[Al Schoonmaker]

Some people have a natural gift for reading cards and people, and they don't need my book. I felt obliged to say so up front because it was written for the other 90 or 98% of the population. As a responsible author, I don't want to insist that it can help everyone.

You wrote about maniacs: "I simply fail to make complete sense of these weirdos." I can't make complete sense of them either, and neither can anyone else. They are very confusing creatures. Beware of anyone who claims to understand them completely; he is not being honest with you.

I think your "theory" is true for some maniacs, but certainly not for all of them. I honestly don't know ultimately why they (or anyone else) act in self-destructive ways. I can confidently state SOME of the reasons for a maniacal or other style, but it would be presumptuous for me to say that they hate other people or their jobs, have deep-seated inferiority feelings, etc.

That's the sort of pop psychology that no serious psychologist would write. People are NOT that simple, and the ultimate causes for any pattern of behavior are highly varied.

Maniac A may fit your profile. Maniac B may be close. And Maniac C may have a very different profile.

More importantly, the ultimate reasons for other people's behavior are essentially irrelevant. I don't have to know why a person has chosen to play like a maniac to know how to beat him.

Understanding the causes for your own behavior is much more important, and most players don't do enough self-analysis. "The Psychology of Poker" dealt with some of these causes, and they will be the dominant topic of "Poker Psychology Essays." I'm just finishing it now.

Regards,

Al