The Poker Mindset: Essential Attitudes for Poker Success

• #12 in Best Poker Books

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At first glimpse, this book appears to be not much different from a lot of other 'poker psychology' books on the market. However, after delving in and devouring the book, it offered much more than I expected. This is not a book that talks about reading opponents or taking advantage of their weaknesses, rather it takes the opposite approach: It tells you how to read yourself and avoid allowing your opponents to take advantage of you.

There are a number of concepts in this book that every poker player thinks they understand, such as tilt, bad beats, and downswings, but you quickly realize how little understood these concepts are when they are so well articulated as in this book. Everyone who reads this will find at least one chapter where they realize that they have made the exact mistake mentioned in the chapter but have not been able to put their finger on it. I personally have made nearly every mindset mistake mentioned in this book at one point or another, and I recognized each with each successive chapter. It feels all too familiar. We all know the gaps in our game, but this helps us really understand the gaps in our game and offers strategies to eliminate them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever tilted off money, has ever stayed at a table too long, or has ever gone broke at limits too high for them. This book bears re-reading because these concepts are crucially important to being a winning player.

There are quite a few good books out there about the mechanics of poker play (I recommend any of Dan Harrington's books) -- where you can read about pot odds and late-position versus early-position play and all that -- and there are also good books out there about the psychology of poker play. I have read only two books devoted to the mental aspect of the game, but "The Poker Mindset" ranks among the best treatises about the psychological mindset poker players need to develop to improve their game.

What makes this book different than other texts written by players or psychologists? This book doesn't profess to tell you how to win on a regular basis per se. You WILL experience downswings which could last for long stretches, whether you are a solid player or not. Instead, the authors emphasize that how one deals with the invariable ups and downs of the game will determine whether one succeeds over the long haul.

This book takes a detailed, clinical and statistical approach to the realities of the game -- how odds figure into results in the near versus long term, how luck gives way to skill over time, how players limit their development by mis-associating certain results with unrelated causes (I lost this hand because I'm just running bad right now) -- and how understanding the bigger (mathematical) picture of poker reality is at the heart of anyone developing into a successful player.

The authors don't deconstruct hands, they deconstruct the mental process as events unfold at tables, and then they provide details about how to avoid common traps poker players fall into. They examine the many forms of tilt (not just players blowing up at the table, which is only one form of tilt) and how players need to confront their own mental and emotional weaknesses to overcome it.

The authors thorough examination of tilt (they define tilt as anything that prevents you from playing your best poker) will help the player focus on the subtle slips that further damage his/her results. This book is full of well-articulated ideas (and not too much mathematics) that help players take a 500-foot view of their game so that they can leave behind their superstitions and woolly misconceptions about suck outs, bad beats and downswings and improve their overall game. I highly recommend it, especially for those of you who have hit a "wall" and can't figure out why your game seems to be devolving.

If you play poker for fun OR if you think you're good enough to turn pro, this book is a "Must Read!" It's not another "how-to." There are plenty of those. And, if you're like me, you know that poker playing skill is all relative. If you already know about "pot odds", probablities, "premium hands", betting after the flop, and all the other technical stuff, then read this book before you play another hand. Sure, you will already know some of this stuff intuitively. But even if you do, this book is good reinforcement!
I knew some of the things that Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger point out. But I'm one of those guys that are so competetive, I let my emotions take over. But the next time I find myself in a "downswing" OR an "upswing", I will concentrate on what I learned in the Poker Mindset to try and improve my situation. "Just try to take my chips, baby!"

The authors claim in the Introduction that this is the 2nd most important poker book you'll read - with the 1st being a book on the fundamentals of sound poker play - and I totally agree.

Poker Mindset does a great job of explaining why we think the way we do when we play, and often, why this is wrong. For example:
- it's better to be the "receiver" of bad beats rather than the "giver",
- downswings are a myth,
- upswings and rushes are myths,
- berating poor play (or weak players) can only hurt you,
- tilt is not a line that is crossed, but a spectrum of poor plays waiting to be made,
- focusing on the $$ is not better than focusing on making the correct plays,
- etc.

Mindset is well-written and well-paced with helpful Action Points and chapter summaries to drive the lessons home.

