Elements of Poker

by Tommy Angelo

Beyond statistics, beyond whether to raise, call, or fold, Elements of Poker reveals a new world of profitability for your bankroll and your life. You know tilt costs you money, but do you know how to make it go away? You know position is important, but do you really know how to profit from that knowledge? Elements of Poker is the distilled wisdom of a master. Published in 2007, this book is praised by poker pros worldwide as a timeless classic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Games

268 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2007

About the author

Once, during a poker discussion in Las Vegas, several top strategists were debating how to play pocket kings under the gun. Then Tommy Angelo popped in with “I can tell you the best way to play two kings. Decide in advance that no matter what happens, you won’t go on tilt!”

Insights like that are what drove the popularity of Angelo’s first book, Elements of Poker, a tome highly regarded for its fresh and practical perspectives. Since he began offering coaching in 2004, over one hundred students have paid for his candid advice, wanting more of what they found in his 100 articles and 18 videos.

In 2017, Angelo completed Painless Poker. “I have no words left,” he wrote to his mailing-list fans. "I put them all in here.” Painless Poker combines sections of Angelo’s own history with a fictional poker-coaching seminar featuring seven suffering poker players, in an innovative combination of memoir, fiction, and poker instruction.

When at home in Oakland, California, Angelo writes, cooks, reads, and makes music, as part of what he calls his “urban monastic lifestyle.” He cohabits with two cats, and Kay, his wife.

Reviews

[Alexander Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could listen to Tommy talk about poker for a hundred hours.

It's incredible how many of the intangibles he discussed before anyone else.

His ability to put words to something only cardplayers would know is unmatched. I've never been able to articulate some of his concepts with 10% of his accuracy.

Highly recommended for poker players.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't play poker & don't aspire. On the other hand, during a year of crisis and AFGO's ( another f*cking growth opportunity), I have had the author on tap cause he's my brother and doesn't find me heavy.

It is a delight that he has not just the skills and insights with which to navigate the real world of poker and the metaphoric universe it embodies, but the verbal chops and inclination to share as well.

I still have admittedly barely examined issues with the fundamental relationship set up between any two human beings in the game of poker. That takes nothing away from what Tom has to offer anyone who ever wanted to start identifying their biggest obstacle as something invisible that lives between their ears.

I read the last chapter first cause that's what i do. Tom then advised me to go back and start at page 225 and go from there. That's what anyone could do.
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I care about my brother. The people who care about poker are rabid about this book. If you would like to read what some pro players and writers think of Tom's book, go here:

http://www.tommyangelo.com/reviews_an...

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book very much! It was well-written, and the author has a way with words. There were plenty of little nuggets of wisdom that I wrote down in my notebook, many with the wit and brevity of a bumper sticker. Some of the musings seemed short and detached, like they could have been expanded into separate chapters or, dare I say it, a second volume? There was also a section that might be beyond me right now in which there is a dollar calculation made from chip stacks to represent the value of the stack at that point in the game. It reminded me a bit of the Patience Factor calculation in The Poker Tournament Formula. If every poker author wants to come up with their own formula for some niche game aspect, that's cool with me, but I'm not sure I'm good enough yet to have a useful handle on this one. I'll revisit later.

[Anup Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author has emphasized on playing A game. It definitely helps me in removing tilt and other negative factors from my game.

Good book for learning all aspects of the game. Author also added some nice strategy for tournament games.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you get all the basics down (hand rankings, drawing odds, etc.) most poker books are 90% redundant. Different strategies and philosophies here and there are worth reading but probably aren't going to help you much in your basic low to mid limit game. Elements of Poker does away with all that technical stuff that you can read in any number of other poker books but instead focuses on playing poker the right way, being polite, being a good citizen at the poker table, reminding yourself what is important and that's to maintain a good attitude and enjoy the game. For someone who has had problems tilting and getting down on myself in the past, this book was a good reminder to remain mindful at the poker table as well as in life for better enjoyment of all things and being a pleasant person to be around in good times and bad.

[Rebecca W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few people know that there was a period of my life when I spent an inordinate amount of time playing poker. This book was very interesting not only for all the great gameplay tips, but also because the first 1/3 was full of insights that could apply to other life situations and read almost like a self-help guide. My main game was OE, so not all the chapters in this book were fully relevant to me, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a poker gameplay strategy, a lot of this book's content is either not relevant to NLHE (a lot of Limit advice) or just outdated strategy. However, I still felt like it had excellent mindset advice, off the table advice, seat selection, etc. It's such a quick read, I see no reason any serious player shouldn't pick it up. Would recommend it.

[Luigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book from a great writer who knows how to weave his coaching into stories. I particularly like the last section of the book where he focuses on relaxation techniques. This is the second Tommy Angelo book I have read, the other being Waiting for Straighters. I recommend them both to people who want to improve their Texas Holdem game.

[Jahan Sagafi · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining, intelligent, likeable narrator. a series of easy-to-read vignettes and lessons. a big chunk of Zen Buddhism toward the end that is useful for any poker player or modern professional worker of any type. great wisdom!

[Helfren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book of poker that emphasis the hopeful element of mental game in poker or any sports at all. I got recommended this book in order to excel at sports betting and the emotional aspect of tilt, soft tilt and it is really interesting to be blended in the mix of your gaming skills.

[Emil Then · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read in a few days. Quite easy to understand and can make anyone understand a bit more about the sport.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is essential for understanding how your own emotions affect your play. This book turned my game around and helped me understand that I was my own worst enemy.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book that covers basic mental game tricks of the trade for playing poker, mostly focused on live poker and having a stronk mental game.

[Stephen Lockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tommy Angelo focuses more on the “mental” side of the game. There has always been plenty out there on the technical side recent courses focusing on how the Solver works including GTOS tables and analysis. However if you cannot apply this knowledge calmly over prolonged periods (I recently played a day 1 deepstack event in the Venetian that went 11 hours without a dinner break) without Tilt and Noise then your game will always be sub-optimal.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an advanced concepts of poker book for experienced players that know the odds and understand the strategy. I felt that it began strong and I read the first half in one night but it took me several days to get to the end. The advice wasn’t repetitive so much as once you get your mind focused on what matters the advice that follows can seem unnecessary. But the truth is this is a book you should probably read on every flight to Las Vegas or before a big tournament. It should focus you again before you peel off the big bills.

Here are some takeaways I want to remember.

1) Focus on your A Game. Eliminate your C Game. – To me this suggests that you should be taking a mental inventory at the table to see which game the last hand represented. This is especially true if you won or lost the last hand. Don’t let the outcome of the hand influence whether your play was a good one.
2) Because of the rake and other expenses, many winning poker players think they are losers. You can consistently beat other players and still come out behind.
3) The last 3 Positions have value. The hijack, the cutoff, and the button. These are different players before and after the flop depending on who stuck around. Once you see a flop your hand better be great if two players act after you.
4) Select seats where excellent players and well-heeled players are to your right. Swap seats as the game changes during the night.
5) Pay attention to stack size and know when it’s more important than the cards you hold. This will often be the case later in tournaments when the stack sizes will vary considerably.

[Nick Stellato · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are past the beginning stages of poker this book is exactly what you need. The book is more of a mindset book and any moderate to advanced player should have this book on their shelf and revisit it from time to time. Dealing with tilt is something that occurs at all levels and Tommy Angelo does a fantastic job of explaining what is going on and how to combat it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes or plays poker. People wanting to learn a little more about psychology this book is also for you.

[Gabriel Petrisor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't really like Tommy's bumptious writing style, definitely not for everyone. I was left with just a few important ideas that some other author might have written them down on just a few pages not an entire book. Lots of noise, cryptic asian culture inspired writing style at times and a humour that's not on my taste. Slightly disappointed given that this book is praised so much.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read. Helps with mental mindset while playing poker.

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only poker book worth reading.
EDIT: Along with The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

half the essays linked to his website. there were a few useful tips but too much of it was "quit while you're ahead" and "use my pseudo-zen approach"

[Eugene Tung · Rating 4 out of 5]

A philosophical way of looking at the game. Some parts of the book are a bit abstract but it's still interesting to read and provides a good insight on the game of Poker.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A valuable read for any serious poker player. There really isn't a ton of new information, but it makes you think about tilt and that's important.
I skipped the section on limit Holdem.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Table position and not tilting as nuch

[Yash Dalmia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for poker enthusiasts. It is not a strategy book but it includes everything else in the poker world from ethics, to morality, to stack sizes, to suitedness, to position, to tiltlessness, to bad beats and many more. The title says it all "Elements of Poker" - it discusses all the elements that make poker what it is. I love the writing style of Tommy Angelo. He explains even complex concepts with surreal simplicity. A strongly recommended book.