Strategically, the game of poker evolves at a rapid rate. Books that were once considered revolutionary are now starting points for a beginner’s course. Everyone is looking to stay ahead of the curve, and players are looking at other ways to maintain their edge.
One topic that is in comparative infancy is working on your “mental” game. Online players have begun to play more tables and for longer hours, and as live players put in mammoth sessions, the concept is becoming increasingly important.
Countless pages have been written on poker strategy, and hours of video daily are made to teach tactical concepts. But all that is not much good if you cannot keep your emotions in check at the table or if you lose your concentration due to fatigue. Poker will always be a game of strong emotional reactions: As long as money is on the table, it is inevitable that a player will have to deal with their own emotions as well as with those of their opponents.
Despite a clear need to teach players how to play their best game at the table, control tilt and maintain concentration, there is comparatively little material out there on the topic.
Below we have picked out three of the best books available on the topic that are tailored specifically to the poker player. We have teamed up with the authors to provide excerpts, and we are giving away bundles of all the books to three of our readers!
Tommy Angelo: Elements of Poker
Starting to play in the 70’s and being a professional for more than twenty years, it is safe to say Tommy has already been through what is only ahead of most players. Recognized as one of the sages of the game, his thoughts can be helpful for anyone thinking of embarking on a poker career or would just like to hear what someone with more than 25 years of experience has to say about the mental aspects of poker.
On Tilt
Tilt has many causes and kinds, but it has only one effect. It makes us play bad. It makes us do things we wouldn’t do if we were at our very best. And that’s how I want to define it, exactly like that. Tilt is any deviation from your A-game and your A-mindset, however slight or fleeting.
There are two reasons to define tilt in this way. One is standardization. All A-games are identical. Anyone who is playing his A-game is making the best decisions he knows how, and his mind is as right as it ever is. That’s what A-game is. It’s our best. And we all have it. So by defining tilt from the top down, we can draw a line for any player that cleanly divides his tilt from his non-tilt.
The other reason is that we aren’t just playing with words here. We are using them as shovels to dig for gold. And by using the word tilt to focus on our best, instead of our worst, we hit a lode: Tilt is non A-game. Tilt is anything less than your utmost. Tilt is suboptimalness. Defining tilt in this way, everyone tilts. It’s just a matter of how often, how long, and how bad.
And so we arrive at the three dimensions of tilt: frequency, duration, and depth. How often do you deviate from your A-game? How long does it last? And how far below your A-game do you go? Revisit those questions.
Tilt is all about you. If you think you should have taken the day off, or if you think you should have played at different stakes, or if you think you made a bad raise, then you tilted. Only you know when you knew better.
To find out more, you can browse the table of contents and buy Elements of Poker from tommyangelo.com. It retails for $29.95 and, for a limited time, you can get his latest offering A Rubber Band Story and Other Poker Tales free when you buy Elements of Poker.
Jared Tendler with Barry Carter: The Mental Game of Poker
Before shifting his focus to poker, Jared was a mental coach for golf players on the PGA and LPGA tours. Since he began coaching poker players, he has helped over 200 them from around the world. Jared’s methods have also helped many more through his training videos, articles, and forum Q&As. He is a featured coach for DragtheBar.com, and writes monthly instructional articles for WPT Magazine and Poker Pro Europe.
The Mental Game of Poker is a straightforward step-by-step guide to improving your mental game and consists of many philosophical topics alongside motivational strategies used by PokerStars Supernova Elite players. It is currently on sale for $29.95 instead of its normal price of $49.95.
Paul Hoppe: Way of the Poker Warrior
Paul, who is both a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwon-Do and a respected mid-stakes Limit Holdem pro, blends Eastern philosophy with theories about poker in Way of the Poker Warrior. He has coached poker for more than two years, including about 50 private students, and is the Limit Holdem Studio Head at DragTheBar.com. Paul applies his hard-won martial arts knowledge to game theory, balance and heads-up play. His goal is to help readers achieve relaxed focus and calm intensity, making poker more enjoyable as well as more profitable.
ZEN-LITE
The No. 1 goal of your warm up should be to achieve a state of relaxed focus. I call this Zen-Lite. Others call it The Zone. It’s about being present in the moment.
Think of the way a panther moves. It’s effortless and powerful. The cat’s alertness comes without strain. This is how a good martial artist moves. This is how a good poker player thinks.
Unnecessary emotional and physical tension saps your strength. When unwanted thoughts creep into your mind, take a deep breath and watch them leave your mind as the air leaves your lungs.
Whether I’m facing a fearsome opponent or a daunting stack of boards, achieving a calm intensity is my best chance for success. To play your best in poker, you must do the same.
This is the single most important lesson I have learned from martial arts, and it is the most important lesson I can teach you.
As a writer, Paul has had strategy articles published in various poker magazines, as well as written on Internet poker legislation and legal issues. His book can be ordered from from giantbuddhapoker.com for $24.99.
