Somnius' New Series - Neuropsychology of Poker
Canadian NL BSS video producer Somnius has created a new six-part article and video series called "Neuropsychology of Poker". In our interview he talks about his poker career and tells us what we can expect from this series.
somnius' new series "Neuropsychology of Poker" focuses on the psychological components that are relevant to the game of an online poker player.
The article is split into 6 parts:
- Under the Hood
- Serotonin and Mood
- Dopamine
- Motivation and Learning
- The Working Student
- Money Matters
In our interview, he tells us not only about the content of his six-part article and video series but also about his current poker career and what he expects in the future.
Interview with Somnius
PokerStrategy.com: Hello Ali. Where are you right now?
somnius: Still in Thailand currently, and will be for another couple of months until the WSOP starts in Las Vegas.
PokerStrategy.com: How is it going and how is your poker career progressing?
somnius: Things have been going well since I arrived in Asia, I've played some pretty good poker and had a good run. Grinding 2/4-10/20 across a few sites and enjoying the challenge again. Hopefully things will continue to go well in the coming months.
The new series "Neuropsychology of Poker"
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| Author & video producer: Somnius |
PokerStrategy.com: What lead you to producing this series?
somnius: This series is an idea I've been interested in for quite a long time. The current threshold of psychological awareness concerning being an online poker player is rather low.
PokerStrategy.com: Tell us a little bit more about your new video and article series "Neuropsychology of Poker".
somnius: "Neuropsychology of Poker" is an attempt to bridge the gap between the technical information available about poker play itself, and the psychological activity/principles governing that play. A range of relevant factors will be discussed, including memory, tilt, stud and exercise, to name a few.
PokerStrategy.com: What can we exactly expect from the series?
somnius: What exactly triggers tilt, down to the exact hormones and neuronal pathways. How exercise physiologically benefits the poker mind. How different memory systems influence how and what we study. Why it's essential to spend as much time as possible studying rather than just playing as a beginner. These are just some of the topics that will be looked at.
Essentially, this series will provide a more quantifiable dissection of the psychological principles governing the lives of online poker players. Many hours are spent attempting to optimize the EV of play at the table mathematically, but as time goes on, the general skill level continues to increase and the ability to tweak the psychological underpinnings involved in poker play becomes ever more important to optimize edges.
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A step in the right direction
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| Somnius: for once, not at a poker table |
PokerStrategy.com: What scientific discoveries in neuropsychology will, in your opinion, revolutionise poker playing in the future?
somnius: Maybe one day, we will actually be able to calculate the EV influence of exercise by having a quantifiable relationship between dopamine or serotonin levels and tilt scores, for example. Sounds a little absurd, but it's definitely possible.
Poker play itself is not the only construct bound by numbers, brain activity is as well. Neuronal communication is in a finite environment, just happens to be extremely more complex than 52 cards.
Hopefully this series will be a benefical step in the right direction. At the very least it will help readers/viewers lead more productive, efficient and happy lives.
PokerStrategy.com: Thank you for the interview.
We hope that this brief interview has given you an insight into what somnius' article is all about. If you want to learn more about the neuropsychology of poker, keep your eye on the news for the next few days to see the first video and article.
You can also read Somnius' first article "Poker is not Dying - your Mindset for Successful Game":
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