Quote:
Originally Posted by Mason Malmuth
Hi Runchuks:
I actually had some correspondence with Su when his book came out (and found him to be very nice) but my reaction was that this was the most bizarre poker mental coach book yet, and I quit reading after half of it. Stuff like
which appears in the chapter titled "Body Intelligence" where BQ stands for body intelligence which is supposed to be something like IQ but for your body was a little too much for me. I'm really surprised to see that you did an interview with him and I hope the information that Su presented is a lot better than the half a book that I read.
Best wishes,
Mason
Hi Mason,
I haven’t read Jason’s book, so I can’t comment on it. But I see how that sentence tuned you out from what he has to say.
We had an interesting conversation with him. Jason seems like a nice guy who is passionate about the work he does. Sure, his work is not for everyone, nor should it be.
As the saying goes “wherever you go – there you are”. Mental game coaches can’t really help somebody become a better poker player, but they sure can help people become better at being a poker player. What I mean is - just because somebody learns to breathe properly or starts to meditate, doesn’t mean they’d miraculously start making better decisions in poker, but if these practices help them feel happier, maintain higher levels of energy, sleep better, or whatever it happens to be for each individual – eventually all that reflects on results in poker, but more importantly it increases the quality of their life.
Several people asked me to get Jason on the show. I’m happy I did. Due to the lockdowns, a lot of people are struggling to maintain (or attain) a happy life. I interviewed several people from the “mindset coaching” world. They all have something different to offer. For those online poker players who are looking for actionable, practical advice I’d highlight our conversation with
Adam Carmichael we discussed a lot of great ideas in that one, most of them are quite easy to implement. Most of the other conversations with mindset coaches also had a lot of value. I feel that everybody has their blind spots when it comes to the topic of the mental game. And sometimes just one idea is enough to trigger a big positive change. Occasionally, all we need is a nudge.
There are a lot of coaches out there working on mindset, and I think that the podcast is a good platform to introduce people to what’s out there. I don’t have any financial interest in their businesses, so I can provide an unbiased conversation exploring the work of guys like Jason. And if as a result, Jason helps at least one guy make a positive change in his life - that’s mission accomplished for me. Plus, I’m just genuinely curious and I like to explore new ideas on my podcast.
I got several insights from the conversation with Jason. Ideas I haven’t considered before. I’ll write about those in the newsletter. I know these ideas won’t have any effect on how I play poker, but hopefully, they will have a positive effect on other areas of my life.