5 comments about Online Poker: Your Guide to Playing Online Poker Safely & Winning Money.

1. This book reads more like an advertisement and FAQ for Doyle's online poker room. There is very little of value here for the money. Do yourself a favor and buy "Super System" or another title that has worthwhile advice.



2. I cant believe that Doyle Brunson feels he needs money so bad that he should put his name on this book. This book is aimed at someone who has never used the internet before. If you have managed to play online poker for real money then you are already too sophisticated for this book. Yet another book that is simply cashing in on the poker boom and doesnt offer anything of value.
   Buy Harrington on Hold'em if you want to win money at poker.



3. I am shocked, stunned and appalled that a lifetime professional poker player would take advantage of poker newcomers simply for money! People, a few years ago you parents would have warned you to stay away from people like Doyle Brunsen! Now everyone thinks he is this kind old grandfater type! Get real!



4. I was browsing through Borders books the other day and I saw this book on the shelf. I thought to myself "Wow, I have never seen or heard of this book." I picked it up to have a quick look through and I ended up reading the whole book in about half an hour. (There isn't much to it). This book is just a total disgrace. It is the worst poker book I have ever seen- even worse than John Vorhaus's book "Killer poker online" (At least he probably spent quite some time actually writing that book ignoring the fact that the book sucks). There is no strategy whatsoever, it's basically about how to deposit money, how to download the software etc. The strategic advice is basically "Play very straightforwardly online because your opponents aren't paying attention anyway." Brunson ought to hang his head in shame, he is just trying to use his name to capitalize on the poker boom and dupe beginners into buying a product that will do nothing to help develop their game. I have lost any respect I ever had for Brunson.



5. Gives the basics without all the technical jargon. Great for getting
   started before moving to all the statistics and odds.

4 comments about Real Poker II: The Play of Hands.

1. In each chapter, Cooke focuses on one hand. He lays out the scene, how the hand played out, and what his thought process was on each hand.
   His goal is to make as much money as possible on his winners, and to lose as little as possible on his losers (a good goal).
   While sometimes he may come across as a bit of a know-it-all, this is an invaluable book that addresses many of the issues poker players face at the felt, including Pot Odds, Implied Odds, how to play in loose games v. tight games, short-handed v. full games, and more.
   Each chapter is about 3 pages, making this an ideal book for those who don't often have large chunks of time to devote to reading.
   If you play Limit Hold 'Em and want to make more money, buy this book, put it in your bathroom, and read one chapter a day. Your game will be better for it.



2. REAL POKER II: THE PLAY OF HANDS offers up a winning set of his Play of Hand columns from 1992-99. From right and wrong plays and misreading to deciding when to call, REAL POKER II: THE PLAY OF HANDS is for avid players who would be better.



3. I have added this book to my library and the book is very good and a fine addition to my current library.



4. the book is the reprint of a number of articles published by the author over time. It is well written, and the information is definitely of high calibre. It is however best used by limit holdem players; as no limit holdem strategy differs widely from limit strategy.
   With that proviso in mind, i think those interested will find their dollars recieve fair value from the author.

5 comments about The Poker Face of Wall Street.

1. In this unusual study, math geek and poker addict Aaron Brown uses royal flushes as a way to meditate on the oft-overlooked topic of financial risk. Poker and trading share many similarities, he argues, and you can apply similar skills and mindsets profitably to both endeavors. Brown travels from California card rooms to Texas back rooms to Yukon gold mining camps, with numerous stops on Wall Street and in the Ivy League. In lesser hands, such a far-reaching study would have lost focus, but Brown manages to keep making meaty points. Unlike the stereotypical quant, Brown writes clearly and gracefully, making his work rewarding to read. getAbstract recommends his book to investors seeking an edge in a risky world. Your deal.



2. I met Aaron at the U of Chicago, Finance PhD program, many years ago. I can honestly say that he's a saint and one of the smartest people I've met. Admiration aside, his book is interesting and full of insights because it's written from a broad perspective weaving history, games, risk-taking, and finance.
   
   At times, I wondered where Brown was going? But when I stepped back I realized that he is telling a story (of some of his life experiences) and sharing his perspective and insights with the readers, trying to help us understand issues that are difficult to put arms around. Just like in real life, where events meander and occur "randomly", and where we are left with just the experience and a revised perspective (appreciation) of how things are and how they work, Aaron gives the readers such a "painting".
   
