5 comments about Blackjack Bluebook II - the simplest winning strategies ever published (2006 edition).

1. For a player who has learned basic strategy and is looking to take their game to the next level this book can't be beat. The presentation of the counting strategies is well laid out and reading this book will help the player understand the game and wisely choose a strategy based on his/her strengths.
   
   I would recomend reading this book and getting the "Real Deal Blackjack: Learn to Count" software. http://www.realdealblackjack.com and you will be on your way to becoming a winning player.



2. I was a Basic Strategy player and I thought I was doing just fine. Read Fred's book and forget about it-a whole new Blackjack World opened up to me! Prior to reading BJBBII I never in a million years would have thought I could or would count cards-thought you had to be some sort of mathwiz-NOT! Please-if you love the game of blackjack and you want to find out how easy it is to tremendously improve your game just read this book. I'm not saying you don't have to apply yourself,you certainly do,but the way Fred Renzey takes you through the information presented allows anyone with average intelligence to count cards in any casino. BTW-I use the KISS III count and it sure works. It is so cool to be able to count and KNOW when it's time for the big cards to be dealt.
   Rogue1



3. Fred Renzy is not only an avid Blackjack player, but a math and computer whizkid! I am not! However, he didn't lose me in this book. He kept it easy to understand. I also appreciated the fact that he was honest in explaining that Blackjack is a difficult game to get the edge at. It's not as easy as the movie makes it out to be. Nevertheless, he inspried me to play on, after reading his book.



4. Renzy does provide some material that was new to me, but the counting system that he discusses is somewhat weak. Still a good book for a beginner to intermediate player.



5. I recently discovered online Blackjack and wanted to review/learn some new tips for winning strategies. Thankfully, this book not only provides great basics for getting that winning edge, but without even mentioning online Blackjack, this book clearly laid out why it isn't a good investment to play online Blackjack. Stick to the casinos, read this book, and grab that winning edge.

5 comments about Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One.

1. Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward Thorp started a craze toward card counting in casinos, prompted several rules changes including increased numbers of decks, shorter cuts, and more frequent shuffles. It's the grandfather of Blackjack strategy books and the first mathematical analysis of the game published outside academia. For those reasons alone it's worth having and studying even if its effectiveness has been diminished by the rules changes I noted above.
   
   The other advantage that Thorp's book has over the dozens of blackjack books available is that it includes the probability charts. You can take the numbers from the appendix, see where the strategy was developed and make your own adjustments based on the conditions you encounter at your local game or casino.
   
   It's tricky, his counting system and strategy, but once you have the hang of it you can be assured a fair game with a casino. And, all told, it's not that difficult a system to master with some practice ahead of time. Don't read this volume on the plane flight into Vegas and expect to beat the dealers in a day, but spend a week or two with some decks of cards, practice, go online and play, then take your shot against the pros. Good luck.
   
   - CV Rick



2. Edward O. Thorp started the blackjack revolution way back in the early 1960s with a difficult but successful card counting system. This book explains that early system and why blackjack is a beatable game. There are now many easier card counting systems such as the Hi-Lo, the KO, the High Opt and the easiest of all Speed Count.
   
   Thorp's book is a must have for your gambling library as he started it all.
   
   Frank Scoblete: author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!



3. Next stop Macau
   
   Still the classic for the high-low method, but nowadays you need to work in teams and with the perpetual continuous shuffle machines/decks the method has become harder to deploy in lots of casinos. Which is why those who use this with refined forced-card deck cutting are in the current gravy boat, although their day in the sun will also pass.
   
   Most folks can intuitively understand card counting and shoe-skew. There are plenty of books on the topic of card counting. However, Thorp's original work is best and overlooked on several important points by most folks. The first point is: rigor. Thorp has backed up his method with solid empirical and theoretical underpinnings. This gave confidence to generations of card counters who refined his method. The second point is: clarity. Thorp is a first-string mathematician and easily could have stayed conversing with peers in jargon, or he even could have purposefully employed obscurantism to keep tables thin. Instead his prose style is lean, direct, and clear. Such is his brevity and Wittgensteinian exactness that you may need to re-read a few sentences here and there to absorb what he is saying, but on the whole this is an accessible narrative written by a mathematician for an intelligent audience.
   
