Archive for the ‘Poker Book Reviews’ Category:
Sit 'n Go Strategy
This books draws mixed responses. This is because, in case every poker player reads it, then online Sit `n Go games would get a lot difficult to beat. This book is most suitable for SNGs with the entry fee of $10 by way of medium stakes, though several advanced, higher stakes players may get benefited from this book. Several of the topics which are discussed are much advanced, as far as the beginning players are concerned, who must first of all get some experience, apart from an understanding of the basic concepts, before they purchase this book.
Sit `N Go Strategy is by far one of the best books on poker, which have ever been published, and is a major contribution to the game of poker, since enough literature on poker is not available as far as SNG tournament strategies are concerned. A properly written, reasonably comprehensive guide for playing low as well as medium buy in, apart from one table tournaments, this book is a fair buy. The text of Sit ‘n Go Strategy is logically distributed into various sections dealing with Medium Blind Play, Low Blind Play, as well as High Blind Play, apart from a chapter, with the title of Sit `N Go Career Play that addresses covers a few additional concepts.
As far as low blind play is concerned, the author tutors a very tight and aggressive style of games, although he admits, that the other playing styles may also be successful, in case the players are skilful at post flop play. When it comes to medium blind section, the author also supports a tight and aggressive game. However, he displays how a tremendously aggressive play may be the optimal strategy as the blinds enhance, and the table conditions are right.
High Blind Play is another amazing section, and is one of the major highlights of the book. A methodical analysis of the table conditions, the individual styles, blind sizes, stack sizes, payouts, as well as chip values, and how they affect optimum strategies is also provided. A lot of valuable information is offered for the intermediate players, as well as advanced players are likely to get benefited from this section. Various concepts like steals, resteals and stop `n go, are properly explained as well.
This should not be considered to be just another poker book. It is quite an interesting as well as informative reading for online players who wish to improve their game at one table Sit `N Go contests.
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Phil Hellmuth Presents Read ‘Em and Reap: A Career FBI Agent’s Guide to Decoding Poker Tells
by Joe Navarro, Marvin Karlins, Phil Hellmuth
Joe Navarro, one of the co-authors of the book was serving as a special agent in FBI. He mastered the art of behavioural attitude with his job in FBI and utilised the same skills for poker tells. Along with Joe Navarro, Phil Hellmuth is one of the main authors of the book.
A majority of the successful online poker players already know the basic poker skills and possess the expertise which is beyond the scope of the beginners. There are tons of books in the market which speak of poker strategies and the mathematical elements attached to the game. However, most players lack the psychological elements of the game and fail to read people appropriately. Therefore knowing more about poker tells is one of the best things to do as an average poker player, so as to improve the chances in the live settings.
Previously, Mike Caro has made an attempt in explaining the poker tells through his ‘Book of Poker Tells’. However this book takes a completely different approach, while explaining the categories of poker tells and the ways to deal with them. The book also includes tells related to the hand, the feet, the mouth and the overall eye movement.
There is a unique distinction between tells portrayed by the actors and the signs given out by the non-actors. The book elaborates more on the latter kind of players. Navarro begins by explaining the limbic brain, which is the psychological foundation of the unconscious, tells. According to him, the limbic brain reacts to all those things which are heard, sensed, seen or felt. The reactions given out by the brain are so spontaneous in real time and therefore give out an honest response to all the information from the surrounding environment.
As soon as stressful situations are created, just like the ones in the high stakes poker game, the limbic brain would prepare the body to fight, freeze or flee. In the later parts of the book, the authors give out details on how these responses manifest themselves into different body movements. There are various photographs to support the theory, along with description of tells.
The reports on physiological motivations for a tell are pretty interesting and ‘Gravity Defying Tells’ is one of the best chapters in the book. This chapter gives out examples of tells such as raised eyebrows, nostrils, hands or feet. It happens to be a 213 page book, with most information on tells. However, there are a few chapters in the book which are completely irrelevant as compared to the subject of the book. On the whole, the book is fairly informative and would be of great help to the beginners. On the other hand, it would be interesting and captivating to find the interrelation between court judgements, jury discussions and poker tells, all coming from an authentic record of Joe Navarro.
