I have written about loss aversion before.  It is the irrational tendency that people have to prefer avoiding losses rather than acquiring gains.  I know I have this problem, which becomes highlighted when I play poker.  I’m sure that if I could deal with it better, I would become a much better poker player.

Why do I believe that I have loss aversion?  The main reason has to do with ”bluffing”.  I rarely bluff, and when I do, I usually do so with a hand that isn’t that bad, and always on the river.  Oh sure, I’ll play certain hands aggressively, especially when I have position at the table.  I do have some poker skills, and I’m not totally averse to losing.  But will I take a hand that is absolute crap and bet it big?  No way.  That proposition is way too risky for me. 

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You have to watch this video of Marc Salem.  It is simply amazing what this guy can do in terms of reading peoples’ behavior.  I am certain that he would make a phenomenal poker player, always knowing what other players are holding. 

There is a philosophical view called behaviorism.  According to an unsophisticated version of the view, mental terms, such as “thinking that I went to Bermuda for vacation” or “feeling a pain in my toe” can be analyzed in behavioral terms.  The view is not taken seriously anymore.  One of the objections to it is that people can think things or feel things without exhibiting any behavior.  After seeing Marc Salem perform, I am not so sure that this objection has any merit.

Did Nicole Richie get breast augmentation?  What’s the scoop on Clay Aiken’s new hairstyle??  Is Pamela Anderson headed for a breakdown???  Well, we don’t know any of that, but here’s what secret we do know…

As a follow up to our review on Bringing Down the House, the exciting book by Ben Mezrich about MIT students’ card counting adventures of winning millions in Las Vegas…

It’ll soon be a movie!

The name of the movie is reported to be 21, with Kevin Spacey playing Micky, the father-figure, master-mind in the book.  Filming begins in February around Boston and Las Vegas.  More details…

Hey, you could always try out as an extra!