5 comments about Elements of Poker.

1. A different point of view.
   Excellent complement of classical litterature about Poker.
   
   One of the best book on the metagame with "the poker mindset"



2. I don't know what the other readers searched in this book but I was looking forward an improvement in my game. Instead this book is all about words and discussion on poker world but NOT about poker strategy itself. I've recently bought about 15 poker books and this was by far the worst of them. Please save your money.



3. I actually went to the author's website before purchasing the book, and found many of his poker 'phrases' quite clever. I went into the book with the mindset of being entertained and I figured if I could glean a few nuggets of wisdom regarding playing poker, it would be worth the investment. Sadly it proved to be not entertaining at all. I have read over 50 poker books. I enjoy the topic and obtaining different perspectives is always enjoyable.
   
   When I was finished with this book, I just had a blank stare on my face. It neither entertained me, nor improved my game. About the only two things that stuck with me from the book were: 1) The author is a poker coach, and 2) don't tilt as much.



4. I helped edit the manuscript, am listed in the thank yous, am a friend of Tommy's, and was coached by him in 2001 before he started charging. So there's my conflict of interest but this is independent truth:
   
   Elements of Poker is the best-written poker book on the market by a wide margin. It is truly a delight to read.
   
   Many players with good A games go broke because they either rarely play their A game or their C game is so bad that their A game doesn't matter. Most people study poker to improve their A game, and most poker books are written towards improving A games. EOP is more about improving your C game, reducing tilt, and overcoming poker pain. If you're not into those things don't buy it. If you are, Elements of Poker is a fine read.
   
   Matt Flynn
   Co-author, Professional No-Limit Hold 'em.



5. There are some books about poker psychology, or, more specifically, controlling your own psychology when dealing with the tilt-inducing parts of poker.
   Tommy Angelo's book is different since it doesn't just tell you not to tilt (like, duh) but gives genuine ideas about what to do when you do (and you will). Also, the chapter on meditation is unique and still highly practical.
   
   Also, Tommy has a wonderfully creative writing style which makes the book just a joy to read.

5 comments about The Mathematics of Poker.

1. Got this on a recommendation. It's been a while since I've used my brain to this extent. I've read other reviews saying that you don't need much math to get through it - don't believe it. I'm only halfway thru the book - there are nuggets of information, and hopefully some very useful info later on...but it's the type of book one would likely have to read a few times to get the gist of it. Unless you've got a math brain like Jesus Ferguson. Recommended to a certain extent.



2. I bought this book thinking it was going to contain analyses of poker. It does not. Let me repeat that. IT DOES NOT. What it does contain are analyses of simple poker-like games, the optimal strategies of which are easily determinable by anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of game theory. The authors, after wasting your time with simple, near obvious results then proceed to draw no useful conclusions applicable to the real game of poker as played for real money in the real world. But if you think having it on your bookshelf will make your poker library complete, then buy one today.



3. As an engineer, I was very excited to start reading this book, then as I started to read, I realized I was in serious trouble. I am the type of player who loves to read strategy poker books, (i.e Harrington on Hold Em, Theory of Poker) but this book in my opinion cannot teach you much about strategy because most of the math presented in the book is very abstract. The authors tell you in the first few pages that if you want to question the material or better understand the material you should refer to a math text because they don't want to scare readers away. However, it is the fact that they cannot present each mathematical truth in detail which causes the book to fail most readers who do not have a mathematical background. If a book could show you how to make the right play in a 3 handed poker game with a simple calculator as opposed to setting up multiple equations using graphs with several variables to accomplish the same goal, a reader would probably go with the calculator.
   
   Overall, the book is very well written and presents great examples of mathematical proof of why a certain play is correct and why others are not correct. If you love mathematical proofs, poker, and working out equations, then you'll probably love this book. However, the book, in my opinion, uses very complicated equations to prove what many poker players probably already understand in a simpler, more straightforward context.



