Zen and The Art of Poker

A most enlightening aproach to coping with the stress and emotions of cardplaying and finding the elusive zone of rythm and insinct . Zen and the Art of Poker contains no specific playing strategy but is the most useful poker book I own . I am a Vegas semi-pro who consistently wins in lower mid limit games who has struggled with the frustration of bad beats, constant drawouts and losing (a personality flaw in excess). This has cost me plenty in $$$ and peace of mind . With "Zen Poker" I am learning to flow with the game,indifferent to the outcome of each hand finding the "zone" of clear thought. I have a long way to go yet am excited with my new aproach to the emotional side of the game . Best of all this Zen state of mind has put the fun back in the game, It feels soothing to laugh at bad beats . Best of all I am applying Zen thought to other aspects of life.


A wealth of wisdom to realign one's mind for $12.95 well written . I strongly recomend this book.

I have just picked it up but won't get to it just yet. I have some other books ahead of it on my desk. But when I read it I will post a review.

Hey Mason, I second the recommendation. I'm surprised a self-proclaimed poker guru such as yourself has yet to read it.


The book doesn't tell us anything about specific poker we don't already know, but the ideas and concepts of Zen and how they apply to poker are brilliant. This book has helped my game as much as any 2+2 book, but in a different way.

Between this web site and a great deal of publishing work that we have recently completed, I have not had the time to read the books on my desk, but I am slowly getting to them.

Funny thing, this book. I have never been a Zen advocate...thought it to be more or less a wack religion or some such. After reading this book, my views or lack thereof on Zen have not changed, but when I picked up the book for a quick look in the bookstore I glanced naturally at the first few chapters and was pleased that the information was actually pertinent and helpful. So I bought the book.


Now, I won't say the book as a whole is great, but I will say that it would be hard to disagree with the view that poker is never more lonely that when you're not getting cards. Hour after hour. Fold, fold, fold.


The first part of Zen and the Art of Poker does a GREAT job of saying, basically, "what? you want a medal for folding and playing tight?" It simply drills home the point that poker for the most part is a game of folding. Expect it. Understand that you're not alone when you are forced to fold hand after hand just to play correctly.


Reading the first part of the book was akin to listening to a friend validate my views on playing tight. Ok, I remember thinking, here is someone else that understands that folding and folding and folding stinks, but that it's a necessary evil. So just do it.


The rest of the book I found less than helpful. It mainly prescribes a life view and suggests that you apply this view to poker. The whole gist seems to be: relax and let the game come to you.


Overall it's worth the money if you need assurance that playing tight is both necessaary and difficult, but some later parts are just plain incorrect and maybe (obviously?) not too useful.


Greg

to this website are a work of art and worthy of the equivalent (or more) of authoring a book...thanks and keep up the great work...if possible...still enjoying vol iii and think it may be your best production yet...gl

Unfortunately, in addition to it's very sound advice, the book also contains nonsense about luck running in cycles, and how should fold more when you've lost a lot of hands recently and are clearly in an unlucky part of the cycle.


Even though this is poor advice, it comprises a very small part of the book. I have been disappointed to hear many people who discuss/review this book focus only on this part of it, neglecting the useful advice in the rest of the book. I hope Mason's review is more balanced and does not do this.

I agree that this book is very good, especially for the price. It helps you deal with the psychological side of poker, which for me anyway, is by far the most difficult part.

"Unfortunately, in addition to it's very sound advice, the book also contains nonsense about luck running in cycles, and how should fold more when you've lost a lot of hands recently and are clearly in an unlucky part of the cycle."


Folding when you've lost a lot of hands recently is very useful advice especially if you're doing it for strategic reasons, namely that when you're losing you'll tend to project a weak image that will cause your opponents not to fear you.


It's funny how a nonsense advice based on "lucky cycles" can result in an action (namely, playing tighter when you're losing) that makes a lot of sense, and advocated by the game's top theorists but for entirely different reasons.

I agree that there is nothing wrong with folding more afte losing a few hands. Even more than image considerations, I think it can just be useful to have a few minutes to psychollogically recover from a huge loss, rather than taking a few in a row.


However, this doesn't change the fact that what he says about luck running in cycles is wrong. It just means that the faulty information he's providing isn't very dangerous.

Luck running in cycles may be not strictly true, but cards do coming in rushes, and probability law dictates this. Just as bad runs occur, so will good ones, along with prolonged periods of indifferent luck.


Doyle Brunson says one must follow a rush, and this is true for several reasons, but mainly that the image of a lucky winning player is a formidable and often terrifying image to opponents.

I posted a review of Larry's book a while ago to RGP. You can find the review at:


http://groups.google.com/groupsq=Art+Zen+group:rec.gambling.poker+author:mp h40acm.org&hl=en&safe=off&rnum=1&selm=386855b8%240%24204%40nntp1.ba.best.com


If for some reason that link doesn't work then search for author mph@acm.org in rec.gambling.poker contains "Zen Art" in dejanews.com.

I didn't get past the first section. I thought, "Okay, folding is good. Yes. Next?" Perhaps the monkey mind didn't let me get into the book. The author is a frequent poster to RGP and seems like a good guy, but with all the books out there to buy and digest, I wouldn't recommend this book.


I just ordered John Fox's "Sleep 'til Noon...", MM's "Poker Essays III," and Gary Carsons "Complete Book of Hold Em." Between those, work, and school, I won't have any time to actually PLAY poker.