   A wonderful gift that opens up a new world combining math, fun and money.
   
   Now about Kelly criterion in betting strategies......



4. I find the story surrounding this book to be just as interesting as the book's content. [...]
   Few books are ever this popular, never mind this popular for decades. Beat the Dealer is approaching 50 years of incredible popularity among readers. This is reason enough to check it out. This is the best book for anyone eager to dive in to blackjack and move beyond the game's basics. It's not for a passive reader. It's also for anyone interested in gambling in general, or the history of gambling. This book is a classic.



5. This was an entertaining read. Edward Thorp did a lot of research :) and his stories are hysterical. His method of playing blackjack is easy to learn...even for somebody over 50! :)

5 comments about Harrington on Hold 'em: Expert Strategies for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. III--The Workbook (Harrington on Hold'em).

1. I learned more about how to play no-limit hold'em tournaments from this exercise than the previous 10 books on the subject. The examples are clear and very well explained. The options are examined at every step and eliminated logically. One should probably have read his first 2 books before taking this test if you want to ace it.



2. I had so much fun going through this book that I wish it never ended. You'll thoroughly enjoy testing your poker thinking against Harringtons extremely indepth comments. I've obviously read both of the other books but being forced to really think (in order to score points) is EXTREMELY helpful towards actually LEARNING the subject matter. If you enjoyed the first two. Buy this! If you dont have the first two, buy them, then buy this. Just do yourself a favour, study up and then attack this but write down all your answers to all the questions and number them (There's actually a score sheet in the back of the book). After I had gone through it I realised there is a section that categorises all of the errors you made so you can see where your game needs the most improvement but my answers were actually strewn about on bits of scrap paper so I couldn't make use of it...:S There's one or two questions where you might find yourself hard done by with Harrington not awarding points for what you may consider very reasonable plays but these are few and far between. For the most part he's pretty much spot on in his commentary.



3. With all the numerous poker books out there, Dan Harrington by far has the best set of books out there. The first one is amazing at covering all the basics to improve your skill, the second book is great with examples and how to handle the same hand differently, and the third is perfect to refine your game. Read the first one completely with understanding before moving on to the second and the third book. The workbook tests what you have already learned and will refine your decision-making. Highly recommended!



4. The first two books on No Limit Hold Em tournament strategy are the most helpful I've read. This workbook is particularly good at discussing post-flop play. I'm working through the problems - not done yet - but am looking forward to analyzing all the many flaws in my game!



5. This series (I own all three) is very well written. Volume three is the workbook, which essentially a book-length quiz that you then grade yourself on, but it is very well done. I was able to identify weaknesses in my game and improve. Highly recommended.
   
   I say spend the money and get all three volumes. Your purchase will pay for itself very quickly.

5 comments about Caro's Book of Poker Tells.

1. It a little bit on the difficult side as to writing style and very out of date when it came to the pictures and graphics, this book is still a good recommendation to any that play poker (of any kind).
   
   Harrington recommends this book, at least exposing yourself to the tells others have or that you may be giving is a good idea. I give it a recommendation.



2. ...especially in this day and age, and especially if your game is hold 'em. Many of the tells are far more relevant for a stud or Omaha game. That, and too many people have read this book. Really only useful against the lamest of players, imho.



3. Old and dated but still very relevant. Perfect quick read if you are in transition from internet to live games. Memorize these most famous tells and make more money, its that simple. Thank you from SuperAggressive.com



4. I purchased Mike Caro's VIDEO on tells years ago. (I bought the VHS but, of course, it's on DVD now.) It is an updated version of the book and it is excellent. Actually seeing visual examples of the tells is a much more effective and easier way to understand this material. With a video available, there's no reason to buy this book. If you can't find the video on Amazon, it's advertised in poker magazines like Card Player (which is available for free in poker rooms) or just google mike caro. It costs more than the book but it's worth it.



