Rant about MM

[hotshott74]

Saw this on twitter...

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/twt/status/676645087577686016

http://cedricdarrettpokerpro.com/201...forgery-fraud/

Also it seems Jonathan Little and Dr.Tricia Cardner are having a battle with him over MM's new book on poker psychology.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/twt/status/676602223002972160

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/twt/status/676530970003169281

http://www.drtriciacardner.com/will-...mason-malmuth/

https://twitter.com/DrTriciaCardner

[ToasterOven]

Is it "Who Cares?" Tuesday already?

[Hockey Guy]

Fuck you hotshott74.

You're goin' down. Bitch.

[Dan Druff]

That blog hurts my eyes. It's like really light printing on a bright white background. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I'm not reading that shit.

Actually, I'll do you guys a favor and just copy-paste it here:

(The "Abe" she's referring to below is limon, who appeared on PFA Radio this year to debate with me about Melanie Weisner...)

------------------------

Mr. Mason Malmuth has been making the rounds supposedly to discuss his new “psychology” book, but inevitably the focus of his conversations is yours truly. Unbeknownst to him, I’ve been listening in and I am truly flummoxed by the content of his statements.

As it happens, I was kindly invited to debate Mr. Malmuth on Limon’s Pokersesh Podcast on Twitch with regard to the psychology of poker. Here is my response to said invitation.

Abe,

I appreciate the opportunity to call in to your show, and I would welcome the chance to come on as a solo guest. I just wanted to let you know that my team and I have discussed this and I will not be “debating” Mr. Malmuth on your show this evening. Let me take some time to explain my reasoning.

I cannot in good conscience come on a show to discuss with him the merits of the “brain locking up” or “burning out” when it cannot “find a solution” – these are all things he has said numerous times & they directly contradict basic known science. This is neuro-physiological nonsense & is not how the brain operates. I would strongly encourage your listeners to acquire information on how the brain works from credible sources and not from Mr. Malmuth.

You cannot have a rational discussion with someone who will not acknowledge facts. My work is based on science and research – some of which I conducted myself with poker players. I am currently working in cooperation with a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic to design a study looking at certain cognitive aspects of poker players. There are many good reasons to study physiological responses of poker players, but Mr. Malmuth is not aware of any of those reasons nor has he shown himself to be capable of evaluating scientific research.

Here’s another example of something he talks about ad nauseum which is NOT accurate. He has made reference several times to me advising taking a hot shower as a means of tilt repair – which I do not. I believe that what he is attempting to discuss is the research (written about in Positive Poker) on subjective well-being which contends that engaging in daily gratitude exercises increases overall subjective well-being. If at the end of each day, you take time to think of things for which you are grateful (like a warm shower), it has been shown empirically to increase subjective well being (which in turn lowers anxiety and depression and increases feelings of calm and well-being). Being high in subjective well-being is likely to decrease feelings of negative affect across the board.

He is NOT qualified to debate psychological issues because he is not versed in psychological research. He is also completely unaware of the types of clients I work with or what the content of those sessions is. Instead he makes blanket comments that seem to indicate that I work with players who “have poor results” which is also not accurate. I work with successful players who are looking to increase their edge.

Mr. Malmuth has written a book which is not based on anything more than his uninformed opinions. The foundation of his book is that all you need is a complete foundation of poker knowledge and that the mental game plays no role. I have said multiple times (and it is in Positive Poker) that learning proper strategy is the most important aspect of poker & he contends I do not – an out and out lie. But I do believe that the mental game is vitally important – especially as you move up in stakes. More importantly, the best players in the world agree with this sentiment. If you’ve any doubt, we’ve had some of the most elite players in the world on The Mindset Advantage Podcast discussing this very topic.

Furthermore, he takes things out of context completely to make his “arguments” – such as self-control is important for life but not for poker. Self-control is about making good decisions and what is poker if not a game of making good decisions?

He makes a point of saying that he has picked out 67 “errors” in Positive Poker. I fail to see how this would be possible when he is not educated in the psychological literature. Also, the basis of Positive Poker is the interviews that I conducted with winning MTT players (as well as Jonathan Little). Two of my interviewees have gone on to accumulate additional 7 figure scores since I interviewed them for my research. Mr. Malmuth is not just lambasting me – but also the ideals of several highly accomplished poker players.

