Hi Everyone:

We have just picked up books from our printer and we'll start shipping out Real Poker Psychology tomorrow, Thursday Dec 10. So this will serve as the first post in the book review thread.

Here's the Table of Contents.

Best wishes,
Mason

About Mason Malmuth v

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction 1

Part One: Them Fluctuations
...Introduction 3
...Variance 4
...Variance is Your Friend 5
...A Mathematical Model of “Tilt” — Cause and Cure 9
...More on Tilt 14
...More Still on Tilt 18
...An Excuse to Lose 20
...A Note on Steaming 22
...Poker is Counter-Intuitive 26
...Rushes 28
...Running Bad and How to Handle It 33
...A Little More on Fluctuations 35
...Luck Versus Skill 38
...A Band-aid or a Cure 40

Part Two: How’s Your Poker Game? 41
...Introduction 42
...Play Your A Game — Why Wouldn’t You? 43
...Handling Pressure 45
...Being Unaware 48
...Craving Action 50
...Playing Too Many Hands 52
...The Maniac 54
...Evaluating Yourself and Your Opponents 57
...How to Become a Great Player 60
...Is It Better To Be Lucky or Good? 62
...10,000 Hours 65
...Low-Limit Hold ’em and Players Who Are Unaware 68
...Poker Magic 72
...Psychological Strength 76
...Mental Toughness 81
...Selecting the Best Game 85
...Thinking Fast 87
...What’s Not Important 90
...Why You Lose 93
...Being a Tournament Star 96

Part Three: Image 99
...Introduction 100
...Where Did My Image Go? 101
...Appropriate Image 104
...When Is a Dynamic Image Good? 108
...It’s How You Are Perceived 111
...Weak Tight Opponents 114
...What Your Opponent Thinks 117

Part Four: At the Tables 121
...Introduction 122
...No-Limit Hold ’em: Is it Too Irritating? 123
...Some Losing Concepts 127
...Suggestions for Professional Players 130
...Too Many Bad Players 133
...Why Do the Best Players Sometimes Go Broke? 136
...Why There Are So Few Great Players 139
...It’s Not What You Eat 142
...Danny Robison 145

Part Five: Tells 147
...Introduction 148
...The Value of Tells and Positive Reinforcement 149
...Visual Cues 152

Part Six: Other Topics 159
...Introduction 160
...Observations 161
...Staying Broke 164
...That’s What She Said 167
...The World’s Worst Player 170
...The Worst Plays in History 173
...Throwing Money 176
...Bankroll Management 179
...What Happened to the Superstars? 186
...Jackpot Games 189
...How Many Winners are There? 192
...Focus 194
...Fight or Flight 196
...Apathy 197
...Self-Confidence 199
...Over-Confidence 201
...When Running Bad, Some Players Take Shots at You 203
...Getting Your Nose Open 204
...Sucker Privileges 207
...Blackjack Card Counters Don’t Tilt 208
...Ideas From Dr. Feeney 209

Part Seven: Silly Ideas 215
...Introduction 216
...Self-Weighting Hand Histories 217
...Having the Best Hand 220
...Recent Erroneous Concepts 223

Conclusion 241

Index 243

Link to store page:
http://www.professionalpoker.com/IP....&productID=558

how long for Kindle version ?

Hi Mike1270:

My best guess is about three weeks.

Best wishes,
Mason

Pre-Ordered it from Amazon, any estimate on when it will ship from Amazon?

Amazon's stocking order shipped out yesterday so figure mid to late in the week before they start shipping. Those that ordered from http://Professionalpoker.com received tracking info and have started receiving their orders.

thanks

Hi Everyone:

Here is an interview that I did on The Poker Advocacy Show with Rich Muny where I talked about the book:

http://podcasts.ontiltradio.com/play...Dec-8-2015.mp3

Best wishes,
Mason

Hi Everyone:

Here is an interview that I did with Joey Ingram on his Poker Life show where the book is discussed in length:



Best wishes,
Mason

Hi Mason,

I watched the your podcast with Joey and found myself agreeing with some of what you had to say but also disagreeing with other parts. I should mention that i haven't read your book, so I'm only referencing what i heard in the podcast and what i see listed in the table of contents.

