Question for PhD Al

[tek]

Do you believe in intuition?

This is a very simple question and please don't hijack into an esp thread. We know your view on that.

[Al Schoonmaker]

Of course, I believe in intuition. There is too much evidence to deny it. In fact, the very first part of my next book is titled, "Intuition vs. Logic." It begins:

Doyle Brunson, T.J. Cloutier, Layne Flack, and many other great players are intuitive geniuses, “artists at the poker table.” They share with immortals like Stu Ungar a natural feel for the game and its players, an uncanny instinct for reading their opponents.
The ancient Greeks, Carl Jung, and many other eminent thinkers contrasted intuition and logic, and scientists have recently discovered that they occur in different parts of the brain. Intuition takes place in the right half, the seat of artistic abilities, while logic comes from the left half. These halves are often called the right and left brains.
This long series of article will describe both, review historical trends, discuss each one’s advantages and disadvantages, and suggest ways to develop your ability to think logically. I rarely rely on intuition because of my scientific training and association with Mason Malmuth and David Sklansky, the leaders of the logical approach to poker.

Let me quote from the second article in that series.

WHICH IS BETTER, INTUITION OR LOGIC?

Don’t expect a simple answer to a question has been debated for more than 2,500 years. Both have substantial advantages, and like so many poker questions, it depends on the situation.
THE ADVANTAGES OF LOGIC
The three major advantages of logic are that it is correctable, easily teachable, and additive...
THE ADVANTAGES OF INTUITION
Intuition has two great advantages: It can go beyond logic, and it can utilize logic and its products.

End of quoted material.

I put that issue first in my book because your choice between intuition and logic affects everything you do. The second part is "Evaluating ourselves and the opposition."

Because logic is easily correctable, you can find and correct your mistakes. The major problem with intuition is that many people overrate their intuition. They remember the time they made a great read and forget the times they were wrong. They may therefore continue to make the same mistakes.

Regards,

Al