5 comments about The Rogues' Game.

1. This is a great first book. As a native Texan I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of old time Texas in the 40s, oil wells, greed and con men. Plus a little dose of WWII intrigue. Looking forward to Mr. Burton's next effort.



2. Backdrop for story in post WWII Texas is intriguing as is basic plot but story becomes too predictable & the characters are caricatures. The result is a below-average page turner.



3. I just read The Roque's Game in two sittings. It takes place in Texas, the oil booms and big poker games, right after World War Two. The foreshading and plotting are just fantastic. You suspect what might happen but you are turning those pages in a hurry to find out. All the behind the scenes descriptions of oil leasing and the oil booms are totally authentic. My Dad was a geologist/landman. I was the Director of Petroleum Land Management at Texas Tech for many years. The detail and obvious historical research make this one fine book. You will love this book!
   
   Johnny Hughes, author of the upcoming novel Texas Poker Wisdom



4. Mr. Burton's characters are very well developed .
   It is hard to believe he has not written more books.
   I hope to read more of his books in the future .
   The plot moves quickly and is never dull.
   One of the best grifter plots i have ever read.
   It is bizarre at times and captures the imagination
   of the reader .
   
   CAPPY



5. The Rogue's Game is a hell of a ride through post WWII Texas. It's got a great poker game seemingly at the heart of it, until you realize that poker is just a means to an end.
   
   Burton's characterizations are quite unique, and drip with the flavor of West Texas. His sense of the slang, and character nicknames are very appealing. If you like movies like The Sting, anything to do with poker, noir novel, or sharp local dialog like almost no one writes today, run to get this book and make sure to check out his second book, The Sweet and the Dead, which is a true five star read. We can only home that Milton Burton is going to be with us for a very long time. This is one hell of an entertaining read.

3 comments about Poker Tournament Tips from the Pros: How to Win Low-Limit Poker Tournaments.

1. This book is very poorly written. It is as sickening to endure as a high-school pep rally. "You can do it! Keep trying, you'll get there! Rah Rah Rah". There is a lot of useless blather and no real content or strategy for playing in poker tournaments, just lists of general and vague advice. It is mostly just a bunch of quotes from professional players taken from other books, magazines, etc. I don't think the author interviewed any of the people she quotes in the book, and if she did, it is not apparent. Also, this book addresses mostly re-buy tournaments. Freeze-outs are mentioned in passing, but not really discussed. Then again, nothing in this book is really addressed anyway. If you are a beginner do what I did: Go to your local bookstore, buy a cup of coffee and read this thin tome (140 pages or so) in about an hour and put it back on the shelf. If you are an experienced tournament player, just get the coffee and skip the book.



2. I agree with the previous critic. Anyone looking for specific tournament poker tactics with example hands will be disappointed. The book amounts to nothing more than the type of common sense, but practically useless, advice that a father might give his young son before his very first tournament. Anyone who finds this book insightful instead of thinking "Duh!" at every turn of a page, should probably not play in poker tournaments just yet, since all the information given is purely and exclusively common sense advice.



3. I disagree with the other reviews on this site. This book is targeted for the tournament novice. If you are out there winning thousands of dollars in poker tournaments, then you obviously don't need this book. However, for someone who has no idea how a live poker tournament works, this is an excellent reference guide. Yes, some of the advice falls under the category of "duh" (e.g. "Fold marginal hands"), but I've played in several tournaments and many live games, and have made a lot of money off of the people who don't follow the advice outlined in this book. Notice the subtitle is "How To Win at Low Limit Poker." The key word is "Low Limit." This book is not for high rollers. However, it does provide sound strategies that, when coupled with experience, can produce winning results. I've won two online tournaments employing some of the basic strategies in this book. I'll admit it is a bit pricey for the content, but it is a cheap investment if you make the cost back with a winning hand or two. This book coupled with Larry Phillips "The Tao of Poker" forced me to look at how I was playing and my decision making process. What might be common sense advice to one player may be news to another.

No comments about Tournament Tips from the Poker Pros.

5 comments about Texas Hold'em On The Net: How to Maximize Your Winnings.

1. I am new to the game and found "Maximum Dave" to be insightful and funny. His approach to the game made me confortable and confident. I would recommend this book to all new players even GIRLS!!!!!!! My computer is in my bedroom and he taught me things that even my husband could not.



2. If you just getting started this book will be very helpful. Very basic. Has some good points/insights related to on-line play.



3. I found this book to be a waste of time and money. If you have ANY OTHER book on Holdem, everything here will be repetition. My personal thoughts were that this was a waste of time and money, but perhaps I am too harsh. If you are giving someone their very first book, and they are a beginner, well, perhaps this is the book. Otherwise, not. But this is just basic stuff. Very basic stuff.



