Prolific poker strategy writer Tri “SlowHabit” Nguyen is back with another book, building on the concepts Barry Greenstein put forward in Ace on the River and making them relevant for a new generation of poker professionals.
Dropping on December 15th, the title is How I Made My First Million from Poker and in it Nguyen says that poker players vastly undervalue personal well-being and how it translates to success at the tables.
If there was a core message in this text it’s the idea that at the higher levels of poker, there is little difference in the technical competence of successful players and that big profits depend on how well a person can manage themselves, their tilt and their lives.
“If I had to put a percentage on it I’d say it should be 60-40 with 60 being the amount of time you spend on the mental side,” Nguyen told PokerListings.com.
“In poker, once you get past the hand reading and playing the flop and the turn and everything it takes to succeed as a small stakes player it becomes more important to spend time on your mental game.
“You play better and you learn more and you have a lot more energy to improve your game if you feel good inside,” Nguyen continued.
What To Expect from How I Made My First Million
The book reads as a collection of meditations on the many facets of professional poker, rarely examining specific hands or even specific strategy concepts. Nguyen draws a line between learning how to play poker and understanding how to be a successful poker pro.
The sections are punctuated by worksheets to help you put the key ideas into practice.
And while the book does focus on bigger concepts than how to play A-K from the blinds or balancing your river-bluff range, it would be unfair to say that it’s not strategy-specific.
But instead of giving you specific tricks to succeed in today’s game, Nguyen attempts to give you the tools needed to stay passionate in your study and effective in your execution of poker strategy as the game evolves in years to come.
Tri Nguyen has outlasted many of his peers as a consistently winning cash player.
And if this book’s connection to Ace on the River wasn’t sufficiently self-evident, Barry Greenstein actually penned the foreward for HIMMFMFP.
New Advice for a New Generation
Greenstein writes, “Tri has taken my idea and made it relevant for today's online players. He has an easy-to-read style and he speaks in the vernacular of the modern player.”
An example of what Greenstein is referring to can be found on page 70:
To draw an analogy, for me to suggest that you quit while you're on tilt is akin to someone asking you how to make good decisions when you're intoxicated in a strip club. You won't. What you should do while you're sober is leave your credit card and wallet at home. Take only your identification card and whatever cash you are willing to spend, as determined during a time when you are thinking clearly. You aren't going to remember this advice while you are drunk out of your mind and the smell of sex is flowing in the air. You just have to trust me on this.
And while this book is aimed specifically at the poker pro who wants to take his profession to the next level, it’s a provocative read for anyone interested in expanding how they think about the game.
Nguyen’s latest book will retail for $47, already marked down from its list price of $97 despite not yet having been released.
If that sounds high consider that Nguyen’s previous book, Let There Be Range, which he co-authored with Cole South, sells today for $947.