5. I should have listened to the other poor reviews and saved my money. This book takes about ten worthwhile (and very obvious) tells, spends a few pages on each explaining what could be summed up in just a few sentences, and then fills out the the book with meaningless other "tells" and filler. Included are picture that supposedly illustrate the book's points; the only problem being that most pictures are so dark and unhelpful that they only serve as additional filler to turn this flimsy piece into book length. I had to laugh when looking at an unfocused picture, clearly from the '70s, of a man wearing dark glasses -- completely obscuring his eyes. The book advises your to observe how he is shifting his eyes to the side to watch his opponent -- pretty bad stuff.
   
   You can spend ten minutes googling "poker tells" and get far better advice than what this book provides.

5 comments about Doyle Brunson's Super System II.

1. This book it's so amazing, if you play poker you must read it, it helps you a lot in your game.



2. Some people say they dont like this book and i imagine its becuase they only play nl hold em and thats only like 100 pages of this book. The many number of games it covers made this a must buy for me. NLHE gets boring after a while, right? If you want to learn some limit games get this book, it covers pot limit omaha (the new nlhe) also. I also enjoyed the non-game sections like the tourney chapters and the caro section which had many general good tips. There are scattered "live tells" tips given in the book which was cool too.



3. If you have bought the first super system then don't waste your money on this one. It basically is super system one on doyles part. If you want the other authors views on stud, draw ect... then but it.



4. Doyle Brunson's Super System II This is a big, big book with a lot of information to digest. If you are a Poker player and haven't read this book, you should. If you are looking for a book on the game of poker and you want to buy only one book, this is the one book to buy. It will improve your game. It is written in a manner that keeps it interesting as well as informative. Well worth the money.



5. i bought this book for my husband, an avid poker player. he couldn't put it down and says it is a must for anyone interested in improving their game and strategy. Most of all it is a fun and easy read.

5 comments about Greenspan's Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve.

1. A friend at work turned me on to Fleckenstien's articles during the peaks of the housing bubble, and all along he predicted the housing market crash. The only thing he had wrong was the timing as thought it would happen sooner. This book sheds light on Greenspans role in two ecenomic bubbles and does so with Felckenstien's unique sense of humor. It is tough to make subjects like this interesting, but this book is a good read. Felckenstien predicted both "bubble bursts" in his columns when everyone else was screaming about the next tech stock that was going to take over the world or talking about how "real estate never goes down." If he says the sh-t is going to hit the fan and you are standing in front of the fan, you should probably move.



2. The author attacks Alan Greenspan for setting interest rates too low and thus causing all out economic problems. Why did Greenspan do this? He did not see the bubbles (that he himself created) because he was blinded by the "concept of technological driven productivity miracles." The author repeats this idea many many times. But from reading the first five pages you might wonder if Mr. Fleckenstein is the best person to launch a bubble attack like this. On page 3 the author leads you to note 2 (page 189) where he writes: "Determining that a bubble exists is somewhat subjective, though not terribly difficult." A couple of pages later on page 5, the author admits: "I saw the stock market bubble building and concluded it would end in disaster -- about four years too soon!" Should Fleckenstein not have disqualified himself from documenting forecasting failures at the Fed at this point? Taking strong action to stop a bubble based on the author's forecast could have driven us into a deep recession. In these first pages Fleckenstein proves with personal experience the validity of Greenspan's statement on page 99: "I don't think we can know there's a bubble until after the fact. To assume we know it presupposes that we have the capacity to forecast a imminent decline in prices." On page 162 in a confusing paragraph Fleckenstein seems to agree with this by writing: "What would be correct to say is that one can't exactly know what action might be required to stop a bubble." This not say that Mr. Greenspan is blameless.
   The author quotes his column from 1999 to judge Greenspan without the benefit of hindsight. In this column he writes that the increases in stock prices are "breathtaking" but never uses the word, bubble, before it burst. He uses the word, bubble, in column on September 17, 2001 after it is bust. Even I did better than that. In my book, "How to Invest in Condominiums" I use bubble twice and tell my readers how to to avoid them (I finished writing the book in 1999). Yet Fleckenstein is the one who has the nerve to attack the FOMC for not using the word often enough. This book is all about criticism with the benefit of hindsight. There are no lessons learned. We have to take it on faith that tighter money applied here and there would have been better. He does not attempt to demonstrate his forecasting ability and help Chairman Ben Bernanke by telling him how big the bursting real estate bubble is and when it will hit bottom, so that the Fed can set the "correct" rate. But no, on page 184 the author indicates that Ben Bernanke would make the same decisions as Greenspan. When we finally know how big and bad the real estate bubble was, say in 2013, Ben Bernanke (if he is still there) and the FOMC are sure to get flack from Fleckenstein for allowing the bubble to end so badly. The FOMC will be unaware of this incoming flack or wisely ignore it. This negative evaluvation (or well documented rant) deserves three stars for providing an insight into how difficult the task the FOMC has is and why in the long run the value of our paper money will always erode.
   