4. Why is a noted gambling expert buying a book for beginners? Anyway, I thought the book was great for beginners.It gives you the basics and some good common sense logic. Also,has some clever ideas for managing your money when you start winning. I'm not a high limit player so this book was good for getting started. I made 50 bucks the day I read it. So I guess it paid for itself.



5. I have been playing off and on for a year with no tangable results.
   
   I read this book and followed it exactly and in the 1st 4 days I went from $1000 to $4280 (Play Money). In 17 single table(9 seats) games I have 2 Firsts 4 Seconds and 6 Thirds. I play very tight until there are only 6 players which allows me to follow the strategy that is discussed in this book.
   
   I have been in the money 70% of the time.
   
   This book works......

5 comments about John Patrick's Advanced Craps: The Sophisticated Player's Guide to Winning.

1. As always, Patrick does a great job with his money discipline in this one. He reminds me of alot of high level money managers in Wall Street. The upside always takes care of itself, when you take care of the downside. Great book.



2. This guy is a machine in writing books, and giving new logic and money discipline. I have about everything he's written, and always pick up new things in each. He throws in alot of stories as well about what it's like in his professional world of gambling. It must be something to have his skills and mindset when you walk into the room. Never hesitate in buying a Patrick book.



3. I have read this book several times. I have tested all of the systems in the book at great length and all have had the same results. All of the sytems and methods outlined in the book are, in the long run, losers. The best thing that can be accomplished (and not by all the systems) is that you learn how to manage your money and to leave the table if you should have a short term win. The newer books on craps have been revised to include more disclosures, but all in all this one has no more value than any other I have read. If any of the methods outlined in the book actually made money Las Vegas would be a ghost town.



4. If you understand the basics of the game but are still looking for a way to win on a consistent basis - John Patrick is your man. John's theories are simple and straight forward. You have to have near-perfect knowledge of the game in order to win consistently. You need sufficient bankroll to have a shot. You should approach the game with a theory or plan for HOW you are going to play. Set win objectives and loss limits. And have the discipline to walk with a small win. Will you do what it takes to win? Probably not. And according to John, that makes you a dork. Hey - get over it. After all, he's probably right.
   
   On a personal basis, I've known John for about ten years now. He's a class guy and one of the few in this business who actually does the things he writes about. This book is a "must have" for serious crapsters.



5. I read most of John Patricks books and they all are well written, he leans very hard on money management and discipline. If you enjoy leaving the casino with your money and some of theres this book is an excellent investment. I've used many straight forward betting systems of Johns and have had good returns. He really leans on Place betting, taking several hits and taking them down. I've down very well with that system. You will too.

No comments about Poker, Sex & Dying: Inside the Mind of a Gambler.

4 comments about Learn How to Win at Texas Hold 'Em Poker for 5 Bucks (Learn for 5 Bucks).

1. This is a 60-page overview of Texas Hold'em that surveys all aspects of the game from starting hands to postflop play and when to bluff. It discusses pot odds, bet odds and implied odds. There's a table in the back with the odds for your hand improving based on the outs you need. There's even a few pages about tournament play.
   
   It's standard stuff, but distilled down to essentials and graphically well-presented.
   
   So why only 3 stars?
   
   The book is filled with typos. Cards are described in the same sentence as spade [the symbol] and "s" -- but both things refer to the spade suit. (And "s" could well mean two starting cards of any one suit.)
   
   On page 32, he explains that you _should_ call when you do not make your queen-high flush. Huh? I've been folding my missed flushes.
   
   As Straham proclaims on the cover, the book is only "5 bucks." Maybe he should price the book higher and employ a proofreader.
   
   P.S. After seeing that the glossary --incredibly -- is not alphabetized, I wish I had given the book only two stars.



2. I agree with the previous reviewer, and pricing this book a few bucks higher to get a proof-reader would have been well worth the money.
   
   This book is littered with typos.
   
   Every few pages, I have to stop and try to figure out what the author meant to say. An example would be:
   
   Page 24
   "...Say you have J and 10 facing one opponent on the turn. You have an outside straight draw with a board of 2 5 8 Q and only the river card left to make it. Any 8 or king will finish this straight for you..."
   
   I may be new at poker, but even I know you'll need a 9 to finish that straight, and a king will be worthless. Of course, he had typo'ed the board cards with an "8" instead of a "9", but this is just one of the many examples of the confusing and annoying mistakes you're sure to discover in this book. I would encourage you to search further throughout amazon, and deeper into your pocket book, for -- simply put -- a better book.