   His book is artistic, analytical and full of insights. I highly recommend it. Today I discovered, Aaron (with two co-authors) has a book forthcoming, titled, "A World of Chance: Betting on Religon...." which I can't wait to read. I did some search on the Internet to see what other works he might have produced and I discovered a website eraider dot com, which lists many articles he has written in finance -- you too might enjoy reading his reviews and articles.



3. Wow, I never imagined such a link between poker and investing. Is my portfolio manager really just a gambler at heart? At first, that seems like a pretty scary thought. This book has a lot of great ideas in it, written by one of the masters of risk management and a legend in the field. I liked the book a lot and it really opened my eyes.



4. As a professional in the ETF business I highly recommend this book. Let's face it....Game theory is here to stay and Aaron's book details this very well. If you're planning on entering into the business of investments from Algorithms to Zeta Models....do yourself a favor and read this book... Aaron Brown's "The Poker Face of Wall Street" takes a dry subject matter and makes it fun and enjoyable. I'd like to see Aaron take on the boys from Susquehanna in a lil' five card. Game on-----



5. There are some fine books on poker. There are some fine books on market history. This tries to be both and is neither. It won't help your poker game; it won't help you invest.
   
   This book is filled with interesting stories in financial history, gambling lore, poker sociology!,game theory at the poker table, backroom poker shenanigans.
   
   In the bibliography, you see why: Against the Gods, a history of financial risk; the beautiful classic The Biggest Game in Town; Big Deal; Positively Fifth Street, The Little Engine that Could for poker (and it's true); Fooled by Randomness, how chance affects us in the markets and in everyday life; Blink, how experts make "instant" correct decisions; The Wisom of Crowds, an opposite point of view on expert decisions. All wonderful books.
   
   Read those, then come back to this.
   
   I want to give this 3 stars, but it's not an average poker book.

2 comments about Omaha High-Low: Play to Win With The Odds: Play to win with the odds.

1. Mr. Boston has clearly spent a lot of time and effort generating the massive tables that comprise most of this book, and for a serious player that's worth the cost. What he actually says in terms of advice, however, is sketchy and sparse. He generally goes by the conservative wait-for-good-hands philosophy.
   
   Mostly, he has exhaustively run all possible hands thru many simulations and ranked them. This is interesting enough, but I have some quibbles with his classifications. Take a hand like AK32. He calls it suited if the ace is suited, double-suited if the King and Ace are both suited, and unsuited otherwise. I presume he calls it just "suited" if all four are the same suit, but he doesn't say. Also, I claim it adds small but significant value to the hand if the King only is suited, but he doesn't seem to think so.
   
   If he separated all the possibilities the book would be impossibly large... but the many possibilities are what attract us (the players) to the game, nicht wahr?



2. Bill Boston has done the Omaha/8 player a great favor by systematically and exhaustively tabulating the results of playing each possible starting hand.
   
   Another reviewer downgraded his rating because Boston's discussion could be more complete. My take is just the opposite - the extensive tables in this small volume are most valuable when the user studies them to arrive at his own understanding of what works and what doesn't in Omaha/8. For example, Boston shows that any hand with a 7, 8, or 9 is a loser over time. His tables also show that all hands with X as the second low card are also losers over time. I'll leave it to the serious player to study the tables Boston provides to determine the rank of X.
   
   And there's more, but you'll have to dig into this treasure trove of research data to find it.
   
   Could I pan the book because of how the data was collected? Sure. The author made certain assumptions about the types of opponents and my opponents play somewhat differently. He didn't consider suitedness in some situations where I'd like to know more (i.e. AdKd4h2h).
   
   If you are looking for a source that gives you an exhaustive list of conclusions this book is probably not for you. But if you're looking for the raw research results that you can study to draw your own conclusions without doing the tedious work required to generate it I highly recommend this one.

1 comments about How To Think Like a Poker Pro.

1. I didn't think this book was anywhere near as good as his previous book, 'Real Poker II'. There is really nothing new in these essays, and I definitely didn't start thinking like a poker pro after reading it. Frankly, that would have been a scary experience. Also this book does NOT feature the analysis of any hand play, which I think is Cooke's strength.
   
   Since there is no 'Seach Inside' feature for this book, I'll descibe the contents a bit. The essays were previously published in Cardplayer Magazine if I understand correctly. There are four sections, the first being 75 pages, entitled 'Philosophy of Life and the Game'. Some of the titles in this section include 'The Point of It All', 'The Railbird Hustle', 'There Can Be a Dark Side', and 'The Mental Game'.
   
