Bad Beat Therapy

How To Become a Better Poker Player and Person

From the author: This book helps poker players deal with tilt, variance, leaks, risk, table image, focus, boredom, tells, and learning. All of these psychological aspects of the game can be improved, but they require radical self-honesty. Not only is it necessary for you to have an accurate assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, but you must learn how to deal with emotions and learn how to learn.

This method is called “bad beat therapy” because tough losses offer a great insight into how people think about themselves and the game. However, due to the high level of negative emotions during bad beats, most people are unable to process important information, and so they are unable to improve.

The lessons and theories presented not only seek to improve your poker playing, but they also can lead to a better life away from the table. What makes this approach unique is that I provide a more realistic and deep understanding of human psychology compared to some other poker guides. Much of this knowledge comes from the field of psychoanalysis, which is often highly misunderstood, yet I argue that the techniques discovered by Freud offer the best opportunity to deal with emotions and thoughts.