The stories we tell ourselves present demanding tripwires. I talk to countless players who repeat many of these internal narratives. One of the more popular is, "they know exactly what I have." Never true. www.philgalfond.com/articles/the... @jakenetter.bsky.social @recpokerjim.bsky.social

The modern poker landscape is marked by just a few great writerly minds. @philgalfond.com numbers among them. Some wonderful insights here. www.philgalfond.com/articles

"Staying present" is more than a goofy phrase in poker and trading. www.tradingcomposure.com/blog/mindful...

Poker is information warfare. When you give less than you get, you control the info balance and it shows in your confidence. The longer you tank, say, in any given hand, the more information you give up about your range. Equilibrium is fed by strong hand planning and fast action.

Fear in poker causes pain.

Capitalizing on your unfair share of pots is what separates the girls from the women in live-cash poker.

From a few years back, but a brilliant strategy chat between @thinkingpoker.bsky.social and Matt Berkey. youtube.com/watch?v=BoeC... @carloswelch.bsky.social @jakenetter.bsky.social @recpokerjim.bsky.social @jenshahade.bsky.social

When you master fast-folding, you keep your mind clear, your hand-planning strong, and you induce tremendous confusion in your opponents as pausing, deliberating, and tanking are the norm.

"When playing, you don’t want to be too self-reflective, beyond real-time adjustments or knowing when to quit. When your job is to perform and compete, that needs to be your sole focus. Afterwards it’s vital to reflect on the quality of the performance." -- Jared Tendler on keeping journals

This is an absolutely invaluable tool. The word journaling as a verb gets on my nerves, but the habit shines a very bright light on what in your game needs to be fixed. jaredtendler.com/effective-jo...

Why do we care about how we feel when we play poker? “Your toughest opponent will always be you. The only person who ever beat me was myself.” -- Stu Ungar

"Misread of a Lifetime" is the gorgeous title of someone's next poker book! www.poker.org/latest-news/... @daraokearney.bsky.social @jamesmcmanus22.bsky.social

Hi Chad thanks for weighing in! This came to me through Jason Su's newsletter. The folding player is his client. Jason said something like that, about how relaxed he was and how his state of mind, and all the training he had done, allowed him to make this incredible fold. So beautiful.

The ego-less focus and presence required for this kind of spot is the mindset of champions. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMu_... @queenfive.bsky.social @recpokerjim.bsky.social

Be clear about your goals for each live-poker session. A powerful articulation from a thought leader in the trading space. www.tradingcomposure.com/blog/trading...

I know players addicted to pain. Difficult to watch. As David Mamet wrote 40 years ago: "The pain of losing is diverting. So is the thrill of winning. Winning, however, is lonelier, because those you've taken money from are not apt to commiserate with you. Winning takes some getting used to."

"Poker is boring. If you sit down to experience excitement, you will do things to make the game exciting. You will take long odds or create emergencies and you will lose money. Those I admire are like the wise old owl who sat on the oak and kept his mouth shut, his eye on the action." -- David Mamet

MINDSET MATTERS If the axiom you are acting under is not designed to make you money, you may discover that your real objective at the poker table is something else: you may be trying to prove yourself beloved of God. --David Mamet, "About Men"

Hi @tritonpokerseries.com: Randy Lew is one of the most important high-stakes commentators of the last 15 years. He's stunningly brilliant. Thank you.

Successful live-cash poker boils down to small, yet powerful, edges in your mental game.

"There is a flow to poker. A movement of energy. Movements have to be tactful. Strike when it's right, block when it's right, move when it's right. Whoever can apply the right amount of pressure, and allow the right amount of retreat, will win." -- LuckyChewy via "The Biggest Bluff"

You don't have to pay attention in a live poker session. But you do have to then accept the consequences of your distraction.

The goal in live poker is waiting patiently for the opportunity, noticing the opportunity, assessing the value of the opportunity, and leveraging our skill and training to catch the opportunity and bring ourselves benefit.