First, I'm surprised that you don't think meditation is helpful in tilt prevention (or maybe that you find it marginally helpful). When a poker player experiences tilt, you say that it's your mind locking up. The player so fixated on what they're experiencing (that is causing the tilt to manifest) that it prevents them from thinking about anything else. So it would seem to me, that a practice where the very purpose is to identify, acknowledge and deal with these emotions would be very helpful. When i experience mild forms of this emotion, I'm able to continue unaffected (maybe tilt only refers to times when you're not able to continue unaffected). Other times, albeit somewhat infrequently, it's the mind consuming version. It's in these times where i find meditation a valuable tool because I've practiced identifying unproductive thoughts that are troubling me and dealing with them. It seems obvious that this is something that should occur naturally, but because tilt is such a large emotion, is makes the untrained mind dwell on it. I think it occupies the mind the same way that a new relationship might, where you find yourself thinking about the other person more than you ought to. Even though you know that these thoughts of the other person are distracting you from what you need to be focused on, trying to white knuckle it and push them from your mind doesn't really work. Even if you can logically deduce all of the reasons that these thoughts about the other person are preventing you from important tasks, the very act of thinking about the encumbrance is in itself accomplishing the same thing. I would argue that practiced meditation gives a person the tools to recognize and prioritize thoughts that would otherwise not come naturally.

The second thing i disagree with (i think this a disagreement because i haven't read the chapter) is that pg. 142, It's Not What You Eat. Forgive me if this isn't indicative of the information found in the book, but I think it is about what you eat as well as many other factors. What you eat doesn't directly give you better strategy while playing poker. However, all of the positive benefits of eating healthy obviously help you play better poker. If you're eating a very unhealthy diet and experience any negative symptoms from that diet, those negative symptoms are occupying a small part of your mind at all times. Similarly, I'm sure that anybody who has back problems expends some mental energy being uncomfortable and that distracts that person from being able to fully focus on playing poker. If you talk to anybody who has made a meaningful lifestyle change and adoptive a 'better' diet and exercise routine, I'd be surprised if even one of those people didn't report feeling more mental clarity and just 'feeling better' all around. Another example that i feel is somewhat related is personal hygiene. I play online poker for a living and there are some days where I've tried to wake up and start playing immediately, without having showered. For some people, this feeling of being unclean is a distraction that occupies a small part of their mind and therefore pulls some of their attention away from poker. I believe that any sort of habit or routine that produces even the smallest negative thought or emotion, especially if that negative experience coincides with our time spent playing poker, needs to be addressed...whether that is diet, fitness , hygiene etc. So in my experience, it is about what you eat as well as other things.

I really appreciate the blunt honesty in your podcast and found myself agreeing with the idea that confidence in itself is meaningless if it isn't based in reality. I also appreciate the honest thought that "Playing your A Game, Why Wouldn't You?" that you touched on. Though I do think there there's often a disconnect between logic and the corresponding action, a lot of which has to do with the fear of being wrong and / or how we'll be perceived by others. There are situations in my own experience, where a hero call and seem logical and even the correct play, but the fear of being wrong (i'm sure there's deeper reasoning as to why we experience fear of being wrong) prevents us from making the "correct play". /post

Hi Warder:

The topic of meditation or the term "meditate" is not addressed in Real Poker Psychology. All I did was answer a question that Rich Muny asked

There's no question that eating well has many benefits, and this is stated in the book. But also pointed out is that eating in a healthy way is very good for things like speed, timing, and coordination, which are not attributes you need for poker. So at best, in my opinion, this benefit when directly related to poker should be minimal. Remember, to have better results at poker in the long term, it means you must play some of your hands differently and this different way of playing them must be superior than the way you would otherwise play them.

This would be true if it means that you are now playing some of your hands differently and this different way of playing them is inferior than what you would normally do. In my opinion, if this is the case, it would only have a small effect. An expert would still play poker quite well.

I would be very surprised if a knowledgeable player was to agree with everything written in Real Poker Psychology. But it should give you a lot of things to think about (since a lot of topics are covered).

