A few thought on Psychology of Poker

[davet]

I recently picked up Psychology of Poker and gave it a read- through.

Unfortunately, I felt abondoned from the first section, when Dr. Al stated that this book would be of little use to someone who is good at hand reading, and then went on with the line "for the rest of us."

I don't want to agree with that line of thought. Anyway, considering myself a good hand- reader, I read on anyway, and there wasn't a single statement I didn't agree with.

The section that interested me the most is the section on maniacs. I am obsessed with this strange breed of gambler, and I simply fail to make complete sense of these weirdos.

I have outlined a small theory, and sadly, Dr. Al didn't go this direction, but I think it is important. However, it should be noted that Dr. Al simply couldn't take this direction because it might offend some of his readers. He intended his book to be a work book and a help book.

Enough already, here is my analysis:

Before I embark on this, I would like to say that this is not meant to debunk anything Dr. Al has written, rather this is another branch/ continuation.

I think that maniacs are people who suffer several short- comings in life. I think that there is an inherent hate toward job, family, or some other chaotic part of their lives that they feel that they cannot control. I maniac feels small, and they wish to overcome these feelings of inferiority by flexxing their power at the poker table. A maniac is truly angry inside, and wishes to "show- up" anyone they feel are more powerful than they are. They realize that any player does not like chaos, this line of thought is realized because they do not like the chaos in their own life.

They are also envious of people that may be more successful than they are. They realize that a succeeder's life is build around a sturdy foundation of hard work and study. A winning poker player is of this breed. I think that a maniac has a natural tendency toward violent thougts, though they never go through with it. However, at the table, they are able to express this.

Toward weaker opponents, they are probably exibiting a jealousy toward people they know are weaker than they are. A maniac might be under the fist of a controlling mother, girlfriend, or boss, and they feel powerless against them. At the table, they are able to dominate "weak" people.

I guess I could go on writing an entire chapter on this theory, but I think that the readers of this forum could come to their own conclusions.

For help on the derivate thoughts, I broke this down from the perspective of gambling being a good "punching bag."

Anyway, I would like to know what thoughts you all may have on this theory.