Featured Articles

‘Mental’ Aspect of Poker Examined
by Howard Schwartz
14 May 07

Two hotsy-totsy titles of interest to poker and video poker aficionados have arrived at Gambler’s Book Shop, Alan Schoonmaker’s Your Worst Poker Enemy -- Master The Mental Game (336 pages, paperbound, $15.95) and The Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide by Jean Scott and Viktor Nacht (34 pages, 3x7, pocket-sized, spiralbound, $19.99).

Schoonmaker, who previously authored the well-received Psychology of Poker, continues to help poker players analyze opponents and themselves. He examines and dissects subjects like logic versus intuition; evaluating the player and opposition; understanding unconscious and emotional forces; adjusting to changes and handling stress. One section that’s sure to raise the hackles on the necks of female players involves the domination of males in tournaments:

“I therefore believe that more women avoid the poker tournament circuit for competitive than for lifestyle reasons. To put it bluntly, they don’t think they can win, and they’re probably right,” he says.

Overall, Schoonmaker does a fine job of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses that we all carry to and from the table. He excels in explaining why some players learn from their mistakes, why some candy-coat them and refuse to admit they exist and why others, like generals in battle, learn and build on past errors to become better players in the long run.


The Scott-Nacht book is easy to carry to video poker machines. The authors try to guide you to what the casinos already know: Which games are better for the player and which are not and which are the better paying machines?

There are more than 175 pay schedules for three dozen different games listed, including the most popular pay schedules nationally—so if you’re in Atlantic City or Mississippi, the book will work for you.

Also, the book includes a “volatility rating” or an approximate measure of the kinds of fluctuations you might face while playing and there’s also an “approximate royal progressive break-even point” for dollar and quarter action.

There’s a handy index for games, from Aces and Eights to White Hot Aces, in alphabetical order. Also included are games like Double Bonus Poker; Double Deuces; Double Double Bonus Poker; Loose Deuces; Super Aces Bonus Poker; Super Bonus Deuces Wild; Triple Bonus Poker; Triple Pay Deuces.