Daniel Negreanus Power Holdem Strategy
Considering all the aspects, this book is a little disappointing. What is most disappointing is the fact, that this 485 page book has little to do with the writings of Negreanu, which appear only in the last 200 pages. Unlike what was expected, this book does not focus on the unique style of poker of Negreanu.
The book has five chapters before those of Negreanu, and each one is written by a different pro: Todd Brunson, Evelyn Ng, Paul Wasicka, Erick Lindgren and David Williams. Evelyn’s chapter presents an interesting strategy for the beginners, which make quite a lot of sense to me. Also the fact that I hadn’t heard of it before, made it further good. However, the other four chapters by the pros were simply a waste of time. As it is, Lindgren, Brunson, Wasicka and Williams have all written about these very basic concepts, which I had heard about, a million times before.
The chapter by Lindgren dealt with online play. A major drawback with this chapter is that it has been written for players who cut their teeth in casinos and have moved to the online version. In actuality, I believe most of us would start online and then work our ways towards casinos in case we succeed online. This makes the whole thing going backwards. He provides a bit more of the actual in-game strategies than Brunson, but not too much.
All said and done, the chapter by Daniel is simply great and I feel that it is good enough to stand apart, on its own. Around 200 pages in length, an in depth description is provided for his small-ball strategy, the mathematical analysis that makes it work, as well as the art of mastering it. The reader is guided through the starting hand selection and moves all the way through flop, turn, and river play, making it a lot easy to understand the analogies in the way. Although I believe that the rest of the world of poker has caught up with Daniel’s methods ever since his phenomenal success in 2003 & 2004, the strategy is nevertheless, quite a useful weapon for a poker player.
On the whole, with all the disappointing stuff, the book should get just 2 stars.
My 50 Most Memorable Hands
An absolutely well laid-out book, narrated in a totally effortless fashion, this book is definitely a good buy. Doyle does not starts out explaining every detail, hence when you get this book, be sure that you know the basics of the game of Texas Hold ‘em. As it is, there are around, 10 hands of 50 that are not about hold ‘em hands. Be aware of them.
As Doyle elaborates the several hands, you are available with nicely detailed photographs of the cards. This way, you can get a feel of what has been shown on the table, with the story being told. This is the most amazing aspect of the book, i.e. the ability to see the cards and taking it all in. The flop, turn, and river are displayed almost all of the forty or so of the hold em hands; there are some times where he goes about telling the story sans the pictures of cards. A trivial inconvenience.
Doyle is definitely a poker legend, and it is great to now about his memories pertaining to these hands. A brilliant book, and I know that he may come up with fifty more someday!
Cash Games (How to Win at No-Limit Hold'em Money Games) Vol. 1
As you fall short of the tournament series that would always happen as the cash games are far more complex, these books are definitely best for people wishing to set the transition from tournaments to cash games.
One of the most prominent advantages of the book, is that it shows as to WHY the two kinds are different, and the alteration in insight, which needs to be made.
In case you happen to be a tournament player this would certainly introduce a few ideas that you would not be at ease with and hands which you have been a bit happy to get all with in a contest are now hands which are often beat by the turn as well as beyond. However, in case you are open to new ideas and try out the concepts introduced in the book, you will definitely see an upgrading in your results. As far as the previous books are concerned, the hand problems are definitely fascinating and offer some major insight…
They will probably not be of much use for the experienced or successful cash game players, but everybody else would learn a lot. Along with these Professional No Limit Poker Vol 1 would also be a good reading.
Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. II: Endgame
Another great work by Harrington and Robertie! In fact, this book is even more powerful than the earlier volume. The book presents the authoritative text on how to think about as well as play a final table of a no limit hold em tournament. In this process, they have further redefined the game.