I am in the business of helping players find the most efficacious means of optimizing their games. The vast majority of my clients are accomplished at poker (and in life) and they realize that the mental game is the last edge and potentially the most valuable at their stakes. The techniques and strategies I teach my clients are all based on the empirical research or what we in the psychology business call clinically evidenced based techniques.

I love the game of poker and I want the rest of the world to realize what a wonderful game it is. We need to consider how we look to the outside world (who has the power to regulate/legalize poker). If we in the poker media/education space want to enhance the general population’s view of poker, we should conduct ourselves in the utmost professional manner. Sadly, the type of behavior Mr. Malmuth exhibits brings the game down and reinforces the perception that poker players are degenerates. This may be a contributing factor to the lack of legalizing online poker in America. As a community, we need to conduct ourselves as ambassadors and ban together to enhance the overall image of the game. It saddens me that Mr. Malmuth is more interested in selling his book by trying to denigrate me than he is in promoting the very business which has allowed him a livelihood for all these years.

Tricia Cardner, PhD, EdD

[Dan Druff]

The book is actually pretty LOL though...



Table of Contents:

About Mason Malmuth v

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction 1

Part One: Them Fluctuations
...Introduction 3
...Variance 4
...Variance is Your Friend 5
...A Mathematical Model of “Tilt” — Cause and Cure 9
...More on Tilt 14
...More Still on Tilt 18
...An Excuse to Lose 20
...A Note on Steaming 22
...Poker is Counter-Intuitive 26
...Rushes 28
...Running Bad and How to Handle It 33
...A Little More on Fluctuations 35
...Luck Versus Skill 38
...A Band-aid or a Cure 40

Part Two: How’s Your Poker Game? 41
...Introduction 42
...Play Your A Game — Why Wouldn’t You? 43
...Handling Pressure 45
...Being Unaware 48
...Craving Action 50
...Playing Too Many Hands 52
...The Maniac 54
...Evaluating Yourself and Your Opponents 57
...How to Become a Great Player 60
...Is It Better To Be Lucky or Good? 62
...10,000 Hours 65
...Low-Limit Hold ’em and Players Who Are Unaware 68
...Poker Magic 72
...Psychological Strength 76
...Mental Toughness 81
...Selecting the Best Game 85
...Thinking Fast 87
...What’s Not Important 90
...Why You Lose 93
...Being a Tournament Star 96

Part Three: Image 99
...Introduction 100
...Where Did My Image Go? 101
...Appropriate Image 104
...When Is a Dynamic Image Good? 108
...It’s How You Are Perceived 111
...Weak Tight Opponents 114
...What Your Opponent Thinks 117

Part Four: At the Tables 121
...Introduction 122
...No-Limit Hold ’em: Is it Too Irritating? 123
...Some Losing Concepts 127
...Suggestions for Professional Players 130
...Too Many Bad Players 133
...Why Do the Best Players Sometimes Go Broke? 136
...Why There Are So Few Great Players 139
...It’s Not What You Eat 142
...Danny Robison 145

Part Five: Tells 147
...Introduction 148
...The Value of Tells and Positive Reinforcement 149
...Visual Cues 152

Part Six: Other Topics 159
...Introduction 160
...Observations 161
...Staying Broke 164
...That’s What She Said 167
...The World’s Worst Player 170
...The Worst Plays in History 173
...Throwing Money 176
...Bankroll Management 179
...What Happened to the Superstars? 186
...Jackpot Games 189
...How Many Winners are There? 192
...Focus 194
...Fight or Flight 196
...Apathy 197
...Self-Confidence 199
...Over-Confidence 201
...When Running Bad, Some Players Take Shots at You 203
...Getting Your Nose Open 204
...Sucker Privileges 207
...Blackjack Card Counters Don’t Tilt 208
...Ideas From Dr. Feeney 209

Part Seven: Silly Ideas 215
...Introduction 216
...Self-Weighting Hand Histories 217
...Having the Best Hand 220
...Recent Erroneous Concepts 223

Conclusion 241

Index 243

The good doctor's rant is confusing to me because I don't know their history, but I have to agree that Mason Malmuth (with an engineering background) is not qualified to write a psychology book, unless he has a psych degree that I don't know about.