4. When it comes to the everyday poker player this book gets ZERO stars!!
   But - the title does say The Mathematics of Poker. and if you look at it as A complex math book with poker as it's subject then this book gets FIVE stars. unless you're working on, or have, A college Math degree then this book is not for you! The books you should read instead are "Texas Hold'em Odds and Probabilities" by Matthew Hilger - or "Killer Poker By The Numbers" by Tony Guerrera both of these books are way more practical!!!



5. I bought this book and that was a big mistake. The beginning of the book was fine to me. Because almost everything was explained well. but, the more I read into the rest of the book, the more headaches I got.

5 comments about How to Cheat at Everything: A Con Man Reveals the Secrets of the Esoteric Trade of Cheating, Scams, and Hustles.

1. I've made it about 70% through, and I'm very pleased. It's a broader study than The Big Con, and doesn't go into as much depth, but it hits the kind of thing the average person is more likely to see. One thing lacking is the pictures on such things as the false shuffles. I suppose you'd truly need high-speed video to really see what's happening, but more than one picture per shuffle would be a good start.



2. Would be interesting if it were half as long. The cons were the most interesting; the endless variations on how to cheat at cards and dice and silly bar bets were tiring.



3. Not only is Lovell's book twice as long as it should have been, but over 90% of the material covered is so dumb and artless it would only rip off a stoned retard. Remember Lloyd and Harry in 'Dumb and Dumber' scamming that crippled blind kid with a headless dead parakeet? You'll get the picture straight away. In fact, about a third of the book is on clumsy and oafish playing card frauds that wouldn't fool your own mother.



4. THAT TYPE OF BEHAVIOR WILL ONLY GET YOU SO FAR..IN REFERENCE TO THE BOOK, ONLY A MENTALLY DISTURBED SOCIOPATH WOULD READ IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE IS A COUPLE IN PHILADELPHIA,PA (SEE PHILLY.COM) THAT WAS RECENTLY BUSTED FOR FRAUD, AND IDENTITY THEFT. THIS BOOK WAS FOUND IN THEIR POSSESSIONS. IT WILL ONLY GET YOU SO FAR. IF NOT PRISON, 6 FEET OF DIRT AT THE CEMETARY OF YOUR CHOICE FOR SCREWING OVER THE WRONG PERSON...SAD, BUT TRUE...



5. Who wouldn't want to gain the oohs and aahs of friends at dinner or a bar?
   
   This book is loaded with some fantastic tricks. It's not teaching readers about ripping people off, though those stories are mixed in throughout.
   
   If you want a very unusual gift book, this is it.

5 comments about Blackjack Blueprint: How to Play Like a Pro... Part-Time.

1. This book is without doubt the most well written and entertaining blackjack book around right now. I have read many many books on counting cards and the game of blackjack in general and this is by far the funniest read there is while actually giving really good information on counting cards and the game you must play to be a counter. Blackjack Blueprint doesn't bore you to death with super advanced systems that will cause you to sleep after read each single rule. Instead it's filled with many stories and useful information that are completely relevant to the situation that they accompany. If I were to have one blackjack book this would be the one without any doubt in my mind. I will also add that I don't read for fun at all, I only read books that will give me information and teach me how to do stuff. If all books were this good I would read more then I do.



2. Hey its about time a guy put a book together like this*****.
   
   I recommend BJ Blueprint as the first book to read when learning the game. Everything is clearly explained and the stories mixed in are fascinating. Five Star Rating from this reader!
   
   GOOO Train..
   
   Robert



3. If someone could only buy one book on blackjack, I would highly recommend this one. I have been playing & counting for 15 years. This covers everything you need to be a winning player and then some. It also has something for everyone from the first-time novice to the seasoned professional (including some things I'd rather not see in print).
   
   I have a hard time finding anything that was missed in this book, and it is written in straight-forward, easy-to-understand language. If anything is missing, it is the complex math that bogs down most of us anyway. Blaine instead offers up the best ways to make money, and that is what we are really after (at least me anyway).



4. I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone interesting in learning how to play blackjack. Good for beginners, but also has good material
   for experienced players. Very easy to follow. Has interesting stories about how blackjack teams operate.