   The second section is called 'The Edge Concept', about 45 pages long on, well, edge.
   
   Section three is 'So You Wannabe a Pro', 85 pages long, which again is exactly what you would expect it to be. I previously have seen about everything here elsewhere. If any man, woman or child base a switch in careers on these few pages, each and everyone of them need to be spanked by their mommies ... hard. very hard. Then they need to come with me to the doctor to have the dosage of our medication markedly increased.
   
   The final section, about 70 pages long, is entitled 'Strategy and Tactics'. I would have expected this section to interest me the most. However, as i noted above, his 'Real Poker II' contains far more information.
   
   The book ends with John Bond, the co-author, being allowed two pages to articulate his thoughts about poker, life, and what he has done in the last fifteen years.
   
   Parenthetically, I wish Mr. Bond would learn the difference between a noun and a verb; for example, 'earn' is how you get earnings and not the earnings themselves, and 'sit' is what you do with your seat. I won't continue, because it will take away what little fun there is in reading this book.
   
   Cooke is always talking about edge. The edge here, I believe, is to reread 'Real Poker' and pass on this one.
   
   No, better yet, buy the book and enjoy it. What the hell, life is short! And my three star review gives you a 0.5 gold star edge. How can you lose?

5 comments about Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker.

1. Fun and entertaining read. This book is not a "How to Win" manual. Rather as the title suggests, a story on how Annie won. Fast and Easy read.



2. When Annie Duke dies, what are people going to say about her? "She had a messed up family life and neglected her four children, but she played a pretty good game of poker." Big deal. She's wasting her life, and this book is proof.
   
   And the book is flawed. She describes a hand where she has a king-high strait, but claims to have an ace-high straight. Even amateur poker players like me immediately noticed that error. It's simply unacceptable in a book like this. The equivalent would be Michael Jordan mentioning the NBA's 35-second shot clock in his biography, when in reality it's a 24-second clock. It's laughable. When a professional poker player can't get the rules straight, I have to seriously doubt her credibility. Don't waste your time with this unless you want to be bored and become confused with the rules of poker.



3. This is not one of the typical how-to hold'em books that have flooded the market. While there is a sizable amount of material focused on poker, it is not all hold'em either, it is really two great stories woven into one book.
   
   The recounting of Annie's win of her WSOP bracelet in Omaha 8 is well told and interesting. There isn't too big a focus on hand-by-hand play. The tips she gives on this form of poker are great, too. This part of the book fueled my interest in expanding my poker prowess into this game.
   
   The other story is Annie's bio. I was really intrigued to read about the roots she came from to the bracelet winning pro poker player she is today. And she includes the hard times in her life, too, which I found particularly poignant.
   
   It is one of my favorite poker books, partly because it's not all poker, and one I'd recommend to anyone with a love of the game.



4. Not knowing much about Annie Duke, but being a big fan of biographies and Poker I couldn't resist picking this book up in a bargain bin. It was the hardcover and selling cheap, had to have it.
   
   I got my money's worth. It was a nice distraction from the other book I am reading now. I like how she lays out her life story while describing her win in the Omaha 8-or better tourney she was in. The reading was smooth, the story interesting and I liked her poker insights, although fairly basic in nature, which is the way I believe she intended them since this is a biographical account of her rather then a poker study manual, they are timely reminders for the game.
   
   I give the book barely 4 stars, simply because I was not bored reading it. Most books have areas that are snoozers or after 50 pages you ask yourself "What was that I just read?" Get this book if you want to read about the genesis of a great poker player that started out in life going where she was expected to go only find out that she was on the wrong road and then rather then doing a U-turn she drove off the road, cut through the forest or land and got on the right highway. This book was good and worth the discount price I paid. The EV was there for me. I'd recommend it from that percpective.



5. Annie Duke and David Diamond, Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions... And You Can Too (Plume, 2005)
   
   If you put aside the odd grammar of the book's title and dig into it, the first word that will no doubt come to mind is readable; I am not (to understate the case a great deal) a fan of memoirs, and I still devoured this in one day (while working on two other books as well). Duke, or co-writer David Diamond, or both, is a born storyteller. And while I grant you that people who don't play (or watch) poker are probably not going to be as on the edge of their collective seat during the relating of a particular hand in a particular tournament, there's more than enough meat in Duke's private life to keep the non-card-sharks interested as well. *** ½

5 comments about Best Blackjack.

