No comments about Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold'em, Volume 2.

No comments about Winner's Guide to Texas Hold'em.

2 comments about Beyond Counting : Exploiting Casino Games from Blackjack to Video Poker.

1. For professional gamblers, this book is the best you'll ever get.
   
   Grosjean presents a wide variety of material. This text assumes the reader is a successful gambler, and has mastered all beginner and intermediate material. If you are a blackjack card-counter and have made 50k from BJ, you have the background to fully appreciate this book.
   
   This presents material from two different angles, each of which is original. He first analyzes traditional games (not just Blackjack) and shows you ways to beat them, with a mathematical focus on exploiting weak dealers (there is an exceptional analyzis of 3-card poker). Second, he presents a new way of thinking for "textbook gamblers" (those who profit from books, but don't develop original ideas for themselves.) This focus opened my eyes to new ways to profit, notably in Blackjack. One other thing that is surprising for a book of this price - the methods explained are legal.
   
   Some auction sites will list this book from $500-$2000. If 1. you don't know people "in the know", 2. you have at least 50k in capital, and 3. you play a lot of +EV BJ, this book is worth the auction price.
   
   Before you buy a used copy, be aware that Grosjean is releasing a new edition of "Beyond Counting" in 2006 or early 2007. Grosjean's website notes that there might be two versions - the normal one, and one for accredited professionals. Given what I read in the original edition, it would not surprise me if he removed a lot of exceptional material for the republication.



2. This is an amazingly lucid and very useful book. It provides valuable advice to get an edge in many casino games - all legal advice, of course. Essential, but, sadly, hard to get.
   
   Regarding the sequel: It is already about a year late, and the publishers stopped posting publishing date updates on their website in February 2007.

5 comments about Championship Tournament Practice Hands.

1. I really enjoyed Championship No Limit & Pot Limit Hold 'Em and was looking forward to reading this book. The book is about 1/2 limit hold'em hands and 1/2 no-limit hold'em hands. The no-limit hold'em hands are the same as the material presented in Championship No Limit & Pot Limit Hold 'Em. So if you are looking for different material on no-limit, this book is not it. It also contains actual hands played from many different WSOP championships, which are interesting. It's a good book, just not much different from Championship No Limit & Pot Limit Hold 'Em.



2. Good format. It is in an easy readable format to follow. I beleive its for the medium to advanced player. You need to have a working knowledge of the game. I have read many hold'em books and found this book to be the most sound. His approach and style are basically conservative, although he touches on the aggressive and super aggressive players. His explanations and reasoning on his methods are stellar and highly analytical. Throughout the entire book you will find buried treasures. You will not be able to put this book down.



3. Firstly, I have to say that the credentials of the authors are absolutely unquestionable. Each author has had a very illustrious career playing tournament poker. However, the effort to translate their experience and knowledge to the written page has met with limited success. There are several key issues which prevent me from giving this book a higher rating:
   
   (a) They combine limit and no limit hold 'em into a single volume - limit and no limit are completely different games and to cram them both into a single book demonstrates lack of foresight. It is possible much of the audience will only ever read half the book
   (b) Very little of the book is devoted to outlining the different strategic considerations between cash games and tournaments. In tournament poker, it is critical to consider your stack size relative to other stacks as well as your stack size relative to the blinds. Playing Ace-King in a deep stack situation is very different to playing Ace-King in a shallow stack situation.
   (c) Cloutier and McEvoy advocate a very conservative style. Whilst the book is meant to be a guide to how they play poker, I still think it is important to consider alternative styles of playing. For example, they advocate always checking Ace-King when the player has missed the flop. However suppose you play an aggressive brand of poker and you are acting behing a single, conservative opponent who has checked the flop. In this case a bet may be warranted. Subtle nuances like this are not discussed in sufficient detail.
   (d) Some of the hand discussion is outright poor. For example, the treatment of middle pairs is very shallow. The book basically says "if there is any heat, get out". It doesn't discuss important issues such as position, texture of the flop and so forth.
   
   At the end of the book there is a discussion of key hands from the World Series of Poker which I did enjoy. Overall, the book does provide some very solid advice but its primary drawback is that it takes a "cookie cutter" approach and doesn't discuss many of the subtleties of the game.



4. This could be a good beginners book. The layout and presentation is easy to read. The text is big and you can read through this book rather fast. It will teach you hand rankings and how to play certain hands in different situations. Unfortunately it's a big basic if you have been playing for some time and won't find too much new information here.