5. About as good a as you can find book on the fundamentals of blackjack and card counting. A book for beginners thru experienced players.

1 comments about Betting Synthetic Surfaces: Conquering Racing's Newest Frontier.

1. Several years ago it seemed that synthetic racing surfaces were going to be a niche product in North America; mostly found at tracks which race through the frigid winter months.
   
   But the evolution of the revolution has catapulted these surfaces into locations - and climates - throughout North America, which has made a puzzle for handicappers seem even more puzzling. This is where Bill Finley's outstanding analysis becomes the winning ticket.
   
   In the first book out of the starting gate to explore the angles from the current data available, Finley takes the macabre out of the subject. "The modern horseplayer now has to learn the ins and outs of synthetic surfaces, which has some people horrified," he writes.
   
   Through research from thousands of races, Finley delves into the brand differences of surfaces & track biases, running styles, pedigrees & sire lines, the "bounce" & training factors and racers making surface switches. "As it turns out, most synthetic surfaces are anything but slow, deep, and tiring," he says. "The bottom line is that synthetic surfaces are not that different from conventional dirt tracks."
   
   Finley has a solid exploration into this new subject which gives any railbird a chance of finding success in this sweeping change of a landscape that is here to stay.

2 comments about The Poker Tournament Formula II: Advanced Strategies.

1. I like this book because it doesn't go in detail on what starting hand requirements a person should play. This is an advanced concept book and is not for folks who are just starting out playing hold'em.
   
   I won't take away from Mr. Snyder and lay out the content of his book online. You can purchase the book for all of that. However, I will describe a few of topics otherwise no one will be inclined to read his material.
   
   One of the interesting things about the book (and it's not even listed as a selling point) is the 10 functions you have with your chip stack.
   
   Think about it for a second, can you list down all the functions your chips stack has besides adding to the pile? PFT2 goes into detail on how to use your chip stack to make information bets, value bet, dominate small stacks.
   
   The books primary focus is utilizing the weapons you have at hand to develop a monstrous chip stack.



2. Snyder has done any serious tournament player a favor by revealing all the information in this book. A follow-up to PTF1, it is written for deep-stack tournaments, but much of the theories and tools provided can be used for all forms of poker (I know Snyder might disagree with this). Frankly, being selfish, I'm glad not too many people have read this outstanding addition to the vast library of poker books available. To those of you that are really serious however, this is a MUST BUY, and worth 10X the price.

5 comments about Texas Hold'em For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)).

1. Harlan's text is light and fun to read, yet very useful, concise and to the point. Differently than other poker books that scare you away by starting off with a lot of math and statistics and pot odds, Harlan goes through many other important and interesting poker stuff such as optimal starting hands, betting strategy for each round and table position, reading your opponents, different sorts of game - home, online, casino - before spaeking abouth the math (which, byt he way, he does in a very agreeable way, keeping it simple and straightforward - maybe because he knows his stuff - he is an applied math degree). the book also has easy to follow examples and real life anecdotes, keeping all that poker theory closer to what the average player will encounter at next Saturday's $10 poker night over his friends. It's definitely the first book on Texas Holdem you should buy, and you'll learn an awful lot from it.



2. I didn't know how to play poker until this year. I learned the rules and played a little online, but had no idea what I was doing. I picked up Texas Hold'em For Dummies and started practicing more and more online. A couple of weeks ago I was at a casino and decided to take a seat at a real poker table.
   
   I was nervous when I sat down and was sure I would make a lot of mistakes. I remembered the advice and strategy from this book, played my hands according to the Harlan and Derossi rules, and found that I was winning pots. In three hours of play I doubled my money and felt a lot more confident about playing poker, both real-world and online.
   
   This is a great book to learn the basics from, and it gives the beginning player a framework for learning. It's not just a lot of rules and lists, though; there are explanations for everything the authors advise, and plenty of real-life anecdotes.
   
   This book taught me how to play poker and gave me the confidence to actually play the game.