These two gentlemen introduce an entirely new lexicon about no limit poker: red zones, inflection points, green zones, dead zones, probe bets, as well as continuation bets.
The book has several terms and phrases, which help in clarifying the various intuitive concepts related to no limit tournament play, which are explained in a very simple manner. As a matter of fact, you may never have read a simpler or clearer book, with more powerful explanations for them. As it is, players enter the various stages, with the stack size growing and lowering the final table of a tournament. Quit like this, with other critical conceptions in no limit plays like final table play, continuation and probe bets. The authors take the ideas that exceptional players have instinctively recognized but till now have never totally expressed as well as compiled them in clear, simple language, which any player with moderate experience may readily grasp and inculcate. The hand examples that the authors think us through add to a better understanding of the game.
Even saying that this is a must-read book for each serious hold em player would be an understatement in itself. As a matter of fact, this book is cheduled to change the way, the entire game would be played in future. As a matter of fact, this book has the potential to direct further texts on the subject, to come up in the times to come.
Doyle Brunson's Super System: A Course in Power Poker
This is considered by pros to be the BEST POKER BOOK EVER WRITTEN. A classic book on each major no-limit game, which is played today and deals extensively with poker games, this book offers a number of advanced strategies, tactics, theories, as well as money-minting techniques. So, if you are serious about poker, then you should have this book. Available in paperback edition for the first time, Super System covers 608 pages of amazing information and includes fifty pages on the most accurate poker statistics that has ever been published. It also features chapters, which have been written by the superstars of the game, the best theorists as well as the best poker players of the world, like Mike Caro, Dave Sklansky, Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson and Bobby Baldwin.
It covers three world champions and is addressed by two master theorists, providing valuable winning advice on minting money on the tables. These poker superstars address the important games in depth. So, you get draw poker, 7-card stud, 7-card low stud, lowball, high-low declare, high-low split and of course hold’em. The crucial winning concepts as well as strategies have been clearly outlined as well as explained, which enables you, to be a big winner. Serious poker players should always have this book. It is more of a mandatory reading for the aspiring tournament players, or poker pros, and is simply great for players who are moving over to higher stake games. This is definitely one of the best books every written on poker- Absolutely indispensable for any poker player.
Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play
The No limit hold’em, is definitely a complex game. It is so complicated, that there has not been a worthwhile comprehensive treatment of the game in the form of a book; I believe that this might be due to the fact, that it involves more of the “table feel”, experience as well as intuition, which can not be easily taught or may be expressed in a suitable format.
Harrington along with Robertie have done just that. Harrington has been the 1995 world champion, apart from being the only player to be in the final table in both 2003 as well as 2004, coming over the two biggest fields in the history of the World Series i.e. 839 and 2,576 players, respectively. On the other hand, Robertie is a famous backgammon player apart from being an author of a number of excellent books on the game.
This book does a great job of discussing the relative advantages of different styles, playing against every kind of opponent, as well as even selecting one for you. This definitely makes sense; irrespective of his own style, for becoming successful he is required to spent quite a lot of time pondering about, observing, as well as combating all different kinds of players. More so, a playing style can not always be rigid and even the most orthodox players need to switch gears and get more aggressive as and when time demands.
This can be further explained: first, Harrington’s own game as described is not as orthodox and watchful as many might think. Second, a fairly conventional approach is obviously the sounder one for the apprentice, and anybody without lots of experience. Overtly aggressive game would be a lot harder to teach properly, and also a lot harder to pull over successfully. The players who flourish playing such aggressive, gambling techniques have outstanding talent apart from lots of experience as well as a feel for the game and the opponents. More so, they have usually been faced with difficult decisions and have undergone a lot of pressure situations more often. As far as those who insist on going for it, the best thing to do is to learn a fundamentally better style first and thereafter proceed from there on.
