Product Description

Poker is a game of many skills and to become an expert poker player you need to master them all. This includes concepts such as hand selection, position, proper image projection, and reading hands. However, there are many players who have mastered most of these skills yet they still do poorly in the games — at best they are only small winners. And when they step up in limit and challenge the better players, they almost always fail. You see, knowing the concept is one thing, putting it all together is another.

As the text will show, winning poker is a process that requires a lot of thinking as well as a thorough and systematic approach to the game, and that is what this book is about. Topics include "Playing Too Many Hands," "Self-Weighting Cold Calls," "Short-Handed Play: Don't Miss Out," "The Strategic Moment in Hold 'em," "Countering a Good Reader," "A Poker Player in Therapy," and "Thoughts on the Effects of the Poker Literature." Those of you who are serious about your game should find much of this material to be extremely valuable.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #191629 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 275 pages

About the Author
John Feeney spent his youth in Phoenix Arizona. After attending the University of Colorado he moved to San Diego to pursue graduate work in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology. His interest in poker was sparked while observing a hold 'em game during a weekend trip to Las Vegas. True to his background, he took an academic approach to the game, studying the poker literature, consulting with David Sklansky, and getting the requisite playing experience. By the time he received his Ph.D., poker was beginning to compete with psychology for his attention. He soon began to log more hours in the cardrooms of Southern California than in his field of psychology, until ultimately poker became his primary focus.

Today John can often be found in mid-limit and higher games in San Diego, Los Angeles, or elsewhere. When not at the tables John now devotes a good portion of his time to writing. His articles in Poker Digest have been well received, and he is a regular participant in poker discussions on the Internet.Away from poker John enjoys spending time with his wife, Nanci, and two young daughters, Olivia and Blythe.

Customer Reviews

essential reading for anyone serious
there are lotsa other books on profiling players.... this one really makes you take a look at yourself as well

The Most Conceptual Poker Book.
I heard about Inside the Poker Mind from a few players who post at a forum I frequent, and I finally got around to purchasing it. Frankly, I have difficulty believing anybody gave this one less than 5 stars because it is a rare and excellent work. I will admit that it is not a book for beginners or even those who have yet to read Ed Miller's Small Stakes Hold `Em, but it offers extensive benefits for the intermediate player on up. Inside... is basically a collection of essays concerning topics seldom discussed, or not addressed in detail, within the typical "how to" manual. Feeney, despite having a PhD and being an accomplished high stakes player, is not broadcasting to readers from Phil Ivey-ian heights. Feeney ground out poker at the lowest levels before becoming the player he is today. His experiences in the small limits ring true for those of us dwelling in them today. My favorite essay in here, "How am I doing? Who Cares?", warns readers not to be results oriented in regards to sessions. Variance is sometimes mind-boggling, but what we must do is concentrate on playing correctly despite our aces being snapped or getting cold-decked. Really, the entire Part IV section on poker and emotion is sensational. His definition of tilt is much more subtle than the ones generally offered, and, I believe, it is much more accurate. Overall, with brilliant analysis and clear style, Inside... is far better than most of its competitors. It's for the thinking man which is what everyone should aspire to be if they want to make any money out of the game.

This is a Book of Cautionary Tales; Not a Strategic Text
I find the title of this book to be slightly misleading: "Inside the Poker Mind" is a collection of essays on what NOT to do as a poker player (e.g. do not get smug and play weak cards, do not go on tilt, do not overestimate your odds, do not play beyond your means, do not take bad beats personally, etc.). From the title one might expect the text to relate in some way to getting "into the mind" of one's opponent (i.e. the text may have some strategic advice); this is simply not the case. There are a handful of strategic plays involved in this book, and some consideration of reading hands. However, these are addressed from the perspective of how not to make a mistake in either overusing certain strategies, or being too rigid in the face of changing conditions in the hand.

Essentially, this book assumes you already know everything there is to know about being a good poker player, and merely need some cautionary advice on avoiding common mistakes. While not valueless, I do not believe this focus serves the prospective readers of the book; the author frequently references "Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players" and "The Theory of Poker" to flesh out ideas he mentions in passing, and probably the reader would do better to explore those books IN PLACE of this one (although I have a very low opinion of "Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players"). The warnings this book contains are well-advised, however, and on the whole I'd probably give this book 2 1/2 stars if I could.

HITS: Cautions against overplaying marginal hands; good essays exploring the tilt phenomenon; the author's "by the numbers" pure analytical mindset becomes infectious, and could influence your play for the better

MISSES: The author is so vehemently anti-no limit and pot limit hold 'em that he refuses to address these games at all (absolutely do not attempt to use the author's strategic limit plays in a no limit or pot limit game); tournaments are denigrated as a drain on the poker economy (demonstrably false, in my opinion); no basic strategy advice; references other texts (particularly "Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players" - a terrible book in my opinion - and "The Theory of Poker", which is truly great) excessively to fill in basic ideas that more properly could be explained in the text.