Inside the Poker Mind: Essays on Hold 'em and General Poker Concepts

This is one of my favorite poker books. It is not for beginners; it is filled with interesting and advanced topics in limit Hold'em. This is a good book for any reader who is looking to read more advanced material. The section titled "Do You Pass the Ace-Queen Test?" was controversial when the book first came out, but Feeney's thoughts has proven to be correct. The Short-Handed essays are illuminating as well. Definitely a great addition to any hold'em library.

This is a rare book; and to use a time worn cliche "it gets better with age". This is certainly one of the top five books to own and study for limit holdem. The rage nowadays is no limit holdem, so if that is your game, this book is not for you. If your game is limit holdem and you have been struggling, you can not afford to miss this one. This book ranks up there with "The Theory of Poker" and "Holdem Poker for Advanced Players" as absolute essentials for strengthening your limit holdem game. It is great for rereading every three to six months to re-evaluate your game, plug the inevitable leaks and reassess your overall approach to the game. The reason I say it gets better with age is that as you gain more table experience you come back to ideas that six months ago escaped you because you lacked the proper reference points. Now, in rereading them you reopen your view and thinking about the game to a new level. It is like that every time I come back and read this book again. It's like spring training for your holdem game; cover the basics, learn finesse plays, out think and outplay your opponents. Simple, but not easy. Highly recommended.

Feeney has produced an extraordinarily deep work. The sections discussing the thought processes of an expert poker player are truly eye opening, and offer an insight into the complexities of the game that most books fail to capture. The book is exceptionally well-written -- exceptional in the sense that most great poker players are not great writers and most great poker books are, well, written by great poker players. (Slansky & Malmuth essentially open their "Texas Hold Em for Advanced Players" with an apology for their poor writing). This is not a book for beginning poker players, but I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone who has become familiar with basic poker theory. I had read about a dozen books on poker and hold 'em before I came to this one. No book before or since has made me feel so excited about the game.

I am one of a growing number of serious card club poker players who learned to play poker competitively and for profit by reading books in addition to time spent at the tables. Seldom does a new book provide the unique perspective on this wonderful and complex game as this great book of essays by Dr. Feeney.This book is not for beginners. Dr. Feeney assumes that the reader understands the advanced works of other great poker writers such as David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, Bob Ciaffone, and Mike Caro. It also concentrates on Texas Holdem rather than other popular games such as seven card stud. But its advanced analysis of the psychology of poker will help all players who want to beat the biggest and toughest games.

I have read every top poker book ever published and have been a successful middle limit player for fifteen years. John Feeney's first poker book is a terrific collection of poker essays geared toward the mid to upper limit holdem player. However, anyone who plays poker seriously should find this book to be a tremendous value. He "pushes the envelope" of advanced thinking on familiar poker topics and brings a fresh and accurate perspective to every chapter. His essays concerning "Playing Against A Maniac" cover ideas I have never before seen in print and soon hope to employ at the tables. But my favorite chapter is "The Strategic Moment in Holdem", which literally puts you "Inside the Mind" of a top-level professional player as he thinks at the table.