Best wishes,
Mason

Hi Everyone:

Here's another interview which I did with Limon, who's a regular poster on 2+2 where we discuss Real Poker Psychology in length as well as some other topics:



Best wishes,
Mason

Meditation can be useful for world class players who need help focusing and do not need to put the study time in to work on their game - but 99.9% of all players would be better served focusing on their game itself as well as controlling the cause of tilt -emotional static that interferes with the decision process. This comes with self awareness, which meditation cannot necessarily solve. You may gain inner peace while meditating, but from my experience that inner peace will not translate to better results in game, keep in mind your not meditating while playing and inner peace does not directly translate the assuring an optimal decision process taken in-game.

Even more to the point, the vast majority of these players would be better served if they instead did more theoretical research and post game analysis. Lets face it, the typical player who purchases a book or meditation to help themselves control tilt are probably looking for excuses to avoid the real issue - flaws in their own game. Its also the same with players who hire coaches, the truth is most of the work that a coach does could be done by yourself with better results - if and only if you were willing to put in the time and effort required to get those results. Of course most players do not have that level of commitment, this is a known fact and it is why the coaching market has exploded. This has occurred even though the vast majority of coaches are just exploiting the market's inefficiencies, and are probably not qualified for the job.

It should also be noted that tilt is not an emotion. I know this is me being nitpicky, but it should be clarified to help others. Tilt is caused by emotional or intellectual confusion; leading the player (myself sometimes included) to take non-optimal decision within the hand to try to force a win. Tilt should of course be avoided, but the solution is actually quite simple for cash games - take a break until your decision process is unclouded. If a break won't solve the problem, then stop playing until the issue is solved. Know yourself, thats really the simple answer. If your in a tournament and cannot take a break the answer is not as straightforward of course, but there are many possibilities to explore such as turning away from the table, folding hands while you regain your composure, stopping for 10 extra seconds before each action taken to ask yourself "is this really the best line to take?" (this is what I tend to do for what it's worth).

Everyone should eat well, regardless if they are a poker player or not. Eating well helps promote a healthy life, that is not in dispute. But eating well does not make anyone a better player, nor should not eating well on a regular basis cloud the decision process (unless you have a specific issue such as diabetics with sugar levels or extreme hunger). For example if you are a world class player with poor eating habits, then improving your dietary intake should have positive effects on your overall well being, but you were a world class player already. The dietary change will probably do little to help your in-game experience other improve stamina (which could also have a negative effect of inducing poor decisions if the mind is not used to the ruling effect of long sessions).

Conversely say you were a losing player, you should of course improve your dietary intake because it will help you overall to improve your quality of life. With that said, as far as poker is concerned you would be better served focusing on improving your game itself than assuming you will gain an edge from dietary changes.


Great paragraph, well stated. I quoted it because it should read by everyone.

If there is anyone well qualified to write this book, it is clearly Mason in my humble opinion. There is no arguing against the fact that that some feel his blunt style can be polarizing, but he has an amazing knack for pointing out the logically correct path to those who cannot see the forest through the trees - provided they are willing to listen of course. He is a no-nonsense kind of guy, and that is the approach that he appears to take in real poker psychology. His goal is to separates the little known facts from the well known fiction, to help those in need ignore the crutches they might have been using in the past. Common crutches including putting too much emphasis on eating well, meditation, or finding third party blame rather than blaming oneself. In reality most players would get greater milage from their personal investment by just studying, finding flaws in their own game, reviewing bet sizing situations, working on opponent ranges, improving 3Bet pot play, reducing the expected loss from the blinds, etc etc etc. For example the best part of the 2+2 forums are the strategy posts, yet these are the parts of 2+2 that are the least used... isn't that were the focus of attention should be for most players, rather than NVG? (no offense to NVG - it's an important and very valuable subforum of course)

I've known Mason for a little more than a decade, this paragraph sums up my experience with him quite well. I have not yet read his new book, but I have spent many hours discussing numerous poker related topics with Mason far beyond basic strategy. From that experience with him I can clearly say that I am positive this will become an excellent read for many students of the game.