I've read it and re-read it within the past 8 months and can definitely say that it's helped me maintain my composure in some pretty bad situations (times where I'm sure I would have exhibited very poor table behavior without this information at my mind's forefront).

I have read many poker books and magazines and played thousands of hours at the game. After all that, this book has been the single most important component in my approach to the game. It was nothing short of revolutionary to my perepective. It is on a similar vein to Zen and the Art of Poker, but it was, at least for me, a much better book. I heartily recommend it to anyone who plays poker.

I'll start this by saying something a little contradictory. In poker, the inner game within the game is both overrated and underrated. I think people put too much stock in reading people and psychoanalyzing the play. Meanwhile, the crucial aspects of mentally preparing yourself to play are often overlooked. I don't know if this is because they seem obvious, or if it's just because they're not particularly sexy.

Whatever the case, The Poker Mindset does an admirable job of taking on this seemingly basic aspect of the game and making you realize it's not as basic as you thought. As much as we all talk about tilt, bankroll, and preparing yourself to play, I'm sure most of us haven't considered the true ramifications of that and how that could be affecting our long-term prospects for profit.

As some people have said on here, this book feels elementary. In fact, it is written in a way that is a little repetitive and even simple. That does not mean that what it says should be glossed over. The simplicity is part of its brilliance. It raises important points and practical suggestions in language that is easy to understand and use in your own game. I felt like I was hearing for the first time things that I had always been thinking. This book make have been able to have been written in 50 pages rather than 274, but since we don't buy books by the page, that's not really a concern, is it?

My one argument with the book is the section on bankroll management. It specifically acknowledges that other books do a better job of outlining bankroll management, but then still goes on to give some pretty specific recommendations that perpetuate some of the same over-simplified thinking that gets a lot of people into bankroll trouble. I would recommend Mark Blade's Professional Poker as a helpful companion to this so you have a more sophisticated view of bankroll management. Still, all things considered, this book is a must have if you plan on playing poker at any significant level of stakes.

When I read the introduction to the book, I almost threw it away right then and there. Coming from someone with a psychology background, it was apparent immediately that the writers had no concept of how the human psyche actually works. To boot, their writing is pretty uninspired in terms of style.

However, they have one thing very apparent once you have completed reading: tons of experience.

Although I did not feel a deep emotional bond with the writers, they did connect to me in terms of what I had been going through as a fairly novice poker player. Swings, variance, short term vs. long term; these were aspects of the game that I had previously heard talked about very little and found even fewer objective solutions to dealing with. It's quite amazing when you consider the wealth of information dealing with the cards themselves, or even other players, but how hard it is to find information that helps you deal with the inner turmoil that routinely goes on if you are a serious, or even semi-serious, player. This was the first book I encountered that not just touched on but dedicated its entire content towards just that subject, and it came at the perfect time.

I highly recommend this book, as well as anything by Schoonmaker, for anyone who tilts easily, finds themselves behaving in ways that they know are disadvantageous, or (especially) those thinking of quitting the game altogether.

I have read countless strategy guides and spent thousands of hours at the tables and have become quite a skilled player over the years. I feel I have a deep understanding of the game and can read players extremely well. However, after all my study and efforts, was only slightly better than marginally profitable. I was beginning to doubt whether, with all the bad plays gone good, it was possible to make a real profit at poker. Could all the so called "Pro's" be media creations? I knew the biggest leak in my game was my emotional control, but had no idea how to plug it. I read "The Psychology of Poker" and "My Worst Poker Enemy" and found them very helpful, but still struggled. This book was like shining a light into a dark room. The authors intoduce concepts that should have been obvious, but somehow eluded me. The indepth analysis of "tilt" and discussions on long term success and bankroll strategies were amazing. I saw immediate results in my attitude at the table, even before finishing the book. A bad beat that normally would send me into a tailspin no longer bothers me. One of my regular opponents noticed and remarked "how are we going to beat you if we can't put you on tilt anymore?" In the four weeks since recieving the book I have increased my bankroll by over $4000, playing 1/2 NLHE! (no BS) Its not that I haven't had losing sessions, I just seem to lose less when I lose and win more when I win! I highly reccommend this book for anyone who has a good grip on the skills and strategies of the game but can't seem to get "over the hump". Just be careful who you tell, it may be like "knocking on the glass" and waking up the fish!