The book has been laid out well for reading. All the chapters start with a discussion on the topic and touching of the theory. There are several example situations along with the answers as well as detailed reasoning. These are further accompanied with discussions on merits of alternative games. Following every chapter there are several problems, usually from real hands. It offers a diagram of the table, your knowledge of your opponents, the chip counts for every player, and so on, i.e. all the necessary information. The problems generally provide all the information even though some of it might not be relevant to the problem. A major part of the decision making process in a game of poker consists of recognizing as well as eliminating the extraneous details for making analysis far more managable.
For those who are new to poker, for getting the most out of the book, it is recommended that you read a few other books at the same time. Some other worthy readings include “Small Stakes Hold’em” by Miller, Sklansky and Malmuth, “Winning Low Limit Hold’em” by Lee Jones and “The Theory of Poker” by David Sklansky.
The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament
This is definitely one of the “must have” books on poker that you should always carry. The Brunson’s Super System (I and II) throws light on the game of poker as played in the ring games at various casinos. This quantity is the complement for the tournament games.
The title hints at a deep link with the web portal. This appears very much true, as the basic connection which is visible, is that the book deals with the games that are available on the portal, and the portal deals with the games that are played in casinos or other such places.
Michael Craig, the famous author, has done the great job of managing the book. Although a few negligible grammatical mistakes are there, none of them interfere with either the message or the flow of the book.
The games, which are discussed in the book include Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Pot-Limit Hold’em, Seven-Card Stud, Omaha Eight-or-Better, razz, Stud Eight-or-Better and of course No-Limit Hold’em (you can find these at a online casino like Betfair). Quite a few years ago I was a Draw Poker as well as Five-Card Stud player myself. The tricks, which I learned playing those games made me a better Hold’em player. In case, you learn a bit about the other variations of the game of poker, you will find know, that your game improves.
A story that has been a part of the folklores is about Andy Bloch and Chris Ferguson, wherein Ferguson met Bloch in a restaurant. When Ferguson went over to Bloch’s table he saw that Bloch was poring on a binder of computer formatted tables, as a result of the extensive simulation of Bloch’s hand versus table, hand versus hand, etc. Chris had done exactly the same kind of calculations before launching his successful career in No-Limit Hold’em tournament. The similarity in their style of play apart from their success was largely due to the mathematical analysis apart from the table. In a chapter of 57 pages of facts and concepts Bloch puts forward a series of tables, which show a few results pertaining to his simulations. The chapter itself is far more valuable than the price that you have to pay for the book.
Other significant chapters are that of:
- A cram session on Razz strategy by Huck Seed and Ted Forest.
- Rafe Furst and Andy Bloch on Pot-Limit Hold’em
- A chapter on Seven-Card Stud by Keith Sexton.
- Chris Ferguson on Pot-Limit Omaha.
- Limit Hold’em by Howard Lederer.
- A few tricks for Big Stack Play at No-Limit Hold’em by Gavin Smith.
- Phil Gordon discusses Short Stack Play in No-Limit Hold’em.
- And more.
Every Hand Revealed
This is definitely one of the most important poker books.
As the pros making videos of the poker tournament victories, the way to learn poker has become easier. This is perhaps the first time that a serious player has put forward an entire tournament published, i.e. live brick-and-mortar tournament!
As it is, the narration is detailed as well as honest; and shows that even Hansen nods with some far off decisions. This forthrightness only enhances the utility of the book since other pro poker players seem to gloss over their own trouble hands in their scripts. Most of the time, they would show the Phil Hellmuth attitude. So, players like Mr. Hellmuth would get uncanny reads on the hands of the opponent, but are not ale to explain the thought process.
Despite that, sometimes Mr. Hansen is able to make the right decision. However, the cards do not seem to cooperate. It is amazing to find him handle this and win without being tilted off his game.
The book is absolutely uncomplicated and easy to read. So, you do not have to slog through the complex mathematical analysis, yet the player is still aware of the numbers that are involved in the crucial decisions.