I'll be getting a copy when the ebook version is available.
Assume it's better for everyone buying of propoker than amazon?

Watched joey's podcast and the whole 'get good and you don't have these problems' reverberated with me. It will be interesting to see how much I agree with.
I've always thought these psychology books were mumbo jumbo and the authors & proponents were snake oil salesmen. 'A' Game, 'B' Game, 'C' Game, what ****ing bull****.

It is now available as an Adobe DRM protected eBook.
http://www.professionalpoker.com/Cat...ker-Psychology
10% discount with the code rppt22. Discount is good on everything in that listing.

These files are not compatible with Kindle but should work in all other Android, Windows and iOS devices as well as other eReaders that support Adobe DRM.

It is important to have an Adobe ID to register your reader with before installation. This allows the file to be backed up and restored as well as sharing to other devices. Without registering to an Adobe ID the file is locked to a single device.

Any chance this is in the bookstores now?

Hi Scotch:

We ship to wholesalers and from there it goes to book stores. But this process takes longer so I would think it's not there yet.

Also, it usually takes a while for Barnes & Noble to make a purchase since it has to go through their small press office.

Best wishes,
Mason

Received my copy from Amazon yesterday. Loving it so far.

Hi La Peste:

Thanks for posting this, and I was wondering if anyone had received the book yet.

Best wishes,
Mason

PS: Did you like The Penguin Joke?

The Penguin Joke was epic. I am going to have to steal that one.

Mr Malmuth,
Thanks for the good read. I am really enjoying your book.

I have a couple of quick questions.

On page 23-24 you discuss a situation when a player has a weak top pair in a large multiway flop, a flop which is incredibly dry. The player bets, bets the turn, and loses the river to a weak two pair that the villain drew to. You indicate that the player didn't play the hand correctly and that if he had, he wouldn't have tilted. But is there always a single right play, what would be the right play for that situation?

You mention that it was wrong to bet the flop because "anyone with a small pair was correct to call due to all the bets in the center of the table." You say betting was a strategic error. But your rationale seems to contradict what is taught in "The Theory of Poker." Is there really a correct play?

In that book Sklanksy writes that checking to a drawer provides a drawer with "infinite odds." He explains on pg 80 that "If your proponent is a 9-to-1 underdog, getting 6-to-1 odds, you should still bet. In this case, you hope that opponent calls, but you don't mind when he folds. His folding is better than giving him a free 10 percent change to make his hand and beat your."

In other words, Sklanksy reasons that even if betting gives a drawer a positive +Ev call, checking would give the villain an even higher EV. So is it really a mistake to bet on a dry flop if people can correctly call?

In the example above, the flop is very dry with few to no strong draws. If the villain turned over his hand and showed you that he has a small pair and was drawing to a weak two pair, would you still not bet?

The reason I ask is because your book seems to presume that there is almost always a single correct play for a given situation, and that once you identify the play then you will never tilt. But is that really true? Reasonable minds probably differ as to what the "correct play" for that situation above really is.

I don't usually tilt because of a bad beat, but rather the tilt I experience is from not being able to identify if the play I made was a mistake or not, or knowing how to identify the gray area. You are correct that if most decisions are black and white, knowing the difference fixes all the issues. But isn't poker too dynamic for that to presently be the case?

Thanks for your help!

If you have a weak top pair on a dry board in a large multiway flop, you are either way ahead or way behind. You have little to gain but a lot to lose. You should keep the pot small. Betting and betting is doing the opposite.

This assumes the stacks are deep.

I haven't yet read the book, but based on reading other Sklansky & Malmuth material, I'm guessing it was more likely a fixed limit hand, and that MM thought hero should have checked the flop, hoping to check-raise a LP bettor.

Yes, TOP is primarily fixed limit. Betting and betting would be best in that situation because "you want to win the big pots right away" as one title chapter from that book states.

I can't remember which book or the exact reference, but I definitely recall a 2+2 book written by S or M or both saying the hero made a mistake by betting his top pair likely best hand on the flop, and that he should have gone for a check raise, in order to face the field with two bets cold.