So you may as well buy it. I'm an online pro poker player and have been for about 2 years now and I can say with 100% certainty that this book has increased my profits. I've read it about 3.5 times. If you have already mastered your tilt you may not need this, but it has lots of good information about different types of tilt you may not be familiar with. It also gives convincing points about BR management. Give it to your always busto friends.

But most likely you need it. When people ask me which book helped my poker game most out of my collection this is currently the one I point to.

It says reasonable things but it says them TOOOO MANY times during the book. It could be a 50 pages books. If you understand the importance of the bankroll and can avoid tilt, save the money!

the products were in good condition and were what i expected them to be

This book is by far the most important poker book that I have read over the years and I've read my share. This book is not a "how to play a hand" strategy book or how to read your opposition. But more importantly gives you the awareness of how to read yourself and gives you the tools to help fix psychological leaks in your game.

There is "a lot" of essential information in this book that in my opinion should be read at least twice all the way trough (taking notes) and reviewed daily especially if you sense your game is even slightly off in any way. Keep this book handy almost like a bible is to any religious person. That may sound a little over dramatic or extreme but you will know what I mean after you read this book.

Hats off to Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger!

DM

Arrived quickly. Excellent book for understanding how to recognize tells with yourself and others and what to do about it. Helps you get over the 'bad beat' and prepares you for long sessions and keys to success. Recommended for advanced players who care about getting over the emotional aspects of the game and having good mindset to continue making good decisions.

a must read book for ALL poker players.there are so many helpful ideas and mindsets that are really neccessary for playing great poker and most of us dont utilize these.poker is so much more than math and luck and this book will be a wonderful guide to helping players understand how to handle the great game that we love to play.

If you are a beginner or intermediate player, then this is an excellent read. It outlines some of the most critical aspects of poker that separate the winners from the break-even/losing players. For me, I have been playing seriously for about 10 years, professionally for more than 5 years, I didn't find any new or very much useful information in the book. The reason I bought this book was because I was having the worst month I have had in a long time and I thought reading something like this might help put me back in the right frame of mind but the information is far more basic than I expected. I was expecting to learn more about myself and other people like WHY our egos sometimes get in our ways and WHY do we tilt from short-term results. The book gives answers to some of those types of questions but not as personal and in-depth as I was looking for.

I highly recommend this book to any new or intermediate player. I wish this book was around when I started playing. Things that took me years and years to learn are printed in black and white right there in this book.

I'm the type of player who doesn't get angry or aggressive after a series of ridiculous bad beats, but who gets tighter and weaker. According to this book this is also a form of tilt. I always thought I was a fairly non-emotional player and I would secretly smirk with a sense of superiority at those who had berserk meltdowns (and then consequently losing all their chips). But after reading this I can see that I do have my costly flaws to work on as well. I wouldn't say this is the greatest poker book ever written, but it does offer some interesting advice for a poker players who have already have a solid grasph on the technical side of poker and who wish to control their tilt tendencies a bit better.

You don't need a book to know that you will get bad beats plyaing poker. It's just part of the game and you have to accept it.

I just started getting back into poker, and I never had half the fundamental attitudes this book brings to the table. It has been one of the things that has truly improved my game.

This book helps keep your head together, where it should be. It goes through up's and downs. Covers emotions and decision making. Long term to continually work on dealing with thought process. Good to read and keep.

I have already learned most of the concepts described in this book just by practicing, but is good anyway that somebody state things as clear as in this book.

Ever taken a seriously bad beat at the poker table and tilted away 2 more buy-in's with dumb play? Grab ahold of this book and learn to look at poker in a whole new light. This book speaks very clearly about how to arm yourself mentally to accept the realities of poker and even how to exploit them. Many of the points made in the book about poor play described my own play just a couple weeks ago. Like trying feverishly and playing for hours to get in the black during a session just to avoid considering it a losing session, or targeting a player that put a bad beat on me. These attitudes are so detrimental to my game, yet I wasn't even thinking about them. Just last night I took two terrible beats in a row, first one depleting my entire stack and then immediately upon reload, set over set to remove another full 100xBB stack. This would normally have me reeling and playing like a maniac. However, I was able to retain focus and regained one full stack and most of the other one before my allotted playing time expired. I owe that to this book. If you have ever felt angry, frustrated, depressed, etc. about poker, buy this book!

