Tommy Angelo Interview

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Tommy Angelo has been a professional poker player for almost 20 years. He is the author of "Elements of Poker" which has had great reviews from many successful poker players. It covers many areas of playing poker that are left out of other poker books and is written in a manner that is enjoyable to read.

Recently we interviewed Tommy. He answered questions submitted by some of our long term members.


CC - What's the most bizarre thing you have ever seen at a live poker table in a casino?

Tommy - This was at a one-table casino. Everyone knew everyone. This old-ish guy went into a red-faced vein-bulging rage over losing hand after hand. He stormed to the bathroom while blaring, “I’m going to go blow my ****ing brains out.” He went into the bathroom, and we heard a gunshot go off. Nobody got up. A minute later, he came out, even more angry if you can imagine that, because no one had come to see if he was still alive.

CC - Do you think Omaha will be the next big wave of poker or will hold'em forever be the bread and butter of the industry?

Tommy - I have no idea. I do know that poker has never stopped changing.

CC - What do you think is the single most important skill a poker player should possess?

Tommy - Awareness.

CC - How much does your wife play or understand poker?

Tommy - I strongly believe that my wife Kay knows more than anyone has ever known about poker in the history of poker for someone who has never played even one hand.

CC - To what extent do you think her knowledge is an important part of your relationship?

Tommy - To a very, very large extent. She has spent lots of time with all sorts of poker players in all sorts of settings. And I’ve been babbling poker at her pretty much non-stop since ’01. Now it’s like we’re a team. I am the player coach and she is the other coach. Poker is in many ways just as much a part of her life as it is mine.

CC - Philip Glass wrote a work "Koyaanisqatsi" which is a Hopi word meaning "life out of balance". What do you do in your non-poker life to keep your life in balance?”

Tommy - I cooked up this brand new formula for balance and health: Eat right, exercise, and don’t forget to sleep.

CC - Your book "Elements of Poker" which has been out for about 16 months now, seems to be doing pretty well. Unlike many other poker authors you aren't just sitting back and trying to pump out new versions of the book or looking to rehash the same old stuff to the mass market. Do you have plans for another book?

Tommy - Yes. I might write a book called “The Eightfold Path to Poker Enlightenment.” The book would in some way be related to the video series I just made with Wayne Lively and DeucesCracked.com that is airing every other week through August at DeucesCracked. The series, as Wayne puts it: “is not about how to play poker, it’s about becoming a poker player.” The audio is conversations on everything, with piano inserts in between. The visuals are a wide assortment of things that aren’t poker tables. The main theme is how to play your A-game more often. The secondary themes are many and varied.

CC - What is your philosophy/personal goal when it comes to writing about poker?

Tommy - Philosophy: To be honest, amusing, and helpful. Goal: See “Philosophy”

CC - Is there a specific audience (at least in your own mind maybe) that you are primarily targeting when you write?

Tommy - I’m writing to anyone who likes to read my writing.

CC - You mention daily meditation in Elements of Poker. What is your daily routine and how do you feel it helps your mental game?

Tommy - Meditation helps my mental game in the same way that food helps me not starve to death. My daily routine is an hour and a half of meditation and yoga every morning when I wake up, and mindfulness practice throughout the day.

CC - Do you have any recommendations for further reading on the subject of meditation?

Tommy - Yes. I have a page full of recommendations and links and writings by me and others on meditation at my site: www.tommyangelo.com/meditation101.html

CC - You'll write a personal message into books purchased from your website. Can you share a memorable or bizarre inscription request?

Tommy - Do I have to stop at one? A week ago, I got this request:

Please draw two perfect circles - one above the other. Write one word in each circle of your choosing.

Thank you

That was it. I used a salt shaker to trace out two nice circles. I wrote “TILT” in the top one, and “LESS” in the bottom one.

Several times I have complied with requests to inscribe things that federal law forbids me to reproduce here. In each case it was someone giving the book as a gift, and thereby feeling they had earned the right to have me hurl outrageous insults at the recipient.

<3 Tommy.

Really great interview and the old guy mock shooting himself is ****ing hysterical yet sad. The fact that no one moved makes me wonder if he'd pulled that stunt before.

Thanks for doing the interview.

Great interview, thanks a ton Tommy!

Great stuff. I'd love to hear more of the autograph requests ......

Great Interview,I look forward to the next installment

Did he really think anyone was going to stop the game to check on a grumpy old man. lol



Snow

Great interview, thanks for sharing Tommy

Aloha

In case Tommy stops by to check the thread out, I'd like to know a bit about Kay too. To be married to someone who plays/coaches poker but doesn't play herself, I'm guessing maybe a background in psychology, or education?

Good guess. She did major in psychology, and most of her career has been in sales. We spotted the many similarities in our "jobs" right away. Massive swings that aren't necessarily related to performance. Getting crushed and dusting off and going back at it. Short, medium, and long-range strategic planning. Freedom to just go find a new game if we don't like the one we're in. When we met, she knew nothing about poker and I knew almost nothing about sales. Turns out we did know a lot about both trades. We just didn't know it.

Welcome to CC Mr.Angelo and thanks for taking the time both for the interview and to stop by this thread .

Very cool of you to do the interview tommy angelo

Nice to see you are a member also!



Snow

Great interview Tommy, thanks so much for taking the time to do it!

good interview again
some nice and original questions in there

lol'd at the two circles

Firstly thanks for doing the interview for us and secondly i really enjoyed reading it

I feel you play with a smile and so the meditation must really help in keeping the inner calm working when even the Poker Gods are at work

Thanks again

Great interview, thanks so much Tommy and thanks for stopping by as well.

Yahoo Tommy is here!!! Got the book TA, great interview, stick around and drop us some lines. Hope to c u at some of our tourneys...

It was a great interview imo and having Tommy Angelo sign-up because of it (even if it's just for review purposes) is pretty cool. Maybe if given the opportunity we could do an add-on session of questions.

Thanks for taking the time to participate in the interview!!!

Great interview,, great reading material, i enjoyed reading the interview,, Thanks Tommy & Thanks also for signing up here at CC,, buck

Cool interview.

really enjoyed reading interview. cool that TA signed up 2. more questons for TA ITT?

Very well done. I like how he classed his wife. Made her sound like a true blessing. Very charismatic man. Thanks for the interview. Nice Job CC

Can we interview Barry Greenstein next. Let me know i got lots of ?s for him lol

nice nice. tommy's book the elements of poker is awesome. recommend it to everyone

Thanks for doing the interview, I will be checking out your website & I suspect purchasing your book when I get back home, great attitude & interview.

Thanks for the interview. The whole meditation thing is interesting, when I'm done concentrating on poker, I'll go check out the website.

They obviously had to be in a private poker club for there to any1 allowed w/ guns LOL that was a good 1 though...

That was great, keep up the good job!

Welcome and Thanks.