1. Even if you do not plan to be an expert player, this book is very interesting and enjoyable. You'll learn about the methods and the players. If you are serious about the game, you may have a slight edge (in The Netherlands for example you cannot count the cards and it limits the counting techniques you can apply) but do not expect making big money, and even less a living out the different methods (to say it otherwise you better have a "normal" job or write books about blackjack). It does not mean you cannot have fun



2. This book has everything you need to know to go from a novice to an advantage player, one who plays with an edge over the casinos. It is expertly written and enjoyable to read.



3. This is a great blackjack book with good analysis and great personal insights and stories.



4. A quikie indeed.
   
   I got it and it was over.
   
   A poorly laidout book. The material may be too exciting to stay with it longer than a minute.



5. Scoblete's Blackjack book doesn't have much that you can't find elsewhere, but he summarizes well, illustrates effectively, and writes in a breezy style which makes the whole book helpful and useful.
   
   The technical stuff is well presented; basic strategy isn't going to change from book to book unless the rules do, but it is well presented here. Likewise, the overview of all the various counts and systems is excellent and worth the price of the book itself. Further, I thought it was greatly to his credit that he admits most of the multilevel counts just aren't worth the mental effort and risk of making mistakes, a recommends a simple (but effective) count for the reader. Too many authors push their own counts which work if you happen to be a math savant but aren't as useful to the average player.
   
   There is a chapter of minor tricks of the trade which is pretty good, and there are interviews with successful counters and team leaders/members.
   Scoblete tosses in a lot of road warrior blackjack stories, all well told, most of them funny, and genuinely enjoys the people part of the game. It's also to his credit that he doesn't brag about how high he plays, how much he makes - no, he says straight out that he makes much more money from writing books on blackjack than on playing it. Blackjack is a fun and thrilling way of having a shot at making a bit of extra money, if one plays very well, while enjoying the rest of life as well. A particularly mature and refreshing attitude!
   
   Overall there is a wealth of hard information here, and tons of material of interest to both the serious and casual blackjack player. If you are to read only one book, this would be a great choice.

5 comments about Caro's Most Profitable Hold'em Advice.

1. It's rather difficult to clearly analyze Mike Caro's most recent book because some of the advice he gives is a bit controversial, and other parts can only be pulled off by experts.
   
   First, let me state that there is a wealth of very valuable information in the book. Granted, much of it has been previously published in his earlier works, and magazine articles, but here, it's all available in one place. I especially liked the section about treating Hold'em as a business as well as the occasional piece that really made me think about my game.
   
   However, Mr. Caro STRONGLY advocates creating a loose image in order to induce more calls, and increase profit. Several sections stress this, and advise the player how to do it. As I recall, he and another author, went round and round about this several years ago. To my mind, Mr. Caro has not proven that creating the loose image is the best path, especially for beginning players. Furthermore, and more importantly, it is very easy for a non-expert player to attempt this strategy and cost themselves some serious money. Newer players should be very careful in their attempts to be like Mike.
   
   So, while I do recommend the book [all of Caro's material is worth reading]I strongly advise the players to be careful when implementing some of it's advise.



2. What a terrible book. Sure, Caro has the awesome "mad genius" reputation, and certainly his analysis was cutting edge a couple decades ago. But much of what he teaches has been debunked by newer, better research. There are odd bits of useful information in this book, but there is lots of other information that contradicts what the best poker thinkers of today are preaching, and they back it up with math. Caro backs it up by referring to his "research," without actually describing that research. The best analogy I can think of is that Caro is like Einstein. He came up with a groundbreaking theoretical approach, like relativity, that changed the way people thought about the universe of poker; but he got left behind when others came up with quantum theory. E.g., he doesn't seem to have caught on to current thinking on the concept of equity in tournament play, especially near the bubble. Does he not believe that ICM works? Most winning tournament players do. And many other examples I don't have time to cite. He can't accept that another, better theory has supplanted his, no matter how vividly the data demonstrates it. Also, his writing style here is very irritating. How many times must we read things like "Do you want to know why blah, blah, blah? Well, I'll tell you. Here's why...." Yuck.



