why the disparity between knowledge and results?

[benfranklin]

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Why, in your opinion can literally hundreds of thousands of players buy proven how to poker books and not translate the knowledge into consistent cash results?

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I would guess that the majority of people who buy a good poker book (SSHE, HOH, etc.) never finish reading it. They read some of it, they play some poker, they read a little more, and the book ends up on the shelf. I read somewhere that surveys have shown that only about 10% of self-help books purchased are completely read.

There is no reason to believe that it is any different for poker books. Those books take an effort to read and understand. Most people are put off by math and by thinking about general principles. I can just see the average player trying to read a discussion about implied odds, bogging down, putting the book aside, and turning on the WPT.

They are looking for a quick fix, a cook book for winning. There have been a number of posts here by people who have read SSHE, but are convinced that they are not winning because the starting hand charts are not right for their games. Their requests for "better" charts shows they didn't get it. They are convinved that if they just had the right chart for Party 1/2 6 max, or whatever, they could turn pro and retire early.

I'm sure that most of the people who do read books like these get nowhere near the potential benefit. You don't read a book like HOH like you read a novel. You study it like you study a text book in a tough college course. This is tougher than college, because the answer to every test question is, "It depends". You need to read the book, play some poker, study the book, play some more, analyse your results, study some more, and repeat. It takes a lot more thought and work than the average day job.

excellent response, thank you. How long did it take you to "get it" after studying the recommended books?

by the way I read a similar study done on "In Search of Excellence" and it said 14% so you are right on the money there.

i think it comes down to one thing - majority of players don't know how to apply what they've learned/read (incorporate it into their gameplan... that is, if they even have one in the first place).

they either overdo it or underdo it. or, they apply what they've learned/read at the wrong time. the trick is not following what you've read/learned to the letter... BUT understanding *WHY* the book told you to do a certain thing in a certain situation. you have to understand the *IDEA* (the reasoning) behind it and not just blindly do what a book tells you to do.

[DrPhysic]

I think that of those who do read the book, many read it like a novel, not doing the problems, thinking out the answers, learning to do the analysis, and especially taking the time to read the important books a second or third time.

("Important": I have read TOP 4 times, Positively Fifth Street and Killer Poker once. Maybe I am guilty, there may be something in KP that I just didn't get the first time, but I wasn't impressed.)

Doc

[Niediam]

I also only read Killer Poker once, and this was over a year ago, but I thought the book was garbage.

[benfranklin]

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I have read TOP 4 times, Positively Fifth Street and Killer Poker once. Maybe I am guilty, there may be something in KP that I just didn't get the first time, but I wasn't impressed.

Doc

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Forget Killer Poker. You'd be better off rereading PFS for some relaxation and entertainment.

[DrPhysic]

I kind of knew that. Thanks for the feedback.

My real point tho, was that people tend to READ, not STUDY. There is a difference.

Doc [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I'm sure that most of the people who do read books like these get nowhere near the potential benefit. You don't read a book like HOH like you read a novel. You study it like you study a text book in a tough college course.

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In my own personal experience, I almost took 3 months to read HOH2. I would read a chapter (or part of a chapter) and then go back and read what I had highlighted. Then the next day I would read the highlighted areas of the area I read the day before and then read the next section.

This might be overkill for many, but it helped me to retain the ideas in the book. I'm sure very few people who buy such books (except 2+2'ers [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]) put this much effort into learning from books (and not just reading the book).

excellent post.