A Few Thoughts on Decision Making

I like to search out books on topics that apply to poker without being a poker book.  I really liked Joe Navarro's book Read Em And Reap,  so I purchased What Everybody Is Saying to see what this ex-FBI agent had to say about reading people in general.  My thinking is, the more I could apply these skills in real life this would put me even more in tune with reading people at the poker table... I have What Everybody Is Saying, but have yet to read it.  With all my new found time, I plan to read through a stack of books on my coffee table.  My next thought was a book on why people make decisions.  After reviewing a few psychology books on this subject, I went with How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer.  My other choice was Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.. which I may end up buying if I feel like this topic is something I need to delve more into after reading the one I bought.

I was thinking a lot about what shapes my decisions.. not just in poker but in life too.. maybe it's my childhood, my experiences, my emotional mood of the moment.. whatever it is sometimes I find myself not in control of my decisions because something is guiding me in a way that may be self destructive.  Recently, I have found myself facing decisions of the past that have led me to where I am now.. and after evaluating just what has shaped who I am today I can understand patterns of my decisions and ways to break them or control them.  What makes you decide to skip a workout today?  Procrastinate that project another day?  Splurge on those shoes?  Call that person you met yesterday?  Fold a hand you liked to a player?  In this self evaluation I hope to present a clear, focused and controlled version of myself to the poker table to make decisions that are well thought out and not tainted by my history or mood.

Beyond understanding why I make decisions, I also need to understand my opponents- or just everyday people I face in life- and why they make specific decisions.  I'm hoping to get more information from reading non-poker books that help me get to know what exactly goes on inside people's heads....

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

review coming soon..

Cheers.