3. First of all this is a great poker book. I consider myself a stuent of the game and read ALOT of books on Hold em. Mike's advice is sound and works. He does advocate having a loose and playful image and it does illict more calls. How many times have you tightened up your play against a intimdating oponnet? I also find myself calling more than I should to friendly players with my marginal / semi strong hands. Mike's book put this whole psychology into a easily readable format. I noticed a distinct upswing in my profits after reading the book and implementing some of his techniques. Now this style of play is not or everyone. If you want to play like a rock and sneer at other players you will probally still make a profit, but you will be mising out on ALOT of extra money at the tables. Read the book and then reread it and all of his techinques fall into place. This book changed the way I play poker in so many ways.



4. I don't have time to write a full review right now, but I'll put in this quickie to negate some of the negative reviews on amazon.
   
   PROS
   This book has almost everything a semi-skilled player needs to take their game to the next level. Mike breaks down the play and analysis in order, by street to give the book a logical flow in the beginning. After that, he expands on general topics such as bankroll management, bluffing, treating poker like a business, etc.
   
   The advice is very pragmatic and much more realistic than most other books. Let's face it. Most of the time you should fold. But in those special circumstances when you have the right player in the right position with the right sized pot, then you can do other moves. Mike says as much and gives solid advice on when to and when not to do certain moves.
   
   Also, the section on treating poker like a business is pure gold. Let's face facts. Most of us play with too much ego from time to time. His advice is a wake up call for those of us play as though we need to prove how smart we are.
   
   CONS
   The book is very math light, so you won't find any modeling of hand distributions. I personally really enjoy hand distribution modeling, but it's yet to prove it's usefulness to me so I didn't miss it here. In fact, the shortcoming of modeling (for me) is that all of the math is only as valid as the assumptions (your read). So after reading "Killer Poker: By the Numbers", I felt that this book was a bit of a missing link between the modeling and reality.
   
   The second short coming is that this book is really just a collection of all of his previous work. Is that so terrible? If you've managed to read just about ALL of his newspaper and magazine articles as well as his books and his section in Super System II; then you may feel like you've already read most of this book. Personally, I've ready A LOT of his writings, and I only recognized about 25% of it in this book.
   
   REBUTTLES
   For those who criticize his recommendation to create a wreckless table image (while actually playing solid), what do you think about Doyle Brunson's recommendation to create an aggressive table image by always betting and raising, or Johnny Chan's recommendation to the exact same thing? Or what about Daniel Negraneau's recommendation to appear to be a call station so you can't be read? Most players agree that it's good to appear more wreckless than you actually are. However, Mikes advice is in the minority that explains how to appear wreckless without actually being wreckless.



5. Pros: A couple real gems that made me rethink how I was approaching my game. A statistical analysis of every starting hand for those that are inclined to that sort of thing.
   
   Cons: Very little new information, mostly common sense/pragmatic views. He repeatedly qualifies himself as the "Mad Genius" of poker with tiring referances to his book with Doyle "Super System".
   
   Bottom Line: Save the money read his articles freely found online and buy yourself a better book. Sadly I havnt found a better book yet. As the multiple books on poker I've read (4-5) have yet to leave a positive impression with me. Most delving into the authors ego or offering little beyond common sense; that is however better left for a different review.
   
   I gave this book 2 stars due to the hand tables and the rare gem I found inside.

5 comments about Killer Poker Online: Crushing the Internet Game.

1. I believe if you learn one thing from a poker book, then its worth it. Here its not very clear that I can learn one useful thing from the book. Mostly because the hours you spend reading it, a seriously player woudl've made money instead of wasting time reading this book. Most of the stuff in this book isn't wrong, its just useless. The most important concepts lie somewhere in the zone of "online, tilt hurts you more because if you go on tilt for half an hour you play about 12 hands at a casino but online you play 50 or more hands, so it's much more harmful." If you dont know things like this or haven't thought about it (by the way the reverse is true, if you're running good and on your A game you also get more hands in online while in your optimal zone), then this book may well be useful to you, but it wont be the book it's made itself out to be.



2. Lots of the information I consider true but obvious or not actionable. Other parts I don't agree with. For instance, he's pretty negative about playing multiple tables and those that do. He never tries to back this conjecture up with any statistics or experiments.
   
   It's clear that the author considers on-line play to be a lesser from of poker, an imperfect simulation of Brick & Mortar play rather than a game of itself. Having really started on the internet myself, I find this perspective (while not exactly wrong) jarring. I don't, for instance, consider the lack of physical tells to be a defect.
   
