4 comments about Handbook Of Winning Poker.

1. After watching the recent movie "Rounders" I was inspired to take up and learn poker. This book gives full rules, how-to-play instructions, and good strategy for ten different games. It also includes general definitions and poker information, a glossary of terms, and insight into bluffing and psychological aspects of the game. After an hour of reading up on Texas Hold'em I ended up tripling my profit on my first home six hour session.



2. After reading this book I didn't get even one thing out of it. there are much better books out there try the others.



3. Dreadful advice coupled with lousy pop psychology and too much fluff. The author crams 10 games into one tiny book and gives them all short shrift. This book will wind up costing you far more than the cover price.



4. My background: I have been playing poker for about 20 years, but only seriously (for money) for the last 2 years or so.
   
   The negative reviews of this book seem to be written by people that were expecting too much from this book. It is a flawed book but there is some excellent advice and strategy in this book that is superior than some of the other "major" poker books that are popular right now.
   
   One example of this is his section on money management. He discusses a stop-loss approach similar to what Wall Street investors use when they make a big score. Since I read this book I have been employing a version of this advice in my games and have noticed a marked improvement in my self control. It is much easier to walk away ahead when you've decided ahead of time exactly how much you're willing to win.
   
   The strategy sections on the various games are admittedly a little thin, but not bad at all for a beginner. My advice would be to read this book first and then graduate on to the current boooks that deal with more advanced strategy.
   
   Overall: pick it up used or at the library if you can, it's worth reading once.

No comments about Obituary for the Public Professional Poker Player.

No comments about Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Poker.

No comments about Marlboro Poker Size Playing Cards Made in the Usa: Marlboro Birthday Cards for Playing Poker, Blackjack, Bridge, Rummy, Solitaire, Pinochle, French Tarot, Euchre, Cribbage, Go Fish, Baccarat, Concentration, Klondike, Bs, Crazy Eights, Slapjack, Ah....

No comments about Texas Holdem Poker.

3 comments about Serious Poker.

1. I have often been drawn to the card rooms in the casinos, but I have never felt comfortable sitting down at the table -- the rules and etiquette of the game are daunting to the newbie.

   Kimberg's book taught me the basics and made me feel at home in the card room. He covers *everything*, in a breezy, approachable text that is a pleasure to read. His sections on basic strategy are particularly well done.

   I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy their time in the casino and maximize their opportunity for profit.




2. Daniel Kimberg says in the book that he is not a professional.
   
   If you were 'serious' about something you would be a professional or at least attempt to be one. This guy is not a professional poker player and gives advice like a novice. If you can't make it you should not be writing books, especially not 'serious' ones.



3. This book is great for the beginner / inexperienced poker player. I was playing a lot of poker online (for free) and read this before my first trip to a live casino and it helped a great deal. It covers everything from poker room layout and etiquette (important if you don't want to tip off the predators) to of course strategy such as which hands to play from what position, playing the board, betting strategies etc.

   It helped me double my money on my first trip playing live poker in a casino. Definately worth it.

No comments about POKER NATION.

No comments about Play Poker Like a Pro: The Rules of the Game.

2 comments about Video Poker & Slots for the Winner, 2nd Edition.

1. With all due respect to Marten Jensen, he does not deliver the simplification and consolidation promised in the book. I bought the book for 2 reasons: (1) I'm a new Las Vegas resident who wants to enjoy the casino scene, but I want to play intelligently; and, (2) having graduated with a degree in Mathematics, I am curious how the odds and payouts work in these machines.

   I will focus my comments exclusively on Jacks or Better Video Poker content (my game of choice, and as far as I read, once I realized the shortcomings of the book. )

   Mr. Jensen identifies play strategies based on the various payout amounts of machines, collapsing 12 possible payout schemes to 2 strategies (excluding the Not Recommended to play strategy.) After an hour of analysis, I concluded the two play strategies are identical -- the only differences that I found are that the same hand is given different descriptors between the two strategy charts (what is described as JQ, JK, QK and JA, QA, KA as 2 separate hands in one strategy is simply described as 2 High Cards in the other, each with the same play strategy), and that he omitted a possible hand in one of the strategies (he describes what to do with a 4 card Inside Straight with 3 or 4 high cards, but he neglects to offer advice for any other type of 4 card Inside Straight.) My conclusion -- if Mr. Jensen recommends a Jacks or Better machine at all, he really means to tell me to play them all the same.

   He further advises taking his book to the casino with you to match payout schemes on the machines to the charts in his book, rather than taking the time to reduce the various play/no-play strategies to a simple list of questions. I was able to reduce 12 charts to 3 simple questions to determine if (using his approach) you should play a machine or pass on it.

   Finding such puzzling omissions and inconsistencies in this book makes me question the fundamental validity of his numbers and his strategies. He may be absolutely right (I'm not going to bother to do the math to double-check his assertions,) but I am left with enough lingering doubt that I'll pass on his advice and buy a different book and see what it says.




2. The previous reviewer was too kind. The strategy tables presented are not only over-simplified, but there are incorrectly ranked hands in the strategy tables as well.

   For example, he uses the same strategy table for Double Bonus, regardless of whether it is 10/7 full-pay or 9/6 short-pay.

   Marten's incorrect "BQE" chart recommends keeping a pair of J-A over a 4-card flush, even though the average expected value of a 4-card flush is 7.55, compared to only 7.28 by holding J-A. His strategy of J-A over a 4-card flush would only be correct in a 9/6 game, where the flush pays 6.

   Given the number of casinos in Las Vegas and Reno that offer the 10/7 version of Double Bonus, you follow Marten's advice at your own peril.

No comments about Poker Jim, gentleman: And other tales and sketches.