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The Truth Detective

A Poker Player’s Guide to a Complex World

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The Truth Detective

By: Alex O'Brien
Narrated by: Jacqui Bardelang
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About this listen

From uncertainty and risk to ambiguity, emotion and non-verbal behaviour, life can be like a game of poker. So approach it like one, with every day critical thinking.

In The Truth Detective, journalist and competitive poker player Alex O'Brien shows how we can survive and make better life decisions using the rules of the game. In a world full of uncertainty and incomplete information, this is a book about getting to the truth.

You'll meet a host of experts who break down the science of navigating a time in which fact and fiction are becoming increasingly hard to tell apart. With psychological research and insight from a range of professionals - from FBI agents and behavioural economists to poker aces and bounty hunters - O'Brien assembles strategies we can use to analyse the information that surround us in our day to day.

Tackle life like a poker player and let The Truth Detective guide your through the jungle of disinformation - and on to success in the game of life.

©2023 Alex O'Brien (P)2023 Profile Books Ltd Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions Poker

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This really is a very good book but the author lets herself down badly by allowing her political biases to shine through unadulterated when citing examples of disinformation, fake news and lies. Rather than objectively stating that theses things exist in abundance across the political spectrum, the author chooses instead to concentrate in a passive aggressive way on right wing politics and by omission, completely lets the Left off the hook. This felt intellectually dishonest and academically unsound at best and prejudiced and biased at worst. There is some very good content on psychological biases and critical thinking but no sooner are these topics discussed than the author fails to implement/practice them in the text by espousing examples that are suspiciously anecdotal and/or hyperbolic. There's also a whiff of 'chip on the shoulder' feminism at some points which detracted from the enjoyment of this audiobook.

Full of Promise but Disappointingly Let Down

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I loved card games as a kid and with 4 siblings we played everything from snap to skat, whist to rummy. But not so much poker, as despite being a gamer, I’ve never been a betting man.

Alex O’Brien clearly knows and loves poker, and this book takes us through the roller coaster of her career at the tables, with colourful characters and dramatic confrontations with misogynistic rivals.

But each of these anecdotes serve to introduce key concepts and principles applicable to all our lives. These include probabilities, preconceptions, misperceptions, biases, behaviour under pressure, attitudes to risk and loss, and the lies we tell ourselves and others.

O’Brien’s lively interviews with CIA interrogators, hostage negotiators and other experts in truth and deception tell a fascinating tale. Engaging, readable (beautifully read) and educational. Recommend for anyone interested in human behaviour…

Not really about poker, more about life…

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This is a fantastic book that brings a depth of understanding and powerful insights about human behaviour. Not only this, the sheer breadth of research is brilliant to read and learn from. The author cleverly connects the dots between her real-world experience of poker and human nature - the learnings from which can be applied in so many aspects of life! It's a must-read for anyone wanting to learn how to understand people, lead better and negotiate and influence more effectively - and play brilliant poker!

Insightful & eye-opening!

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