This is the only Zoom poker strategy guide available online that was written by a poker pro and is updated for 2020 games. Ever since Pokerstars first launched Zoom Poker in May of 2012 it has grown to be immensely popular. The Poker Zoo, Ep. 51: Jason Su is Present August 1, 2020 August 1, 2020 persuadeo 2 Comments Today I speak with mental game proselytizer, new author, Poker Detox advisor, and suspiciously even-keeled guest Jason Su on the pod.

A remarkable guest on today’s Zoo – Andrew Seidman (aka Baluga Whale for the true old schoolers), author of Easy Game. One of poker’s finest texts, TBR members are especially familiar with the book, and really, most poker players should be. Part strategy document, part coaching journal, it can be read in a very light way as a review or for a few new ideas, or Easy Game can be taken very seriously, especially the later chapters, where Seidman is reaching to elucidate concepts that are still relevant in 2020. Andrew and I discuss not only the book, but the circumstances surrounding its creation, chat about the poker good life, recall his deflating heads-up match with Jungleman, and close with some serious advice for aspiring pros.

Thanks to Andrew for finding time, and to Eugene for putting this together. Easy Game inadvertently became a big part of my coaching life in 2017 – a tidbit about that is at the end of this piece. Also, a little bonus – here’s a selection from the book for those who may be confused about the origin and use of poker vocabulary, which is a pain point for some in the community.

I’ve always been fascinated with language. It’s impossible to really understand something without choosing the proper words for it. You’ve probably heard the saying, “You don’t understand something until you can explain it to a two-year-old”. With that in mind, I am very strict about what words I use and what I teach others to use. Knowing and using the right words is helpful in any nuanced debate, but it’s even more helpful in the time-sensitive environment of a poker game. If you’re playing 8 tables, you don’t have time to wade through a swamp of incomplete ideas, reproductions of things you’ve seen in videos, unsophisticated philosophies, and irrelevant information en route to finding the right answer. No—you need the right answer now. To make that happen, you need the path of least resistance to that answer. This is where language comes in. When your words are carefully chosen, you avoid distractions and move smoothly from point A to point B to point C until you’ve found the answer you were looking for. Throughout this book, I use a lot of terminology. Much of the terminology I’ve developed myself. Some I’ve borrowed from others. All of it is carefully chosen to describe specific elements of a complex game. I hope you’ll find this type of linguistic structure helpful on your quest to understand poker more fully.

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Today I speak with mental game proselytizer, new author, Poker Detox advisor, and suspiciously even-keeled guest Jason Su on the pod. While Daniel and Doug swordfight for your clicks, Jason has made a more useful splash in poker 2020 with his book, blog, and appearances all over poker training media. I grill him on the necessity of emotional control, tilt avoidance and the intersection of strategy and mental health, but he remains calm – we even get a funny Mason Malmuth story from him.

John Penturn’s comments on Magritte’s Décalcomanie MM, adapted here, echo some of Jason’s thoughts on mental game: “This approach in key ways was the meaning. The subject matter is almost incidental.” While Jason’s love of poker may be central to his life, Jason believes living with full bodily presence is equally central to all successes. This is a lesson the poker community has tacitly accepted, and is evidenced by the fitness and life improvement ethos most of the game’s ambassadors espouse (between squabbling and berating each other).

Jason’s book is Poker with Presence: Unlocking the Final 15%. You can learn more at his website, where you’ll find the blog I mention.

Poker Coop

My article on Malmuth/Cardner.

At one point in the interview, I mention Luka, a TBR member and former student who presently plays on stake at Detox, but I didn’t provide much context. Here is his 2020 appearance on the Poker Zoo.

These were the pieces of wisdom shouted from the poker mountain tops, and soon a divide would form. Analytically oriented players who played primarily online discovered that the old timers had obvious technical deficiencies which could be exploited for large amounts of profit. They’d see a clear strategic mistake and think to themselves: Wow, how can they not understand this? They valued the study of tactics above all else, while the “old school” players would make fun of the internet players who showed no interest in developing a feel for the game and would bluff off their stacks in live games versus players incapable of folding. They’d see this obvious contextual mistake and think to themselves: Wow, how can they not understand this? Despite their differences, both sides wanted the same thing: to win, and win big.

They’re both right. You can’t win at poker without a firm grasp of range analysis and game theory. You also can’t be the best version of yourself if you disconnect from what is happening inside and around you. You need both – a strong understanding of how the game works, and an equally strong ability to stay a step ahead, sense intentions and recognize when someone will change gears before they know it themselves. That’s the pinnacle of poker.

-from Poker with Presence

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