This should not be your first poker book. Nothing is more important than the fundamental understanding of basic statistics and strategy. Behind The Stare is about the game of poker; not how to play hands and strategize specific situations. The concepts focus on elements you can control to improve your performance. It contains ideas and perspectives that will allow you to expand your awareness and understanding of the game and yourself. Though many of the topics may seem simple, they are probably the most overlooked skills I see attributing to players failures on a regular basis.
In the statistical section of the book, I tried to accomplish several things at once. To begin with, I wanted to show, that in countless ways, the game itself demonstrates characteristics that can be measured and leveraged to the benefit of aware players. Secondly, I hoped to demonstrate empirically how players with higher skill levels utilize the concepts to strengthen their game and overcome their instinctual responses during play. Lastly, I hope to have demonstrated a paradigm that can be expanded upon by the poker community. Being aware of the impact of social behaviors is helpful, but using these concepts to assist in answering some of the more esoteric issues can have a profound impact on one’s bottom line. For example determining the optimum conditions for entering or exiting a game; what type of adjustments to make in strategy based on the game make-up, or capitalizing on behaviors in different environments such as live, internet and tournament play.
I hope you find the material valuable and I look forward to any comments or questions that you have.
Good luck out there! |