3. Ditto the other two reviews on this book. I thank my lucky stars that I kept my $5 in my wallet and borrowed this from the library. I give my co-reviewers A LOT of credit for sticking with this book - I quit reading after about page 15. I found no less than FOUR typos/incorrect statements on ONE page. My favorite botched advice is, early in the book, that: when holding a low pair [3's] and hitting a set [trip 3's] on the flop, one should be very wary of a pair of overcards on the board (in this case, a Q on the flop, and then another on the turn), because even one Q buried in an opponents hands will cause his trips to beat yours. Oh yeah? Last I checked, when holding a set and having the board pair-up, I've now got a FULL HOUSE! I think that beats 3 Q's!! Sheesh!
   
   This book is god awful. The typos are brutal, and the flat-out wrong advice is even worse. Don't waste your time.
   
   Buy (or borrow from your local library) Brunson's "Super/System," or any book by Caro or McEvoy. These guys are seasons pros, and know what they're talking about - so you will, too. ;-)



4. I wanted some basics to get into $5 dollar single table tournaments online and it worked for that. You will definitely need something more advanced as you progress into higher limits and this will not be useful for 'free' games.
   Take two things from this book:
   1. The starting hands based on position
   2. How to calculate the 'outs' (a nice chart in the back of the book)
   Adjust your starting hands based on your willingness to take risks and understand your outs based on the chart in the back. The rest is pretty basic and as everyone has stated thus far there are a considerable number of mistakes.
   If you are going to buy another book watch the poker tournaments on T.V and find a player you most enjoy watching play, that you trust and that wins and go buy his book. There are no books that will teach you everything and there is no template for perfect play.

No comments about An Introduction to Poker.

5 comments about Championship no-limit and pot-limit hold'em: On the road to the World Series of Poker.

1. This is the best book on poker from the best player. A great companion to 'Super/System' poker fans will enjoy this hands on gear turning read. Truly a neccesary book for the poker library. In contrast to Sklansky this book will not hold your hand so if your a begginer or your weak you need not pick it up. THis book is for the serious player looking to notch himself up. THis book helped an amateur take 5th in the WSOP and it can help you too!



2. I would not consider this to be the bible on no-limit. The book starts with an interview of T.J.Cloutier and ends with a few of his road stories. In between there are a couple of examples of how to play certain hands. But in general i found litlle basic big bet poker advice. The tournament section i felt was pretty good. Overall i wouldn't adivce this book to a beginning big bet player. I think they would be better off buying Pot-limit & No-limit poker by Ciaffone/Reuben. If on the other hand you're an somewhat advanced player, then you might find some usefull information in this book.



3. This book is pretty poor relative to other poker books.
   It's not that the book doesn't have anything to teach, it's just that I felt that for the cost of the book compared to the material versus the value of other poker books is poor.



4. A truly great book for some of the reasons below:
   Shows and illustrated how a great player like TJ Cloutier plays and thinks about the key hands. If you agree that preflop play is key then you will agee that which cards to play preflop and how to play them after the flop are the key issues.
   Introduces key concepts of tourney play and splitting up how you approach the beginning , middle and late stages of a tournment.
   The colourful road stories are all a bonus.
   Several winners have mentioned this book as being piviotal to thier success including Mcmanus's 5th place at the WSOP main event.
   With many newer books on NLH including the two books by Harrington taking a more detailed scientific approach to which hands to play this book is getting a bit dated.
   However for ease of learning and its relatively small size which means you can implement your knowledge faster it makes a great primer to the more detailed newer texts.
   Also you will learn and understand TJ's style of conservative tight/aggresive play.
   Who is TJ Cloutier? The most winning NLHE tournament player. Placed 2nd twice at the WSOP main event (Came 2nd to Chris Ferguson) Holds 6 WSOP bracelets.
   Who is his co author Tom Mcevoy?- Former wsop Main event Champion
   This was one of the key books that I used to win the weekly Thursday NLHE tourney at the Shara Las Vegas. A $2000 return on my $20 book.



5. TJ Cloutier has long been one of my favorite poker players. He is a gentleman as well as a poker genius. That being said, I would argue that this book, like TJ seems to have let the game pass by a little bit.
   
   There is fantastic history of some of the characters and tournaments of TJ's life as well as a quick auto biography, and the pot limit section reads well for anyone not to familiar with that type of poker. However, I feel like the no limit section is dated and fairly basic. It seems a lot of what TJ talks about comes from a time when people only played the top ten hands, and doesn't leave a lot of room for creative play that seems much more popular today.
   
   That being said, if one reads the book carefully, there are several good tips that should make the serious player plenty of money over the long haul. TJ is one of the classiest and best poker players of all time and this book is as good of a starter book as any; it's not too thick and there is plenty of character.

No comments about Play poker, quit work and sleep till noon!: Or play poker with "the Fox".