   There's much discussion about tracking your opponents through notes. Vorhaus wrote this edition in 2003. In 2006 there should be some coverage of software tools (pokertracker, etc.) to help in this process.
   
   The section about preselect buttons is good, though not news to experienced players.
   
   If you're an experienced player making a first foray into online poker, there are a *few* helpful hints. As an alternative, I'd suggest reading rec.gambling.poker, fullcontactpoker, or 2+2 forums. They're more informative and up-to-date.



3. This book is intended for the amateur poker player that is new to the online poker world. You should know the basics of poker, and have some experience playing for money first.
   
   If you are a decent table player and seem to be consistenly losing in the online game, this is what you need to read. He covers online pitfalls that the table player may be unaware of, covers great online tells, and how to exploit them. What to watch for when analyzing a new poker site, and so on.
   
   He does over analyze a few concepts, but I believe that is intended to burn it into your brain.



4. This book is a JOKE. It is BY FAR the worst poker book I have ever read. In fact, I don't even think it's fair to call this book a "poker book" as the book does not contain one sentence about poker strategy- not one! It basically consists of such useless advice as: "Concentrate when you're playing in a game," "Don't play drunk," "Pick a good user name," "Don't play tired," "Keep notes on your opponents,"If you get bored then do something else while you play but don't get too distracted" etc etc etc. Vorhaus also attempts to be funny throughout the book and his sense of humor is really annoying and very corny. I had a great deal of difficulty forcing myself to finish reading this book but I figured since I paid for it, I might as well force myself to complete it.
   
   How this atrocious book found a publisher is beyond me and how it has enjoyed any level of success is just mystifying. Vorhaus has actually written a sequel to this book so I have to assume that there is a market for his awful work which I just cannot understand.
   
   Do not spend one cent purchasing this book as you will be sorely disappointed. Invest your money in Matthew Hilgers excellent book if you want a solid manual for playing Texas Hold 'em on the internet- that book will give you the information you need to "crush the internet game." With Vorhaus's pathetic rag you won't be crushing anything; you'll just be kicking yourself for wasting your money.
   
   I would like to give this book zero stars but unfortunately Amazons rating system doesn't go that low.



5. I'm a fan of John Vorhaus, but this one isn't his best!
   I expected some more methodology specifically around technique such as early and late position approaches to areas like tournament play and that is not what the books about.
   Killer Poker Online is big on overall strategy with an emphasis on online sites ,security and 'tells' in general.

5 comments about Poker Wisdom of a Champion.

1. I really enjoyed this book. What makes it different from other books is that with stratrgical books, you need to have your brain on, but with this, you can just sit back, relax, and read the stories of the Godfather of Poker.
   
   A must for any poker fanatic



2. First off, this book is over 20 years old. This is a repackaging and as far as I can tell, there isn't any new material. In other words, there is zero mention of the poker stars of today. You'll probably only recognize one other character in his book (Amarillo Slim). If you don't mind that, then keep reading...
   
   This book is a collection of articles that Doyle wrote about his early days playing poker in Texas. There are some funny and interesting stories about himself and some of the wacky people he met playing poker. There isn't a whole lot of poker wisdom. There are a few moral-of-the-story type lines, but not many. Also, if you're buying this book to learn about poker strategy, don't. There isn't much at all. You're much better off with Phil Gordon's Little Green Book.
   
   So for interesting anecdotes from a poker great, this book is good. But there isn't much else to it.



3. If you are interested in Doyle's life and various poker exploits in his younger days this book is for you. If you are looking for insight or anything helpful to improve your game go somewhere else.



4. Don't buy this book if you are looking for mysterious insights that will improve your Hold Em' game--but if you want to learn something about what makes Doyle Bruson tick it is a fascinating read. Brunson does impart some tips on play, but he then goes on to tell a "war story" to illustrate his point, and it is these glimpses into his life that are so entertaining.
   The book is short, just over 200 pages, and there is a lot of blank space in those pages. I read the book cover to cover in a couple of hours of frequently interruped reading, but with that said, it is well worth the price.



5. This book is a collection of anecdotes told by Doyle Brunson. I really like his candid stories and the insight into Dolye's character. While not meant to teach you any specific poker strategies, this book will tell you about players' emotional characteristics and how they affect their games. I intend to re-read this book several times over the years.