Wearing many hats

Alex O’Brien, for those who don’t know, is a leading science writer whose work has appeared in publications such as The Guardian, BBC, New Scientist, and The Times.

She was shortlisted for Best Newcomer in 2016 by the Association of British Science Writers where she is now Vice-Chair. With her husband in 2022, she founded the UK Young Science Writer Award, aimed at engaging state-educated young people toward a career in STEM-related subjects.

When she’s not writing, she can usually be found playing poker. Or trying to: she famously won an online GGPoker tournament with thousands of runners, the winner of whom was supposed to play Dan Bilzerian on his then-sponsor’s platform for $10,000. True to form the all hat no cattle “influencer” never showed up for the match, presumably terrified of losing to “a girl.”

a non-fiction science book on how to think like a poker player

In her first book, ‘The Truth Detective: A Poker Player’s Guide to a Complex World,’ she manages to combine her passions, writing a non-fiction science book on how to think like a poker player. It’s out on November 1, 2023, and I was lucky enough to get an advance review copy.

From the table to life

The book starts with a gripping personal anecdote from the author heroine that pulls us right into the poker arena. It even includes an arch-villain known to and reviled by many, including the author. She doesn’t pull her punches, telling us that she “detests” the villain in question, Will Kassouf.

Moving on she introduces her thesis: poker teaches us lessons that are vital for life in general. She refines this further after reflecting that the biggest misconception about poker (that it’s all about bluffing) has broader implications. For one, in an era where all are obsessed with detecting lies, the truth is they are not as common as we think. She then moves on to examine the bluffs we seek in poker and the bullsh*t we find in life, combining a number of different studies and sources into a case for the need for critical thinking.

I won’t spoil the rest of the book by attempting to synopsize it in a few hundred words. That would do it a gross disservice, because this is a book that should be read and savoured in full rather than cliff noted or abridged. What I will say is it pulls many of the great concerns of the day in the mix, like AI, climate change, fake news, pandemic issues, and social media. Alex has a remarkable ability to wind diverse strands of academic studies, personal anecdotes, and complex thoughts into a riveting coherent page-turning read.

draws your interest with an anecdote and then expands that out into something more general

That’s not to say it’s always a comfortable read, particularly for experienced poker players. For example, her evocative description of the first time she was sexually harassed at a live poker table is simultaneously repulsive and enthralling to anyone who recognizes the truth in her vivid description. She then follows this with a thought-provoking discussion on gender and the assumptions and myths that surround it, backed up by scientific studies, that will have you questioning much of what you believe about gender differences. This is very much Alex’s modus operandi: moving from the personal to the general, the poker table to life. It’s a captivating device that draws your interest with an anecdote and then expands that out into something more general.

A gripping read

I downloaded an advance copy of the book in an airport intending to start reading it on the plane, interspersed with some of my own writing and whatever entertainment was available to me. What actually happened was as soon as I started reading the book I literally couldn’t stop, and I read it straight through in one go without the need for distraction. I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve been this gripped by a book. It targets with equal effectiveness the expert poker player who wants to know how the skills acquired at the tables can translate into a more plus EV life in general, and the casual reader only vaguely familiar with poker who wants to understand what all the fuss is about. This is the best book I’ve read since Daniel Kahneman’s ‘Thinking Fast and Slow,’ which until now was always the non-poker strategy book I most strongly recommended to poker players when they asked.

He was rubbernecking, as enthralled as I was in ‘The Truth Detective’

I’ll end this review with an anecdote as a tribute to Alex’s style. On the plane to Cyprus, I was sitting in an aisle seat (at my age the quickest path to the bathroom is optimal). An older couple (even older than me) sat beside me, the woman by the window, the man in the middle with several newspapers. Halfway through the flight, I put down my iPad to drink some water. As I did, I noticed his newspapers had been folded away. When I resumed my reading, I realized I wasn’t alone. He was rubbernecking, as enthralled as I was in ‘The Truth Detective.’ As the plane landed and I put my iPad away to appease the barking flight attendant, he broke cover and asked me what the book was. I told him it was ‘The Truth Detective’ by Alex O’Brien, available soon in all good bookstores. He promised to buy it and I felt a bit less guilty about having deprived Alex of a possible sale.

Do yourself or someone you love a favor and give them this gift of this book, because you can’t rely on random people on planes for all your reading materials.