   
   



3. In this fascinating book, financial journalist William Fleckenstein studies the record of Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006.
   
   Between 1937 and 1987 there were no bubbles, but Greenspan helped to create two bubbles in ten years - in stocks and then in real estate - by holding interest rates too low, punishing savers. He helped to make the American people worse off by redistributing wealth to the rich, the bubbles' boosters and sponsors.
   
   Greenspan viewed new technology expenses as assets. So he thought that productivity and profits were higher than they really were, that inflation was overstated and that stocks were understated. In 1998 firms spent $95 billion on computers. After Greenspan's `hedonic adjustment', this came out as $352 billion, adding 2% to US GDP.
   
   Governments want to understate inflation and overstate growth, productivity and incomes. So now, most price rises seem to be way above the rate of inflation.
   
   Greenspan's rate cut of 15 October 1998 triggered the stock market bubble. By 1999 the stock market was valued at 180% of US GDP. (In the last bubble, in 1929, it was 85% of GDP.) In 2000-01 this bubble burst - the new technology miracle proved to be a mirage. In 1992-99 there was zero productivity growth in 99% of the US economy, and growth only in 1%, computer hardware.
   
   In 2001-03, housing `saved' the US economy from the aftershock of the stock bubble. De-regulation led to lower lending standards with more `creative' financial instruments, like the $500 trillion worth of derivatives, which Warren Buffett described as `financial instruments of mass destruction'.
   
   So from 2003 to 2007 there was a real estate bubble, based on huge debts. Mortgage-equity withdrawals created half US GDP growth between 2001 and 2007. By 2006, household debt was 97% of GDP: mortgage debt was $13.3 trillion. Total US debt in 2007 was 325% of GDP.
   
   This ocean of debts rested on a falling real estate market, a sinking economy and a weak currency. Where could the next economic rebound come from? Capitalism has destroyed production and destroyed the housing market: it is running out of options.



4. Greenspan will be forever linked to the global financial meltdown of 2008. History will not be kind to the Bubble Boy.



5. This is a truly invaluable book. Fleckenstein shows,beyond any doubt, that Alan Greenspan has been a disaster for the country and the economy. Even before becoming Fed chairman, Greenspan had demonstrated his incompetence (Read the beginning where Greenspan's predictions as one of President Ford's advisers would drastically miss the mark). Unfortunately, Greenspan would be confirmed as Fed chairman and begin a nearly twenty year career of gross mismanagement.
   
   Fleckenstein quotes Greenspan repeatedly, demonstrating the Fed Chairman's inability to predict the stock market or housing bubble (or anything else for that matter). Greenspan comes off as completely incompetent in Greenspan's Bubbles. Perhaps some day the Federal Reserve will be abolished and the economy will not be subject to the whims of mediocre men like Greenspan and Bernanke. If that day comes, it will be because of thoughtful experts like this book's author. I also recommend Ron Paul's analysis of Greenspan in his recent book--Paul points out that Greenspan once supported sound money but changed his views as the lure of great power as a central planner seduced him.

5 comments about Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.

1. Mr. Mezrich, in "Bringing Down the House", gives us a fascinating account of a group of MIT students who took "card counting" at the blackjack table to a whole new level. This fast paced page-turner takes a thrill ride that reads like a novel. Great read!!



2. Book was like new and delivered as promised. Great book for a great price. Very easy transaction. Thank you!



3. This book came to my attention after hearing a radio interview with one of the MIT Card Counters. I immediately searched out this book, and it didn't disappoint. Ben Mezrich does a great job of boiling down a sophisticated card-counting system, following the rise and fall of one of the team's key members. And for those interested in the details, an essay on card counting mechanics by the main subject, "Kevin Lewis," is presented at the end of the book.
   
