Poker, Life and Other Confusing Things

Poker is a microcosm of life. If you play the game even semi-seriously you know this. It is a devilishly hard game to master for, like the rest of life, it is intellectually complex, emotionally demanding and intensely social.

In these essays Arthur Reber, who has spent a half-century studying human thinking and playing poker, shows how basic principles in psychology give insight into the nature of the game. Some chapters start with a psychological finding and look at what it can tell us about poker. Some begin with a particular aspect of the game and seek to unpack the psychological processes that underlie it. Others look at mathematical and statistical aspects with an eye to the impact they have on our perceptions and understanding of how to play the game. Still others examine individuals who play poker.