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While most players were starting their summer journey at the World Series of Poker, Brandon Adams was publishing his fourth book, Personal Organization for Degenerates. The book is a light-hearted take on personal organization but geared towards those constitutionally disinclined to organization, including poker players or people that have the degenerate trait.
Personal Organization for Degenerates is unlike many of the books Adams has published in the past. His first book, Broke: A Poker Novel, was a fictional tale about the darker sides of poker. The Story of Behavioral Finance was a textbook he wrote for his Harvard course on Behavioral Finance and his third, Setting Sun: The End of US Economic Dominance, focused on the economic crises of 2008-2010.
“The title was meant to be funny,” Adams said about POFD, with a chuckle, on his most recent Main Event break. “I personally like the organization genre, people like Tim Ferris, Brian Koppelman, but one thing I find lacking in those books or podcasts are that so much of it is about very fine optimization of lifestyle…and my experience is so counter to that.”
Adams’ experiences extend outside the poker world. Aside from being a published author, the former Harvard professor has taught undergraduate economics courses in game theory, behavioral science and international macroeconomics. He is also extremely involved in the world of fantasy sports.
“I wanted to write about sort of key topics in life, money, health, relationships and communication but from the perspective of the big picture and also from the perspective of people that have a little bit of a degenerate wiring.” Adams said about what motivated POFD. “What I mean by that is people whose main fuel for their activities is adrenaline.”
Most people in the poker world fit that category but Adams sees that trait in other industries as well. People that are huge sports fans, along with people that are involved in finance and trading usually fit that profile.
“I feel like I have special insight into those people,” Adams said, since he has been around the poker world and adreline fueled environments for a long time. He went on to add, “I wanted to convey lessons from my life. I’ve seen so many pitfalls because so many of my friends have lived that lifestyle for so long.”
The pitfalls Adams has seen has drawn some of the younger generation to seek Adams out for advice. He is always willing to give it but those conversations eventually led to Personal Organization for Degenerates.
After publishing his book to rave reviews from the poker community, Adams is now trying to write another chapter in his poker career. The author, fantasy sports guru, educator and high-stakes poker player is looking for his third-straight WSOP Main Event cash, with his Day 2 A/B session streaming live on PokerGO and ESPN.
Later this summer, Adams may be writing another chapter in his “Poker After Dark” career as well. Adams was a staple on the show before Black Friday and when asked whether if PokerGO‘s PAD reboot could bring Adams back to the poker world on a more full-time basis, he said, “Oh yeah, I’ll wire the money tomorrow. I’m ready to roll for Poker After Dark.”
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