About the Writer

Our resident Angry Counselor is John "the Poker Counselor" Carlisle. In addition to being a gambling columnist and lecturer, he is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) with a Masters Degree in Counseling from West Virginia University. He also has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

Publications & More

John has over 100 articles in print (and counting) in the realm of the psychology of gambling, most of those appearing in poker's most recognized publications such as Bluff magazine, Top Pair magazine, Poker Player newspaper, Canadian Poker Player magazine, and more. He's had non-poker related articles in magazines like Gambling Online and Men's Edge. His inspection of heads-up poker psychology (with Phil Hellmuth) was highlighted on FoxSports.com. He pens a very popular "Dear-Abby" style type weekly column at pokernews.com. He was selected to be a headline speaker at the Canadian Poker Summit with speakers such as Evelyn Ng. He was a guest on a syndicated radio show in the summer 2005 to provide listeners advice on their poker game.

John and his wife are avid gamblers and travelers. They've hit the tables across the globe, including those in Aruba, the Bahamas, Monte Carlo, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Canada, Foxwoods in Connecticut, on various cruise ships, and in several Indian-owed casinos across the USA. You can contact John to ask questions about the psychology of poker by emailing

♣ Index of John's articles on poker psychology and profiles of pro players.