Excellent book. It may be written to address americans, who need things to be repeated to them over and over, but still, it is very well written and is essential for every player. A 'must' for every poker player's library. Just by reading it, you get one big step away from tilt and bad play. Thx guys.

This is by far the best poker book I have ever read! There are hundreds of books explaining all the technical and mathematical aspects of the game, but every serious poker player knows that those are just the foundations of a good poker player. To be a world class player, though, you need to be very good at the emotional and psychological aspects of the game, and this book has the best content on that topic. Anyone who has problems with tilt and variance, you must read this. If you want to be a well lubricated poker machine, this book is your oil! I highly recommend it!

If you are a relatively new player, as I am, you find yourself constantly falling into a non-optimal mindset. Over time this creates leakage that makes you a loser no matter how well you otherwise play. This book makes that point in a compelling and interesting way. I'm leaking a lot less and thinking a lot more.

Who would I recommend this to? Someone who is trying to take their game to the next level. Particularly if you find yourself steaming even a little bit.

Who wouldn't I recommend this to? Advanced players or those looking for detailed game strategy.

this book covers your mental attitude and how to handle bad beats. I am a backgammon player not a poker player. 90% of this book is applicable to backgammon. I took a risk with this book and delivered what I wanted. Thoroughly recommended.

You can't be a PPP without having read this book.
Seriously, poker it's a game of man played with cards, and this book will teach you how to master your attitude to that.
Great.

Learning the game is not the only thing you need to know to be a successful poker player. This book goes through the philosphical and psychologic aspects of the game. This gives you the information to get your emotions and attitudes in the corrct place to always go for that positive expectation.
Solid information and a good read. Pick it up if you are getting serious about the game.

Perfect book. It explains why not to be angry about bad beats.
Helps you to control and to recognize your (various types of) tilts.
It saves me money. I tilted too much and now i have a better
control over it. Keeps hammering on that a winning pokerplayer
must look for the long term. And thats what its all about.
Helped me to focus on targets. NOT to set targets about how much you must
win in a certain time. This is what i usually did.
Now i set targets for example: I will read 1 pokerbook every 2 month, i will post 10 hands a week in a forum. All of this to improve my game...
Guess what??? It works!
Its a must read for every poker player

Not your normal how to book, which is good. Its not going to tell you which hands to play or how much to bet. It covers a different subject and causes different thoughts. If your looking for the best books on how to play poker I personally like Harrington, but if your looking for something else this book is a good addition to the poker library. Has some good concepts and lets you know that all players have ups and downs and really helps you understand the downswings or variance in poker.

I found this book very useful and informative concerning the mental part of poker, aside from the mathematics, etc. It gave me new insights into how I play and how I can be better prepared mentally when I sit down at the table. Poker is a whole lot more than odds and luck.

This book introduces the reader to the many other aspects of playing winning poker and what to do with your mindset when things do and do not go your way. It has excellent material on surviving tilt and establishing a philosophy for play that can keep you balanced and clear headed.

This book was a good read IMO. If any of you are familiar with the Schoonamker series and like them as well, this book is for you. I like the fact that it look at you as an individual and shows you what you really need to make it besides just having a bankroll.

I have about 15 different poker books, and I would put this in the top 3.

Reading this book makes a lot of sense. Good advice on bankroll management, and most importantly tells you what you need to do to help you avoid tilt. Tilt is probably the main cause of a downswing, avoiding tilt is important. After reading this book I feel cool and calm about playing poker knowing that it will all even out in the long run. I also like how it stresses that poker is just a game and that there are other things in life.

I mostly play online. Saw myself, my relationship to the game and other players differently as I read the book over a 3 week period. My results have improved. Check out the Table of Contents. Book is put together well. I'm considering purchasing their Statistics and probability book but I've got a stack of Harrington books waiting to be read.

Overall, I think the book is pretty good. It is especially helpful if you have problems with tilt or get down and think your play is bad when on a downswing. After awhile though, it feels like its saying the same thing over and over. Its worth the money though if you ask me.

This book is helpful for controlling negative emotions yet is secondary to technical and strategy books. Yet buy this book to develop a well rounded game.