Keep in mind that I've played live poker with Mason a number of times (both limit and NL), and he's one of the players who seems LEAST likely to employ psychology at the table. He sits there quiet and angry-looking, talks to no one, and plays ABC poker.

I thought he had that psychologist Alan Schoonmaker writing books for him on that subject. I wonder what happened to that. Mason releasing such a book on his own is just pathetic.

[Belly Buster]

Not really sure what's going on here, but that cedric guy was the one that tried to sue 4 for $7m including $100k for loss of appetite.

He seems to think MM forged his signature and ID?? Seems about sane as a certain person-with-one-toe-more-than-usual.

Half way down he links to a PFA post with 4D spoof pics of MM in a Nazi uniform.

The world truly is a strange place today.

[Pooh]

he's very handsome

[Belly Buster]

he's very handsome

Was tempted to ask on 4 why they don't have an official "niggas doing dumb things" thread, but I suspect I'd get banned. Again.

[Dan Druff]

I'm surprised that Cedric guy isn't posting here, given his link to PFA and our known disdain for Mason.

[abrown83]

I'm surprised that Cedric guy isn't posting here, given his link to PFA and our known disdain for Mason.

I presumed he was.

Also will be interesting to compare and contrast MM's style with yours Druff in handling a creepy stalkerish type person.

[Dan Druff]

I'm surprised that Cedric guy isn't posting here, given his link to PFA and our known disdain for Mason.

I presumed he was.

Also will be interesting to compare and contrast MM's style with yours Druff in handling a creepy stalkerish type person.

I thought of that, too. Mason now has his own SixToedPete.

I don't know this guy's background, though. He may have more to live for than SixToedPete (it's pretty much impossible for him to have LESS to live for), to where there might be easier ways to stop him.

I also don't know how good this guy is at SEO. If this blog ends up on front page google for searching "Mason Malmuth", then it will get interesting.

[abrown83]

I presumed he was.

Also will be interesting to compare and contrast MM's style with yours Druff in handling a creepy stalkerish type person.

I thought of that, too. Mason now has his own SixToedPete.

I don't know this guy's background, though. He may have more to live for than SixToedPete (it's pretty much impossible for him to have LESS to live for), to where there might be easier ways to stop him.

I also don't know how good this guy is at SEO. If this blog ends up on front page google for searching "Mason Malmuth", then it will get interesting.

For some reason I just picture Mason being more old school. If lawyers don't work I can imagine him taking measures you are unwilling to take.

[Pooh]

I'm too lazy to read any of this shit. Hopefully Druff designates five to seven hours of his show on this topic though.

#slownewsweek

[ErickAA]

The book is actually pretty LOL though...



Table of Contents:

About Mason Malmuth v

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction 1

Part One: Them Fluctuations
...Introduction 3
...Variance 4
...Variance is Your Friend 5
...A Mathematical Model of “Tilt” — Cause and Cure 9
...More on Tilt 14
...More Still on Tilt 18
...An Excuse to Lose 20
...A Note on Steaming 22
...Poker is Counter-Intuitive 26
...Rushes 28
...Running Bad and How to Handle It 33
...A Little More on Fluctuations 35
...Luck Versus Skill 38
...A Band-aid or a Cure 40

Part Two: How’s Your Poker Game? 41
...Introduction 42
...Play Your A Game — Why Wouldn’t You? 43
...Handling Pressure 45
...Being Unaware 48
...Craving Action 50
...Playing Too Many Hands 52
...The Maniac 54
...Evaluating Yourself and Your Opponents 57
...How to Become a Great Player 60
...Is It Better To Be Lucky or Good? 62
...10,000 Hours 65
...Low-Limit Hold ’em and Players Who Are Unaware 68
...Poker Magic 72
...Psychological Strength 76
...Mental Toughness 81
...Selecting the Best Game 85
...Thinking Fast 87
...What’s Not Important 90
...Why You Lose 93
...Being a Tournament Star 96

Part Three: Image 99
...Introduction 100
...Where Did My Image Go? 101
...Appropriate Image 104
...When Is a Dynamic Image Good? 108
...It’s How You Are Perceived 111
...Weak Tight Opponents 114
...What Your Opponent Thinks 117