5. I don't own the "No-Limit/Pot-Limit" book by McEvoy/Cloutier, but supposedly much of the material is reproduced in this book. I was expecting a discussion of famous hands played in major tournaments, and while this is an important section near the end of the book, there is much, much more.
   
   Basically, the book is broken down between a discussion of how to play hands in limit hold em, and then another large section instructing you how to play hands in no limit. I prefer NLHE and went straight to that part of the book. The advice is extremely conservative. In one example, you are advised to fold AK to a pot-sized bet after flopping an ace and you have position on your opponent! I tend to disagree with the advice, but if viewed in the context of the authors' style of play, they give a good explanation. In short, they are trying to keep you out of trouble. This style of play often falls short against aggressive opponents, but also has the benefit of keeping a new player out of trouble.
   
   I thought the limit section was excellent. Although I believe the advice in this book is geared toward tournaments, if you played limit hands the way they advocate you would probably make a decent profit over time. Again, the style is very tight, but this is perhaps more crucial in limit where you can't blow opponents out of a pot with a big bet as you can in no limit.
   
   My favorite aspect of the book is that it discusses how to play each hand for each game. If it's not listed (J8 suited is nowhere to be found) then you aren't supposed to play it. It's a great beginner's book, and it's not too shabby for the experienced player either, as it helps bring you back and realize how important it is to come into pots from a position of strength with good starting hands. Even if you don't want to play this super-tight style, it will give you an good insight into how all those old-timers play in the morning games at the casino!

3 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Poker (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. First, let me say that I wholeheartedly recommend this book. The fact that it is inexpensive is an immediate bonus but also, Mr. Glazer, has strong writing skills and the pages are very accessible. If you're not in the mood for concentrating you could even scan it, because, as is true with all of the "Idiot's Guide" series, "Poker" has little subgroupings that allow for quick digestion. In this edition, they're little boxes called "the inside straight, table talk" and "perilous play." Each page is full of advice and tips. It's a belly busting value play if you ask me.
   
   As far as particulars are concerned, Glazer exposes us to all of the intricacies of the poker omniculture. There isn't a game, style, or concept that he doesn't devote words to. What I personally found most useful were his discussions about the internet and tournaments. He really does a great job explaining to the reader what exactly goes on in a tournament. It's very hard to know if you're just watching ESPN or the Travel Channel as to what exactly is transpiring behind the scenes. Previously the methodology behind tournament payouts was a mystery to me. His section on player personalities was memorable as well.



2. This book is more of an overview of poker that I could see being very helpful for novices. It provides in introduction to various games, such as Hold 'Em and Omaha, and presents other general concepts such as bankroll management, playing in casinos vs. playing online, and poker etiquitte. Everything is easy to understand and useful for certain audiences, I just don't know how useful it would be for someone who has been playing the game for a while. It is also light on strategy.



3. I just started playing Poker a week ago and wanted a really simple explantion of the game. This book did the trick. It opened up my eyes to different types of games, styles of play and where to play.
   
   If you are looking for a simple general overview into the world of Poker, this is it.
   
   p.s.
   Once you have chosen the type of Poker you want to play, Glazer gives excellent great reads in his Appendix.

5 comments about Winning Methods of Bluffing & Betting in Poker.

1. Lots of people picking up cards for the first time just push bets in to keep things going, because it's what everyone else at the table is doing and they want action. Lynne Taetzsch gives helpful pointers about why every bet, check, call and fold you make has a purpose as well as when and how you make them. She also gives simple lessons on how playing the man or woman opposite you at the table is just as important as playing your cards correctly.



2. The book took a week to get to me, but it was in good shape -- 5 star service, if not for the shipping time. I would buy from them again!



3. Since I am a professional poker player, I actually hope that lots of players read this book and take its advice.

   In the introduction, the author starts off by saying:

   "I played for years in a weekly game in a university town".

   This book shows it. Doubtful if he has ever played in Vegas or any other large cardroom for significant money. He actually recommends bluffing frequently. Hope he manages to sit in my game some time...

   All the examples are for Stud or Stud hi/lo split. The latest book in his bibliography is 1975 and the earliest is from 1940.

   Fortunately, I did not buy this book but checked it out from the library and skimmed through it in about 30 minutes. This book is a waste of time and money.




4. I play poker with a local group of gals and we all loved this book. I'm sorry I shared it with them, actually, because I was winning a lot more before I did. Being a bridge player, I've always had card smarts, but this book shows that you need a lot more than that to win at poker, and tells you how to do it.



