Back in April 2011, I wrote a review of the first "The Mental Game of Poker" book here
http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=52878.0Out now "The Mental Game of Poker 2", and here's my review
Barry's review for AmazonLooking back at the first review, I was as much in uncharted territory as many poker players in considering The Mental Game of Poker and of course time has moved on since. Our awareness of the issues contained in the first book have been transformed by its success. On here, we saw it in practice with the audio interview done with Rupinder Bedi. Try watching Rupinder at a big live event now, which I do in the line of work frequently. More chance of seeing him do a double axel with triple sulco across the felt than there is him tilting. I think I even saw him smile shyly when outdrawn in a big pot a fortnight ago.
The second book takes us to the next stage. As Jared Tendler says, the first book covered "the back end" of the Mental side of poker addressing issues like tilt, and confidence. This book is concerns what he describes as the "Front End" and looks at issues such as focus when playing, and discipline. No doubt the lack of these is a common problem for many of us, and the aim of the book is to help us improve in these areas and thus improve the player's edge from being in "the zone". We hear constantly that the "games are getting tougher" and therefore the whole approach is a logical one: In these tougher games, the more often you can be at a mental peak, the greater the advantage you have.
There's an important difference in the two books beyond this though. When I looked at the first book, I jumped around, taking sections at random as and when I required, and it worked as a series of self-contained chapters, and thus became "bite-sized" for the reader.
This is different though, and a more complex challenge I thought. I took the same approach as before, and soon found myself muddled. Instead, its best read sequentially I found. It can be read without reading the first book, I felt, though the key principles of the first are outlined in an Appendix of the second. The issues here are somewhat more subtle than the very overt problems people suffer with in respect of the areas of the first book such as Tilt, which we can see in ourselves and all around us whether playing live or online.
Over and above the theories, it is examples of putting Tendler's principles in action that make the book. It wouldn't be what it is without case studies, decribed here as "Clients Stories" where even if you don't know the player there are practical applications from various spheres of poker to bring it to life. To give an illustration, there are two of these in Chapter 2 alone, One looking at a Omaha Player, the other a HUSNG player.
In addtion we are treated to "Barry's Takes". Barry Carter I imagine as a "poker player everyman" on Tendler's shoulder, tapping the side of Jared's cranium when something needs explaining, or put into layman's terms, often drawing parallels with sports and professions outside poker to illustrate the point though the Take on "Fixing a leak" was frankly misleading, as it does not refer to Barry's legendary DIY skills.
Finally, the links to Tendler's worksheets (I won't put the link on here, its in the book) which can be downloaded for free to help break down your own situation and track progress.
All of these combined, the client's stories, Barry's take and the worksheets, are what elevates a book of theory into a book of practice.
So who is the book suitable for? Well much as the first, if you are keen on poker and specifically keen on improving beyond merely honing strategies, this is for you. Recreational, professional or somewhere in between, I think you'll benefit. I'll just take one area, the Chapter on "Grinding". I know we have lots of grinders on here, putting the hours in across many tables. Sub-sections on Mental Endurance, rest and recovery, extreme grinding and sample schedules for how to optimise the grind are must-reads. Loads of tips that will help make those long hours more effective.
Richard Prew
April 2013