   This was Mezrich's first forray into non-fiction and it shows at times with some cheesy and tedious metaphors and heavy-handed attemps at injecting prose into the action. Nonetheless, the book is short enough and the action quick enough that I wouldn't describe this as a major distraction.
   
   If you liked "Rounders" or the casino scene in "Rain Man," then this book is probably for you.



4. I liked the story behind what these kids did. It was exciting and scandolous. I didn't like the actual people in the story. Most of them seem like overpriveleged brats who were looking for a free lunch. I was also a tad disappointed with how simple their methods really were. It had less to do with brainy algorithims and more to do with teamwork and deception. All in all though, an interesting book.



5. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this book was written. Ben did a fine job of capturing, in words, what the MIT counting team experienced. In doing so, he brought the reader into the lives of the players and into the rush of the game/scam. This book will keep you turning the pages until you're done. Make sure that you set aside a few hours of uninterrupted time to read this book in its entirety. I read this book long before the movie came out and I want to say that the movie does this book an injustice. You're better off owning this book than owning the movie. This is a must read for thrill seekers and for the modest of gamblers. For ten bucks...you can't go wrong.

5 comments about The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition.

1. My order came promptly and it is a very good book to get some tips from



2. As an avid poker player (I play at least 5 hours a week) who makes decent money, I was looking forward to this edition. The problem with books these days is that there isn't much new material out there. Doyle wrote his supersystem which laid the groundwork for aggressive play which wasn't the norm back in the day. Then Harrington came out with his three volumes which are the definitive go-to for all no-limit holdem play.
   
   If you want the best no-limit holdem book out there, then this probably isn't your book. The Harrington books trump this book by a long shot. However, if you're looking for a one-stop-shop for the other games then this is the answer. The only section that I felt was subpar was the section on Razz which gave very subpar advice, data, or basic strategy. The stud sections are excellent and lay very good groundwork for both cash and tournament play.
   
   So...if you're only going to stick with NL holdem, then go with the Harrington books...if you're looking for a little bit of everything, then i highly recommend this book.



3. Brilliant all round book, which I've learnt and gained much more poker knowledge from. Im not one for reading books but I couldn't put this one down!



4. In the world of poker literature, no limit hold em advice dries up and becomes useless pretty quickly these days. One year after its release, this underrated and underread book still holds advice that has yet to find its way into most tournaments. Almost every chapter regarding NLHE offers insights into the game that blows almost everything else away. Dare I say it, I think it even makes HOH begin to look dated.
   
   Andy Bloch's chapter on preflop play is worthy of its own 5-star-rated book (even if I disagree with some of his advice, such as reraising with middle pairs while in position). Lederer's chapter on leverage is knowledge only a miniscule percentage of your opponents will be even vaguely aware of. Chris Ferguson's chapter on bet sizes is all you'll ever need to know about that subject. Gavin Smith's chapter on LAG play is a must-read for both the player wanting to learn to play that dangerous style, or for the TAG wanting to understand his loose-aggressive opponent.
   
   In addition, there are great chapters on other poker games such as Omaha, Stud, and Razz (the Razz chapter being my personal fave). I honestly don't think there is a better tournament book out there. I also honestly hope it continues to fly under the radar for at least another year.



5. Buy this book, its one of the best out there and it covers many gametypes

5 comments about The Theory of Poker.

1. I hate to give such a great book a negative title and mediocre review but the fact is that this book is just no longer relevant. Had you bought this before the poker boom you would be golden. The best piece of advice you can get from this book is the basic theory. Other than that the whole book is geared around limit cash games. We all know that NL tournaments is where it is at right now so I would check out Dan Harrington's books first.



2. This is a must read for any serious beginner to intermediate player. Most advanced players will probably have knowledge of the biggest part of the topics covered but it's never bad to refresh yourself.
   
   Essential information covered is pot odds, implied odds,draws and the free-card concept, among other things.



3. How would you play if ALL the cards were face-up? Any difference, when the cards are face down is a mistake. Ditto for your opponents. Sklansky expounds this fundamental theorem in great detail. This is a must-have book.



