Longtime fans of Cardplayer Lifestyle know that I’m based in Israel – not exactly the world’s poker hub (to say the least!). Though plenty of poker players and well-known poker personalities traverse the globe on a regular basis, let’s just say that Israel often gets passed over; so it’s a pretty special occasion for me, on a personal level, to get to meet “poker people” face to face.
![Robbie Strazynski and Jared Tendler](https://cdn.cardplayerlifestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Robbie-and-Jared-300x224.jpg)
Me and Jared
I’m currently on a short trip to the States to celebrate my brother’s engagement. In advance of the trip, I let The Mental Game of Poker author Jared Tendler know that I’d be in the New York area, as when we had last been in touch, he had said I should give him a heads-up if I was ever in his neck of the woods. I entered, sat in, and left that meeting with Jared on a tremendous high – and here are the five reasons why:
- First off, I was thrilled and honored that Jared was so happy to meet with me as well and that the timing worked out despite the relatively brief advance notice I had given him.
- Second, I’ve already read and reviewed The Mental Game of Poker and am in the process of reading volume 2. If you’ve read my review, you’d see how much I liked the book and recommended it as a “must read” to all poker players. Specifically, aside from having improved my poker game, lessons from the book have helped me improve a few things in my life as well. I was excited to share this with Jared in person.
- Third, I’ve never gotten anything autographed in person before. Jared was kind enough to indulge this fanboy and also write me a nice dedication.
- Fourth, there was a particularly unique poker-related question I had wanted to ask Jared, and I only truly felt comfortable enough doing so in person. He graciously took the time to guide me towards the right and proper mental path in order to try and achieve a solution to my poker problem.
- Finally, and most importantly, it was so nice to see that Jared was “a regular, normal, flesh and blood guy” – not just a name on a book and a face on a Twitter profile.
Friendly, knowledgeable, and just all-around good-natured, it’s not hard to understand why so many poker pros gravitate towards Jared for mental game counseling. Needless to say, I fully endorse Jared in this respect.
Thanks again Jared for an awesome brunch, and I look forward to finishing The Mental Game of Poker 2 and to seeing your future mental game products debut.