Yes! Angelo has many sly sideways tricks. One of his favs is when, say, four players in a 5/10 game limp. He's in the big blind and bets 20. It's so f'ing goofy and ideal! @tommyangelo.bsky.social

Jen hi, the sideways idea certainly applies in poker as you know. We mostly call it creative instinct or some version of that. Watching Triton recently, seeing Patrik Antonius run one of his magical bluffs, I'm going to think about this idea more closely. Thank you, my dear.

There's something about accomplished gaming women who write wonderful books, care about their communities, and who are kind people. An extraordinary combination. The sideways idea seems rather magical. @queenfive.bsky.social @mattmatros.bsky.social @thinkingpoker.bsky.social @mjr1.bsky.social

Read the winners of American Short Fiction’s 2025 Insider Prize, as selected by Manuel Muñoz.

One of the true pinnacles of a grounded mind in poker is not expecting to win every hand we enter.

Wanna explore less pain and more joy in your poker life? Join us for a free mindset workshop. And just say no to bad-beat stories! www.facebook.com/events/74560...

Grateful to Lafaya for this wonderful opportunity to talk about less pain and more joy in poker and in life! open.spotify.com/episode/03dV... @tommyangelo.bsky.social @recpokerjim.bsky.social @queenfive.bsky.social @jenshahade.bsky.social

Play poker like you crack eggs. Quickly, confidently, always with a plan. @queenfive.bsky.social

Poker means constant adaptation. Learning how to shift gears and change speeds. It's a core skill, often overlooked, with many poker brands marketing through the lens of unbalanced aggression and rigid recommendations. cardplayerlifestyle.com/poker-tips-s...

The books on the National Book Awards longlist for Translated Literature originally appeared in nine languages: Arabic, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Uzbek. See this year's honorees. #NBAwards

The 24 new books out today include titles by Elizabeth Gilbert, Sarah Moss, Alejandro Varela, and more! lithub.com/elizabeth-gi...

“If you believe something is supposed to be a difficult struggle, then it will never feel easy. And if you believe there's something wrong with you, you'll never be happy no matter what you accomplish. The mind sees what you tell it to look for.” -- Poker mindset trainer Jason Su

Trading and poker are Siamese twins. Much gold to mine here. www.quantifiedstrategies.com/trading-bias/

Folks, a massive fall Vera tour is on its way!!!! More readings in the winter.

Alan so happy for you! I know that feeling. Always a joy to find literary gems in thrift stores and odd habitats. I stumbled onto a Stephen King novel in a massive vinyl store in Vegas recently. Enjoy!

As the inspired Jason Su suggests, there's a difference in our poker lives between learning and discovering. He explains more in his new book. Jason is one of the most important voices in the mindset space today.

As reported, the average American second-guesses 41% of their daily decisions. Imagine how that migrates into their poker lives. @thinkingpoker.bsky.social @andybloch.bsky.social @queenfive.bsky.social

Poker women in the booth is always glorious. Especially this woman! @queenfive.bsky.social

"In your vast experience, countless times, you have watched players shift gears from their A-game to their C-game. As a trained patternist, is there a defining feature that is common to those deteriorations?" www.poker.org/poker-strate...

I should smooth out my resentments with more compassion. Remember why we love the game. Why we gather.

The solver kids analyze poker to death and we love their interesting brains. The opposite is sitting on a stump. Ideally we find something in-between.

"My strategy is simple. I play fast. And I use my speed to create meta-game advantages. Perhaps you could do the same." www.pokernews.com/strategy/int...

"Like countless 'good girls' of my generation, the message was reduce like a white sauce and privilege masculinity. I had few success models until 50 years out my passion for poker exploded." www.salon.com/2017/01/23/p... @shinnypoker.bsky.social @recpokerjim.bsky.social @daraokearney.bsky.social

The notion of being "with" your game is particular to Jason's brilliant approach to mindset work. Worth a listen. His two books are marvelous.https://youtube.com/watch?v=nnOXpuTWexk&feature=shared

Blocker theory is so much fun. Proceed with caution.