Time to Act on the Button
And just like that… almost.
After months of watching, rewatching, transcribing, and trying to get inside the mind of one of poker’s sharpest thinkers, I’m just a few hours away from clicking “Publish” on Amazon KDP.
I’ve checked and double-checked everything. The manuscript’s ready. The cover’s locked in. The deadline I gave myself is midnight tonight—and I’m going to meet it.
Before I pull the trigger, I wanted to share this moment. A pause. A breath. Because once the book goes live, there’s no turning back—and that’s exactly how it should be.
Adrián Mateos Mind Decoded is the result of an obsession. One run. One player. One tournament. I set out to reverse-engineer his decisions in the 2024 WSOP Main Event, and ended up deep in the weeds—hand histories, table dynamics, betting patterns, timing tells. The process was demanding, but deeply rewarding.
The first thing I’ll do after publishing? Order a copy. There’s something grounding about holding the finished book in your hands—pages that began as scattered notes, now printed and bound. I need to see it in the flesh. To make sure it reads right, feels right, and lives up to the spirit that sparked it.
But this isn’t the end. Not even close.
As the 2025 WSOP kicks off in Las Vegas, I’ll be tuned in to PokerGO, notebook open, eyes sharp, watching the next wave of brilliance unfold. This book was just the beginning—a deep dive into one mind, one run, one tournament. What comes next is the real journey: a growing collection of insights, hands, and ideas. A living compendium.
It’s been 35 years since Olsson first dragged me into that poker club in Stockholm. Those early games gave me a solid foundation, and when internet poker exploded in the early 2000s, I found success—probably because I had a head start while most players were still getting their feet wet.
Now the game’s evolved. I’m the one chasing, working to keep up with a generation that never stopped improving.
Poker has changed—and if I’m going to stay in it, I have to change with it. The thrill is still there. The layers, the challenge, the beauty of a game that never stands still. For me, this next chapter is about reconnection: to the game, to learning, and to the joy of chasing clarity in a sea of complexity.
If all goes well, I’ll be sharing that journey on pokeralchemist.com—blog posts, thoughts, maybe even more deep dives
The book is almost out there. The cards are in the air. Let’s keep learning.
—Carl Gustafsson
Pokeralchemist