It was hard for me to know whether to give this one four stars or five because it is not the best of the poker books out there, yet reading it definitely enhanced my game. All I can say though is that if you're a beginning or intermediate level player, the volume has much to offer.A crucial aspect of psychology is understanding why we do what we do. Dr. Schoonmaker considers it of the greatest importance to determine what our internal motivations are for playing poker in the first place. Is it all about the money? Well, for me it is, but, for others, there may be numerous factors such as the need for socialization, and a need for competition. He introduces concepts like the eight principles of poker, a series of questions to help ascertain whether you have "the right stuff" for the game, the law of subjective rationality, and the egoistic fallacy. Yet, all of these ideas are presented in layman's term and not in sentences filled with psychoactive mumbo-jumbo.The key section of The Psychology of Poker concerns The Styles Grid, in which we answer some basic questions about ourselves in order to figure out our style at the table. Of course, the most common style is one somewhere in between the four presented. I will mention them now and give their nicknames within brackets: Loose-Passive (Calling Station), Loose-Aggressive (Maniac), Tight-Aggressive (Stone Killer), and Tight-Passive (Rock). Out of these four, the optimal mode is that of Tight-Aggressive. I believe that Dr. Schoonmaker's perceptions and descriptions are clearly on target in regards to cash ring games, but, should one be tempted to apply his advice to tournaments, you'd be in big trouble. The book was written in 2000 just before the big poker craze began, so the author could not have anticipated just how much the gigantic freeze outs would predominate the way in which we play poker online. If one sits around and waits for great cards then, even if they plan on acting with focused, intense aggression should those cards ever arrive, they'll lose because it is probable that the blinds will eat you alive before you see those big pairs or big slick. You can't play conservatively and expect to make it past the first 90 minutes of a multi-table event (at least online as some of the blinds change at five minute intervals).There was one aspect of The Psychology of Poker that immediately helped my game, which was Dr. Schoonmaker's analysis of playing with Loose Passive Players (LAPs) at the lower limits in what he labels, "No Fold `Em Hold `Em." He points out that this game is actually very good for the better players as discipline prevails. However, due to so many players sticking around until the river, the overall hand strength is so high that what can win in a regular game is a big loser if five people go to the river. Until I read his view, I could not figure out why I was losing so often with straights and trips. The moral of the story is that you just have to be patient when you play, and, also, to know thyself.