5. I found this book helpful in many ways. First, it explained clearly with lots of examples. Second, it wasn't just about using statistics to figure out whether to bet or not. It covered the psychological aspects of playing poker, which is another dimension to consider when playing serious poker. I recommend this book to anyone who plays regularly or wants to.

3 comments about Getting Lucky: The Education of a Mad Poker Player.

1. After his first book, the author decides that he loves the game of poker and travelling the world to play it. He lacks only one thing: a good poker game. Mere mortals among us might read books, try software or discuss our play with friends to improve. Not Mr. Sparks. He enlists WSOP champ and author Tom McEvoy to coach him.
   
   This method works like gangbusters. Sparks still struggles in battle at the tables, but now, he often wins. He learns from a research psychologist all about tells, in poker and otherwise. He meets all sorts of poker players, both famous and infamous. The famous include Josh Arieh, Ted Forrest, Clonie Gowen, Chris Ferguson, Greg Raymer -- you get the idea. The infamous player is an anonymous poker cheat who says that cheating goes on constantly in the poker room at every level.
   
   He takes a poker cruise with everyone from Bill Gates to Mike Sexton aboard.
   
   He tells us the story of Lyle Berman, great cash game player, pot limit Omaha expert and the man who started the World Poker Tour, The WPT is a big part of the energy behind the poker craze. Watch a poker game on TV, snooze time; watch a poker game on TV and see everyone's cards, instant hit. Berman put the first watchable poker on the tube.
   
   He goes to the WSOP, this time as a player.
   
   An informative, wide-ranging,and winning poker memoir.
   
   Heck, I'm gonna raise my rating up another star because of all the great material in this book. I've read a lot of these poker memoirs lately, and this is one of my favorites.



2. What a read!
   
   Poker's Perfect Storm!
   
   Finally, a brilliant writer that understands this game of games!
   
   Not only will reading this book improve your level of play, but you will be captivated by Richard's wit and storytelling prowess.
   
   Richard Sparks lets us into his heart and head as he competes and struggles to improve. And that is a very special gift to all who read it.
   
   This book taught me, like no other, that the emotions and thoughts that cascade through me at the table are part of what binds us together as poker players. Our shared experience.
   
   I loved this book.



3. There are plenty of poker "how-to" books on the market ("Secrets the Pros Won't Tell You" by Sheree Bykofsky and Lou Krieger is a good one). Unlike other poker authors, Richard Sparks takes as his subjects the who and what and why and where and when of poker. But, in "Getting Lucky" - the sequel to "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" - there is also an element of "how." This is because, after his first book, Richard realized that he needed help with his game. So he got 1983 World Champion of Poker Tom McEvoy to coach him for a year.
   
   The result is an interesting new angle on poker teaching. "How-to" books are always written by the teacher. This one is written by the student. So you get to go through Richard's learning process with him, in real events, with real hands in real situations. You get to witness his mistakes, and hear what his coach has to say about them. The fact that Richard's results improved out of all recognition speaks for McEvoy's excellence as a teacher - for example, in July 2006, Richard finished 20th out of 2,891 entrants in the $1,000 No Limit Hold Em at the World Series of Poker.
   
   Mainly, though, "Getting Lucky" is the story of one player's year in the heart of the current poker boom. There are poker greats and poker degenerates. There is a week of poker bliss on the Party Poker Cruise. There are unusual angles on the game: a lesson in reading body language from an Oxford Professor; interviews with poker luminaries like Lyle Berman, owner of the World Poker Tour. And there is the will-he, won't-he thrill of an ordinary player winning his seat in our World Championship, and playing in the Big One for the first time.
   
   Richard Sparks is a professional comedy writer who clearly loves poker. "Getting Lucky" was obviously a labor of love.

5 comments about Winning Casino Craps (Other).

1. One of the best overall reference books on craps, as worthwhile for the more advanced player as it is for the beginner. No serious craps library should be without it.



2. If you have no idea how to play craps then i will say as all other books it explains the basic bets etc. The problem this book had, along with many other craps books i have bought is that 70% of the book is basic craps primer, 10% are about stories of big rolls, 10% is about comps and casino management and about 5 pages are about actual strategy to use while playing the game.
   
