Poker Shrink

Dr. Tim Lavalli, a doctor of research psychology shares his thoughts on the psychological side of poker. From gameplay issues, to problems away from the table, if its in a poker player's head - you'll find it here.

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 18 – The Anatomy of Tilt

  December 08, 2006,

  It doesn't matter if it's the final table of the Main Event of World Series of Poker or a $2/$4 game at your local casino; players go on tilt. We have all seen Mike Matusow lose it at the table and we have seen the drunk, internet wiz go ballistic...

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 17 – 'Original Position'

  December 01, 2006,

  Suppose you had the power to set up all the rules of society. You get to be the creator of the laws and social conventions for how everyone will act and interact in every aspect of life....

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 16 - Food, Psychology and Poker

  November 24, 2006,

  What better time than the day after Gobbler Gluttony to talk about food, psychology and poker. If you don't already know how eating (or not eating) affects your game, then I have to ask: what were you thinking?....

   

• The Poker Shrink, Volume 15 - Optimism at the Poker Table

  November 17, 2006,

  Some years ago I participated in a study on optimism; specifically how did an optimistic attitude affect the results of various tests and games. Lately, I have wondered how these results might apply themselves to poker....

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 14 - The Psychology of a Poker Tournament

  November 10, 2006,

  Every poker tournament is different. The structures are different, the players are different and certainly the cards are different. Recognizing how a tournament is different can increase your chances...

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 13 - A Complete Psychology of Hand Analysis

  November 03, 2006,

  One trait that all good poker players share is their ability to analyze hands and learn from their mistakes. Very good players also improve their game by studying hands played by others...

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 12 - Underlying Depression

  October 27, 2006,

  There is a lot of depression in the poker world these days. Even more then usual. I would like to suggest today that everyone in the poker community pay attention to themselves and to their poker cohorts, buddies and pals...

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 11 - Continued Reaction to the Online Gambling Bill

  October 20, 2006,

  Last week's article was about the reactions to the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act. Since then I have heard from several readers and poker buddies about another 'psychological' reaction to the possible pending shutdown of access to online poker

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 10 - Overreaction & Under Reaction to the Internet Gaming Bill

  October 13, 2006,

  How many times have you seen someone yelling at their husband or girlfriend or kids and thought: "He's nuts." or "That woman is crazy." We all tend to identify and label behavior that is "too" loud or "too" bizarre

   

• The Poker Shrink, Volume Nine – What is Poker Psychology, Part Three

  October 06, 2006,

  In two previous articles, I have talked about the use of psychology in poker. We all know that deception is a big part of playing the game. Anyone above the amateur/fish skill level also knows that giving off false information....

   

• The Poker Shrink, Volume Eight – What is Poker Psychology, Part Two

  September 29, 2006,

  In part one of this series on Psychology and Poker, I talked about the basics of what psychology is. In this article I want to come at this from a different angle by talking about what is not poker psychology....

   

• The Poker Shrink, Volume Seven – What is Poker Psychology, Part One

  September 22, 2006,

  This begins a series of articles on Psychology and Poker. In this first article we explore two basic questions: What is Psychology? & What is Poker Psychology?....

   

• The Poker Shrink: Volume 6 - Controlling Your Fear at the Poker Table

  September 15, 2006,

  Let's finish our focus on fear and anxiety at the poker table by remembering that most of the physical and psychological changes associated with fear are involuntary....

   

• The Poker Shrink, Volume 5 - Responses to Fear

  September 10, 2006,

  I want to thank several readers who wrote me about last week's article on 'Fear at the Tables'. Apparently I had played down actual fear a bit too much for some poker players....

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 4 - Anxiety and Fear

  September 01, 2006,

  Last night I heard a yelp from the kitchen, I went to discover my significant other, the cat and a tiny grey rodent in a frozen ménage de mouse scene. I dropped a dish towel on the mouse and transported Mickey outside...

   

• The Poker Shrink, Vol 3 - The 'Friendly' Home Game

  August 25, 2006,

  It's Friday night, the pretzels are in the bowl, the beer is on the ice. You have two new decks of cards, Dave is bringing his ammunition box full of those heavy clay chips...

   

• The Poker Shrink, Volume 2 – Psychology at the Table

  August 18, 2006,

  I did a little psychological study at the just completed 2006 World Series of Poker. This was just my own little inquiry but the results surprised me so much that I thought I would share them with you....

   

• The Poker Shrink – Volume 1 – Too Much Poker is no Good

  August 13, 2006,

  The 2006 World Series of Poker is forty-seven days long. If you happen to be WSOP staff it's even longer. Some media jobs do not include days off and for the players it can literally be more than six weeks...

   

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