4. Okay, this book has wonderful information within it. Almost nothing Mr. Sklansky states within the book is bad information, and he uses relatively easy language. The problem many may have with the book is that while there are many simple learning tools that will help every reader immediately, this book is not one of them. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR A HOLE'EM PLAYER. If you're looking to learn Hold'em only, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK YET! Even if you are looking to learn more than games than Hold'em, I would suggest 'SuperSystem' first. My reasoning is simple, in this book, Mr Sklansky bounces from game to game to illustrate his examples. For a player who is trying to establish a winning approach to the game, this book may very well confuse you with so many examples and will not build confidence.
   
   From my previous statements, one might wonder why I would give this book a 5 star rating, and the answer is because to those whom can follow the book, it's essentially the handbook to every basic principle in the game. I would compare 'The Theory of Poker' to a school professor(and I will note this SPECIFIC book only and not the author or his other works) who does not dumb down his lessons for the lesser committed students, but whom will give a student the most out of the class if that student is completely dedicated. The catch is, this professer is teaching a third or fourth level class that without the necessary prerequisites, the student will be lost. I would guess that only one out of about six poker players trying to figure out if this is the right book for them would be correct in deciding it is, but to that one person, this is a MUST-HAVE! To those five people out of the six, if you have to ask whether or not you are ready for the book, the one person who is ready wouldn't have to ask. That person would be asking is the book worth reading, and the answer is yes!



5. This book helps a particular type of player and hurt others. The information is great for anyone that can use Sklansky's work as a springboard to deeper thought, but can lead many to mismanage variables while sizing up a situation. Not Sklansky's fault, but the reader. This was the first poker book I ever read and I misused the understanding at first for increased losses. However, overtime, Sklansky's thinking here has helped at the tables and off the felt as well. I recommend this title as an essential book in a serious poker players library.

5 comments about Phil Hellmuth Presents Read 'Em and Reap: A Career FBI Agent's Guide to Decoding Poker Tells.

1. Mike Caro's book was revolutionary since it was the first book that categorized all the tells from the poker table. I believe everybody should read Caro's book first if you want to learn about tells, but this books teaches you on how to continue learning how to read tells.
   
   Joe Navarro talks a lot about standard position, this is how people are in their normal state. You have to be observant on how people look like when they aren't under any pressure or stress. Base on this knowledge you will then start trying to read this person on tells. In the end of the book Navarro teaches you how to improve your observation skills with some exercises.
   Some reviews says that this is just a copy of Caro's book. I don't believe that's true, you will find information here that you can't find in Caro's book.



2. This is one great poker book. I play a lot of poker and everything else I've ever read about poker tells (even by the famous Mike Caro) has been completely useless. This book paid for itself the first time I played poker after reading it. I now feel like a professional player able to make some great reads.



3. This book is certainly more relevant today than Caro's dated one. But, like Caro's work, some of the information is delivered as absolute and true, while we all know there are no such things in poker.
   
   Read 'em and Reap has much to offer but everything in it needs a little salt for seasoning.



4. This might be seen as competition for Mike Caro's excellent _Mike Caro's Book of Tells_ but it is better viewed as a complimentary work, covering different parts of the same theme.
   
   Before we discuss the differences between the two, we have to mention the view that tells are not very important. That view, promoted by people as prominant as Daniel Negreanu, is simply wrong. While tells may not help you very often, a tell can win a very important hand for you or keep you from losing a very large number of chips. As long as tells exist, as Mr. Negreanu will freely admit, they don't have to be seventy percent of the game (a bizarre claim made by the authors of this book)to be important.
   
   This book, in contrast to the Caro book, analyzes very basic neurological reactions, honest tells. In contrast to the "weak means strong" theme of the major tells in the book of tells, this book teaches you to see often subtle but almost always honest indicators of a player's confidence at a particular moment in time. The most important part of this book is the section on not _giving_ information.
   
   The flaws in this book include the above claim that poker is seventy percent driven by reading tells. Most others involve Mr. Hellmuth and his ego and the amount of extraneous bragging that is done by both authors.



5. I read this book less than two weeks time and entered three poker tournments three weeks later- result 1st tournment third place, 2nd tournment 1st and 3rd tournment 1st place. This book is amazing. Worth the money spent!!!