Part Four: At the Tables 121
...Introduction 122
...No-Limit Hold ’em: Is it Too Irritating? 123
...Some Losing Concepts 127
...Suggestions for Professional Players 130
...Too Many Bad Players 133
...Why Do the Best Players Sometimes Go Broke? 136
...Why There Are So Few Great Players 139
...It’s Not What You Eat 142
...Danny Robison 145

Part Five: Tells 147
...Introduction 148
...The Value of Tells and Positive Reinforcement 149
...Visual Cues 152

Part Six: Other Topics 159
...Introduction 160
...Observations 161
...Staying Broke 164
...That’s What She Said 167
...The World’s Worst Player 170
...The Worst Plays in History 173
...Throwing Money 176
...Bankroll Management 179
...What Happened to the Superstars? 186
...Jackpot Games 189
...How Many Winners are There? 192
...Focus 194
...Fight or Flight 196
...Apathy 197
...Self-Confidence 199
...Over-Confidence 201
...When Running Bad, Some Players Take Shots at You 203
...Getting Your Nose Open 204
...Sucker Privileges 207
...Blackjack Card Counters Don’t Tilt 208
...Ideas From Dr. Feeney 209

Part Seven: Silly Ideas 215
...Introduction 216
...Self-Weighting Hand Histories 217
...Having the Best Hand 220
...Recent Erroneous Concepts 223

Conclusion 241

Index 243

The good doctor's rant is confusing to me because I don't know their history, but I have to agree that Mason Malmuth (with an engineering background) is not qualified to write a psychology book, unless he has a psych degree that I don't know about.

Keep in mind that I've played live poker with Mason a number of times (both limit and NL), and he's one of the players who seems LEAST likely to employ psychology at the table. He sits there quiet and angry-looking, talks to no one, and plays ABC poker.

I thought he had that psychologist Alan Schoonmaker writing books for him on that subject. I wonder what happened to that. Mason releasing such a book on his own is just pathetic.

Looking at the chapter headings it seems the book is more about controlling your own impulses and emotions at the table. I think you ar interpreting the words 'psychology' too literally. I haven't read the book, so I can't say If it is good or not, but I would rather have a perceptive, experienced professional poker player write such a book than a psychologist.

Of course malmuth has been receiving most of his income from his publishing company, as opposed to grinding it out at the tables, for so long he might not have the best perception of this either. But I would read the book before passing judgement.

[ErickAA]

I played a little with Danny Robison, albeit late in his life when he had definitely lost a step upstairs. I would be interested to see the chapter on him.

[Dan Druff]

Yeah, it isn't about psychology. I just skimmed the table of contents when I posted it here, but I see that you're correct. It's more about the forces you battle against when attempting to become a winning poker player.

But I don't see how Mason can really have that perspective (especially in 2015), as poker isn't his main form of income (if he even wins at all), and he is one of the most nondescript, ABC poker players you'll ever see. When you have a steady non-poker-play income, show up to the Bellagio 30/60 limit holdem game, speak to almost no one, and play the top 15% of all hands dealt, that doesn't exactly give you a poker pro's perspective.

I do wonder if he had a ghost writer, and is just publishing it as himself being the author, figuring it will sell better than some unknown live grinder's work.

The table of contents also seem to imply that much of the advice seems to be about limit holdem, which unfortunately leaves the book stuck in the '90s/early 2000s. And this is from a guy who much prefers limit holdem.

[tyde]

Yeah, it isn't about psychology. I just skimmed the table of contents when I posted it here, but I see that you're correct. It's more about the forces you battle against when attempting to become a winning poker player.

But I don't see how Mason can really have that perspective (especially in 2015), as poker isn't his main form of income (if he even wins at all), and he is one of the most nondescript, ABC poker players you'll ever see. When you have a steady non-poker-play income, show up to the Bellagio 30/60 limit holdem game, speak to almost no one, and play the top 15% of all hands dealt, that doesn't exactly give you a poker pro's perspective.

I do wonder if he had a ghost writer, and is just publishing it as himself being the author, figuring it will sell better than some unknown live grinder's work.

