criteria are:
- Preoccupation – Preoccupied with gambling (e.g., preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money to gamble)
- Tolerance – Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement
- Withdrawal – Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling
- Escape – Gambles as a way of escaping from problems or relieving dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression)
- Chasing – After losing money gambling, often returns another day in order to get even ("chasing one's losses"). Chasing is a classical behavior pattern characterizing pathological gambling.
- Lying – Lies to family members, therapists or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling
- Illegal acts – Has committed illegal acts (e.g., forgery, fraud, theft or embezzlement) in order to finance gambling
- Risked significant relationship – Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job or educational or career opportunity because of gambling
- Bailout – Has relied on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling
- Loss of control – Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop gambling
Five or more of these signs = pathological gambler
Three or four = problem gambler
One or two = "at risk" gambler
If you realized that you are crazy about spieling and can't live without poker. It's your mania?! There are some organizations of anonymous gamblers that help folks from all round the world.
But I really believe it's not you! Steer the golden mean!? Know how to cope with it?! For you it's nothing more than amusement like beer, pool or snooker, football or basketball?! And you rarely play for vast sums of money!
poker, gambling, money, gamblers, casino, games, pool, snooker, play, addiction, reckless players, action gambling, escape gambling |
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