Book Details:
The Psychology of Poker: Pub. Date: May 2000; ISBN-13: 9781880685259; 330 pages

Power Poker Course’s Book Review:

First of all, The Psychology of Poker isn't the most practical book I've ever read, as it doesn't really cover "how to play" so much as "how to gather information about who you're playing with." However, I think most people underestimate this facet of the game. Once you've mastered the fundamentals, all that's left is to figure out "how to play better" - and that means "how to figure your opponents out".

This book classifies players using "the styles grid." Every player falls on this grid between Loose/Tight and Passive/Aggressive - this leaves only four types of play: Loose, Passive; Loose, Aggressive; Tight, Passive; and Tight, Aggressive. Every player has some degree of these traits, and should therefore be handled uniquely. TPOP delves deep into each style, covering not only how to defend against them, but how to play better if you're one of them yourself.

I've heard it said that this book is only an excuse to get people to buy other 2 + 2 books -- their complaints are that every time a detailed explanation of strategy is called for, there's only a footnote saying "see this other book that we sell for more info." However, I think these whiners must not be able to read, because this book is obviously not intended to teach poker. It's intended only to show you how to adjust for a particular opponent in order to maximize your potential. I guess 300+ pages of information aren't enough for these guys.

Personally, I thought this book was a nice change - after all, there's only so much you can say about the game and these days, with all the books that have already been written, unique thoughts on poker are few and far between. This book is definitely not for beginners, and maybe not even for intermediate payers - but once you're ready to start thinking for yourself, it's worth checking out. Of all the poker books out there, this one has information you won't find elsewhere - and for poker, that's certainly saying a lot.


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