The table of contents also seem to imply that much of the advice seems to be about limit holdem, which unfortunately leaves the book stuck in the '90s/early 2000s. And this is from a guy who much prefers limit holdem.

the only real poker 'news' posted on this shithole is hijacked from 2+2

Mason should sue your punk ass for blatant copyright infringement you unoriginal dweeb

[Dan Druff]

Yeah, it isn't about psychology. I just skimmed the table of contents when I posted it here, but I see that you're correct. It's more about the forces you battle against when attempting to become a winning poker player.

But I don't see how Mason can really have that perspective (especially in 2015), as poker isn't his main form of income (if he even wins at all), and he is one of the most nondescript, ABC poker players you'll ever see. When you have a steady non-poker-play income, show up to the Bellagio 30/60 limit holdem game, speak to almost no one, and play the top 15% of all hands dealt, that doesn't exactly give you a poker pro's perspective.

I do wonder if he had a ghost writer, and is just publishing it as himself being the author, figuring it will sell better than some unknown live grinder's work.

The table of contents also seem to imply that much of the advice seems to be about limit holdem, which unfortunately leaves the book stuck in the '90s/early 2000s. And this is from a guy who much prefers limit holdem.

the only real poker 'news' posted on this shithole is hijacked from 2+2

Mason should sue your punk ass for blatant copyright infringement you unoriginal dweeb

Oh here we go with angry, drunk Marty, ready to ruin threads here again.

Let me explain this, dumbass.

Poker news is poker news. There will always be a place where it is reported first. Sometimes the stories are first posted to 2+2 because it has the biggest audience (such as when someone gets scammed and wants everyone to know about it).

Other times the "news" posted on 2+2 is a duplicate of content already on other sites, including this one.

There have been several times where I have brought up something here first, and then it makes it over to 2+2 later. I don't get butthurt about it. That's the nature of forums.

In fact, that's the nature of all news. If Fox News breaks a story, is CNN not allowed to cover it?

Idiot.

[tyde]

the only real poker 'news' posted on this shithole is hijacked from 2+2

Mason should sue your punk ass for blatant copyright infringement you unoriginal dweeb

Oh here we go with angry, drunk Marty, ready to ruin threads here again.

Let me explain this, dumbass.

Poker news is poker news. There will always be a place where it is reported first. Sometimes the stories are first posted to 2+2 because it has the biggest audience (such as when someone gets scammed and wants everyone to know about it).

Other times the "news" posted on 2+2 is a duplicate of content already on other sites, including this one.

There have been several times where I have brought up something here first, and then it makes it over to 2+2 later. I don't get butthurt about it. That's the nature of forums.

In fact, that's the nature of all news. If Fox News breaks a story, is CNN not allowed to cover it?

Idiot.

oh I see, I'm 'angry and drunk' because I call you out for basically stealing content from all over the poker world.

Mason Malmuth should literally fucking sue you

you've been doing it for years Rainman

please stop pretending you're some beacon for truth in the poker community, when half the big stories and (ahem) 'scandals' you post here are regurgitated from other venues

[Dan Druff]

Oh here we go with angry, drunk Marty, ready to ruin threads here again.

Let me explain this, dumbass.

Poker news is poker news. There will always be a place where it is reported first. Sometimes the stories are first posted to 2+2 because it has the biggest audience (such as when someone gets scammed and wants everyone to know about it).

Other times the "news" posted on 2+2 is a duplicate of content already on other sites, including this one.

There have been several times where I have brought up something here first, and then it makes it over to 2+2 later. I don't get butthurt about it. That's the nature of forums.

In fact, that's the nature of all news. If Fox News breaks a story, is CNN not allowed to cover it?

Idiot.

oh I see, I'm 'angry and drunk' because I call you out for basically stealing content from all over the poker world.

Mason Malmuth should literally fucking sue you

you've been doing it for years Rainman

please stop pretending you're some beacon for truth in the poker community, when half the big stories and (ahem) 'scandals' you post here are regurgitated from other venues

Go reread what I posted above until you understand it.

In the meantime, I have utilized my new "ban user from thread" feature for the first time.

Angry Jewdonk no longer able to post in this thread.

I will do the same in any other serious or semi-serious thread where he chooses to troll and ruin it.