   Drumroll please, the big strategy that will make you tons of money can be summarized in 3 sentences.
   
   bet the pass line with double odds. After each Pass win without a loss, press the bet up. At the end it has you betting something like $500 on the pass and 1000 on the odds bet. here is the problem:
   
   In order to get to that level the shooter, get this, has to make something liek 11 points. I have seen some shooters make 5 or 6 points but 11 is very very rare.
   
   This book in a sentence:
   
   After each pass with double odds win press your pass and odds bet. if you lose on 3 shooters go home.



3. I became acquainted with Silberstang's writing way back in the 1980s and his basic ideas do hold up. You will not really learn an advantage method in this book, but a betting system that does cut the house edge to its minimum. Silberstang's writing is crisp and clear, his experiences show that he is a player, and his knowledge of the game for random players is top notch.
   
   This is a good book to start your craps playing career.
   
   Frank Scoblete: Author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!



4. It has really helped me understand the game. I was playing it all wrong. Haven't tried the "Come" stragedy, but will try it soon.



5. Okay, I had played craps before but I was not an expert by any means. I understood certain basics but wanted to learn more, and even a system or strategy. I picked this book and it provided everything I needed. The background is well described and most importantly points out the bets that a standard user should stay away from (i.e., the bets in which the odds are not in the players favor). The strategy presented (for playing with the dice) is very comprehensive but easily described. Personally, I wanted something simple that I could remember in any state of mind. :) Regardless, this system single-handedly paid for my trip to Vegas for a buddy's wedding. I never played high-roller tables, nor did I make extreme bets (in my case). The system allowed me to maximize my profits and minimize my losses while the table was "hot". If you are interested in learning craps and using an easy system, this is the book for you.

No comments about Catching Poker Cheats: Illustrated Methods of How Hustlers Take Your Money.

5 comments about More Hold'em Excellence: A Winner for Life.

1. This book is not for the beginner. Any beginning hold'em book will do for beginning players.

   This book contains nothing but good advice in the card room. I've only played in card rooms a few times, but I've won consistently. Kreiger's books contains essays on how to deal with maniacs, table image, table selection -- the sorts of things a non-beginner will find valuable.

   If you already know the game and know how to play tight and aggressive, this book is for you. It contains lots of anecdotal advice on how to deal with the situations that inevitably come up in card rooms.




2. This is one of the 1st books I read when i started playing poker.It's a must read for any one how wants to become a good player.Some of the consepts were a little hard to undrestand for the biginner but it will put you in a right path of beiing a winner for life.You have to read it go play.and read it and play again till you undrestand every thing he was trying to help you learn. I also have to add that it was very easy to read and even when you are an advance player you enjoy reading it......enjoy.....



3. Excellent Book. Must be read a few times to be fully appreciated. Loaded with great information. Mr. Krieger has a real gift making the concepts understandable. Players of any level will gain something from this book



4. Yes, the word "wise" might be the best way in which to describe Lou Krieger. He's not only a poker player and a journalist. He's a renaissance man who's spent time studying life in general. His is an extremely unique perspective for a poker writer, and I'm surprised it took me this long to discover him. Before I bought the book, all I knew about him was that he was the face of Royal Vegas poker which is not a compliment as it has to be my least favorite online website ever. Yet here Krieger gives readers a plethora of priceless insight over the course of 36 chapters. They flow together nicely and there's nothing disjointed about the work. I loved his chapter, "American Dreamer," where he makes a compelling case that poker is, in many ways, the essence of America, and he also takes the time to praise free speech and lambaste political correctness-which is extremely needed and one more reason why you should take the time to acquaint yourself with this edition. Another rare element to be found in these pages is the professional poker player quiz in the back. There are 60 some "Yes/No" questions that really put turning pro into perspective. I took it myself and learned quite a few things about my game by scoring it. The only criticism I have is of the hand chart in the back of the book. It's way too LAG (loose-aggressive player) for me. He's got you playing KJ offsuit in any position and that gives me the heebie-jeebies. Maybe if one has Lou's level of skill you can play 8/7 offsuit in late position, but stuff like that would break me. For hand analysis, I would check out Ed Miller's recommendations in Small Stakes Hold `Em if I were you. Although, Krieger has put together one heckuva book and I thank the guy for it.



5. Just hours after finishing "More Hold'em Excellence," I went to a No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament and won $550! I definitely feel that this book helped me to win that tournament... and many more since then. I would seriously recommend this book to anyone who wants a well-written book on Texas Hold'em!!!
   
   Sincerely,
   Brian "the Sea" Shell