Poker News / Short-Stacked Shamus / 21 May 2010 / Leave a Comment

"Many people have criticized me for sticking my nose into subjects that I haven't mastered." So begins a chapter in David Sklansky's newest offering, DUCY? Exploits, Advice, and Ideas of the Renowned Strategist, written in collaboration with Alan Schoonmaker.

Sklansky writes the above line with what one assumes to be a great deal of self-awareness, given the context in which it appears. As an author or co-author of a dozen well-regarded texts on poker and gambling, David Sklansky is justly regarded as one of the foremost authorities in those fields, with his masterwork, The Theory of Poker, often cited as one of the most influential books about poker ever written.

DUCY?, however, finds Sklansky very deliberately stepping outside of his acknowledged area of expertise in order to explore a variety of topics, only some of which concern gambling and/or poker. Thus does the book feature Sklansky frequently "sticking [his] nose into subjects" about which he himself admits he hasn't any special background or experience, but nonetheless feels compelled to share his opinions and ideas.

The result is an engaging collection of anecdotes, puzzles, proposals, and theories concerning a wide assortment of contemporary issues -- including health care, terrorism, the economy, legalizing drugs, gun control, the "morning after" pill, handicapped parking, prostitution, illegal immigrants, the death penalty, and stem cell research (just to name a few). There's also advice about how to parallel park in there, too!

The book is comprised of more than 70 short chapters, some of which are further divided into smaller sections. The brief Part One (60 pages) focuses on anecdotes drawn from Sklansky's time as the late Bob Stupak's personal consultant (or "Resident Wizard"), detailing various conundrums and issues faced by the hotel/casino owner for which Sklansky provided his own often unorthodox-seeming solutions. The remainder of the 300-page book is taken up by Part Two -- titled "More Exploits, Ideas, and Advice" -- which finds Sklansky tackling a succession of other problems and issues.

The book's title -- DUCY? -- originated in the Two Plus Two forums as a shorthand version of a favorite question with which Sklansky often punctuated his contributions to various discussions: "Do you see why?" It's a deliberately provocative manner of replying, designed to encourage the reader to think through a particular statement and discover for him or herself why such a conclusion was drawn.

As Sklansky's collaborator, Alan Schoonmaker (himself an accomplished author of several books on poker psychology), explains in his introduction, the book is intentionally designed to challenge readers to "break out of the narrow box of [their] own thinking, analyze situations in new and creative ways, and make immeasurably better decisions."

The Stupak stories do a nice job of introducing Sklansky's penchant for unconventional solutions to problems -- here in particular those faced by the hotel/casino operator, such as making the best use of space, motivating workers, or dealing with Vegas bureaucrats.

These chapters also introduce the pattern of Sklansky sharing a particular anecdote or solution, then Schoonmaker following with a postscript in which the primary lessons or ideas are articulated more directly. Schoonmaker's postscripts don't follow every chapter (there are more than 30 total in the book), but when they do appear they are helpful in identifying intended lessons -- in other words, they aid the reader's efforts to answer the question "do you see why?" implied in just about every chapter.

As far as the chapters in Part Two are concerned, there are at least three ways Sklansky is potentially provoking. Aside, of course, from the occasional lack of humility he sometimes appears to portray (such as in the first sentence of the book -- "I was born with a very good brain").

One way Sklansky provokes has already been mentioned -- namely, his inclination to speak on topics about which he readily admits he has limited knowledge or expertise. This willingness means Sklansky opens himself up to criticism numerous times, such as when he offers a theory about whether multiple exposures to the AIDS virus are needed in order to contract the disease, admitting throughout that he hasn't the medical knowledge to do more than simply hypothesize.

Sklansky does well, however, to qualify his own position when making such proposals, and ultimately provides a good defense for his readiness to speak on topics of which his study hasn't been formal or even thorough. "Just because you think you know everything about a subject," says Sklansky, "don't dismiss the advice of really smart people who may not know that subject as well as you."

A second way Sklansky perhaps provokes some readers is by his consistent promotion of logic over emotion. For example, in a chapter titled "Guarding Against Silly Feelings," Sklansky concludes by advising readers not to deny that feelings influence them, but "to factor feelings into your decisions" in a way that enables you to "make sure that there is a rational relationship between the amount you allow for feelings and your objective gain or loss." In other words, says Sklansky, "put a number on your feelings."

It is hard not to respond to such advice by pointing out that "feelings" are what they are precisely because one cannot "put a number" on them. In other words, one cannot always translate emotion into logic, or use "money as measurement" for certain things (as Sklansky elsewhere advises). Still, I think the point here is to encourage us not to forgo rational, logic-based approaches in situations where we might typically think they do not apply.

Finally, Sklansky provokes us by often taking what seem to be deliberately radical and/or potentially unpopular positions on issues, such as his suggestion that non-handicapped people should be allowed to park in handicapped parking places if they are willing to pay exorbitant prices to do so. But again, such a willingness is part of what makes the book compelling -- to see how he's going to support such views, and to challenge oneself to "break out of the narrow box" of one's usual thinking.

It is highly unlikely that any reader will come away from DUCY? having been convinced in every case to accept blindly all of Sklansky's proposals. Then again, to accept another's ideas without thinking them through oneself would go against the purpose of the book, it would seem. Do you see why?

More on DUCY? Exploits, Advice, and Ideas of the Renowned Strategist, including information on about ordering, can be found at Two Plus Two Publishing -- DUCY?.

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