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I'm a Better Player Now

Revisado: 11-17-16

I immediately put this advice into practice, which allowed me to take 2nd place in a NL tournament last weekend. I owe two big playing improvements to this book:

1) I’m now better at observing the behavior of others.
2) I’m now better at observing my own behavior.

On observing others…
I took more account of the activity around me. Especially after folding, I started truly observing and making informed predictions of the strength/weakness of remaining players’ hands. Aside from the occasional surprise river-made hand, the results were well-aligned with my predictions.

On my own behavior…
This book helped me understand how much information I was regularly giving away to others. To combat this, I made some needed adjustments and saw immediate results. For example:

-Early in a round, with a weak hand, I started feigning nonchalance and stopped being so obviously fixated on my opponents’ betting actions. Then later in that round, still with a weak hand and bluffing, I took more time to bet, call or raise, and I increased the level of eye contact with opponents in order to demonstrate confidence.

-Early in a round, with a strong hand, I feigned interest in my opponents' bets. Later in the round, if I had the nuts, I avoided eye contact or any sign of hand confidence.

And then I walked home with cash.

Taking these classic tells, and reverse engineering them for my own performance, made all the difference. Here lies one of the few suggestions I have for this book: instead of focusing on the tells of others, there was runway to ask the reader to reflect on himself and his own actions and determine what to adjust. Perhaps it’s implied. Perhaps it lives in Elwood’s other book. Or perhaps Elwood will present new material: “Now that you know what they’re doing, here’s what you need to stop/start doing.”

On the narration:
Elwood’s tone and style is quite flat. One could argue that a more skilled narrator could really add some needed spice. However, this isn’t Shakespeare; it’s poker. Ultimately, Elwood’s matter-of-fact style really lent itself well to his credibility. The subtext of every sentence says: “Hey, none of this stuff is really groundbreaking. It’s pretty logical and intuitive, you just have to notice it.” That’s a good angle for a book like this. Furthermore, Elwood made it impossible to forget the chief point of the book: account for an opponent’s previous behavior before determining their tells.

My one last piece of advice might not be feasible. I’d like a cheat sheet. This is an audible book with a tone of reference material. I took careful notes, but access to a downloadable summary would be a really nice addition. This is a general challenge with audio books, so I don’t fault Elwood one bit.

I can’t wait to listen to Elwood’s other book. Meanwhile, I remain very grateful for this read and I’m confident that any player can take something from it.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Probably Changed My Life

Revisado: 01-19-16

Last year was my most exciting year yet. My company relocated me from the U.S. to our new office in London. This came with a promotion. I had achieved a new level of careers success, and exciting international adventures awaited.

It all came true, but it also didn't change me. I still obsessed about upsetting work interactions. Challenges in my personal life and romantic involvements (and lack thereof) plagued my mind. Despite this fantasy-like life, my inner heckler was snarkier than ever...reminding me that things will get worse, and someday, all my unearned luck will disappear with age.

And it left me exhausted.

I was literally sick and tired of useless stress, disdain and worry. It became clear that something had to change. Otherwise, I was just a jackass unable to appreciate having everything he could've ever wanted.

So along came 10% Happier. It probably changed my life. Simply listening to Dan's story - insightful yet gut-bustingly funny - was immediately transformational. We have some shared life experiences and common "monkey mind" tendencies. It was therapeutic to listen to someone whom I could relate to. I needed someone like Dan to show me the way to be...well...happier.

10% Happier had become what might be my favorite book weeks before I actually started meditating. I don't believe you need to commit to meditating in order to fully enjoy this masterpiece. That said, it gave me the push I needed. I've now completed the free trial for a populate app-based mediation guide and am moving forward to more advanced levels. While I'm not attached to short-term, dramatic results, I feel better equipped already...in ways I wasn't expecting.

As Dan points out, happiness is a skill. I'm ready to learn it. And I'd like to thank Dan for the happiness this book has brought me so far.

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Beyond the Story You Think You Know

Revisado: 08-02-14

In a word: Wow!

Already knowing the basics of this story, my fear was that this would leave little to gain from the book. Boy, was I mistaken! Despite my surface-level knowledge of the main occurrences, the author's portrayal of real-life characters and events offered something so much more important.

I was taken through the entire gamut of emotions. Putty in the author's hands, I couldn't stop listening and was left disappointed that this somehow true story had to finally end.

If you're like me, you'll be left wondering two things:

1) "How did the author so gracefully fit such an amazing life into a single book?"

and

2) "How the heck are they going to pull this off with a single movie? This could be 5 movies!"

This has immediately become one of my favorite non-fiction books of all time. I promise you'll feel the same way.

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Tear-jerking at Times

Revisado: 09-22-11

This book has left me feeling a bit mixed up. It took a couple of hours for me to feel drawn in. However, what suddenly blossomed was a painfully phenomenal recreation of a character I thought I knew. In her early years, Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West) is the embodiment of youth's most insecure times. However, so well-adjusted to exclusion, she remains ignorant to any conscious sense of insecurity. That much more did I want to reach out to her in her rejection when reaching out to others.

However, despite the formative years, I felt the book eventually became very hollow and very rushed. Maguire's other-world descriptions began to become a bit too abstract. Even masterbatory. For those looking for a great beginning-to-end masterpiece, maybe look abroad. However, if it's a compelling, psychological character study you seek, you've found it.

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Great for a Beginner

Revisado: 08-01-11

This book spoke very much to me as a virtual know-nothing on all things AdSense. It's get-to-the-point approach ensured that I walked away with a ground level knowledge...without feeling overwhelmed. It leaves plenty of room to learn more, but serves as a terrific usher. I'd even suggest it to more advanced listeners, as even one or two nuggets of something to can really make all the difference.

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Benjamin Button-Esque

Revisado: 08-01-11

Dare it say it: Niffenegger just might not yet be a great writer. I appreciated the concept and the depths to which it was explored. I found some of the ideas within this book very romantic, as well. However, like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the result of something that could've been a masterpiece was instead surface-y and underwhelming.

Like others, I thought the character development was a bit stale. Instead of painting a true portrait, the author instead threw in mild personal eccentricities with no real meaning nor justification. And the storyline as a whole seemed to lose its luster once the time travel concept was fully established.

Afterward, I watched the movie. Verses the book, I enjoyed the movie more. It really seemed to cut the clutter. It simply deletes the more dispensable scenes within the book.

I urge Neffenegger to keep writing, but maybe under the mentorship of another. (Personally, I'd recommend Ken Follett; his talent of character creation could really help Neffenegger. But that's of course simply my personal bias.)

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