3. I am a big fan of televised Texas hold'em, but when I started playing with a group of collegues, I realized this is a tricky game. Texas Hold'em for Dummies is a simple-stupid book that teaches you everything required to survive at the poker table. Easy to understand, plenty of examples, and a great reference if you forget anything. I gived this book two thumbs up-



4. I really know nothing about poker whatsoever, and after reading this book I know the basics. A lot of it was over my head, because I'm really not looking to play in a casino setting, and that's what a lot of it talked about. I did pick up some great tips though and for the price, it was worth the purchase.



5. A book titled Texas Hold'em for Dummies.....I got this for my husband who was learning to play the poker game. He had checked out a few books at the library and then I gave him this one. He said it was the best that he had read.

5 comments about Hold'em Wisdom for all Players.

1. This book is easy to read, but offers little new advice. No new ideas like i was hoping for but maybe his next book will be better. Its a tweener book because its not for people who are starting to play holdem and its not for people who have been playing for awhile.



2. Like most of the other reviewers, I'm impressed with Negreanu's poker play. His ability to put opponent's on a hand and to win with such frequency is astounding. I picked up this book hoping for some novel insights. Negreanu, after all, claims it contains wisdom for all hold'em players. Not only does Negreanu provide nothing new or incisive for those of us with an advanced understanding of the game, the book doesn't even qualify as a something useful for beginners.
   
   Negreanu's "advice" boils down to: be nice at the table, don't tell your bad beat stories, mix up your play and try to put your opponents on a hand -- and, oh by the way, I'm wonderful. Although he covers a number of important topics (pot odds, reading opponents, playing a short stack, etc.), he doesn't cover them in enough detail to provide a reader of any level with any insight into the game. It seems as if he spent no more than an hour writing each chapter. Indeed, most chapters are only a few pages long and too many contain his recollections of hands he's won. Worse, the tone of the book is often didactic -- don't softplay, be friendly, don't get angry, blah, blah, blah. I finished the book, but it wasn't easy.
   
   If you're just starting out, Phil Gordon's "Little Green Book" is well-written, insightful, and with enough analysis and real advice to help a beginner or intermediate player take his game to the next level. Moreover, Gordon is never didactic or condescending. If you're a little more advanced and have the time, I recommend Dan Harrington's three-volume set on playing no-limit tournaments. Maybe the best series ever written on No Limit. Truly an outstanding piece of work.



3. If this book were titled "Hold'em Wisdom for New Players" I would have given it 5 stars, as it does provide a lot of answers to questions a new player faces. For advanced players the book doesn't offer that much. I will say this is probably the easiest of all poker books to read and is suggested reading for the newby before you delve into the meat and potatos of poker theory and mathematics. I would recommend this book to a new poker player to be followed by Phil Gordons little Green Book. The information combined in both books will get you to the final table. They did me, since reading these two I have final tabled 7 times and still progressing.



4. Daniel is on fire, this book is one of the best I have read so far!!! Visit SuperAggressive.com for free bonus money if you want to play there.



5. This book teaches you how to think like a poker player, and how to exploit certain fields of the game. If you're looking for a book that tells you when to raise, fold, check and so on, this is NOT the book for you. This book simply shows you a good amount of playing styles that you may not have thought about.
   
   This book is not statistical, but an easy to read beginner's poker book.

5 comments about Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play.

1. this book is great. it really does a great job of teaching simple and advanced concepts in an entertaining way. I was actually laughing out loud thru some parts of the book.
   
   after reading it thru twice my game has drastically improved.



2. Mistakenly I took this to be a no limit book about small stakes tables. This book only discusses limit hold 'em strategy. As a result I started playing limit hold 'em and use the strategies with success. Unfortunately, I really want to be good a no-limit (as TJ calls it, "the Cadillac of poker"). I think having read this book will help my NL game, but only by abstraction.
   
   Make no mistake, this book is for the limit player. I think any limit player will find this book a must read.



3. This is not a book on No-Limit Hold'em. I think the title is a little deceiving. It should be called Small Stakes Limit Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play. This book is about LIMIT Hold'em. I am a small stakes NLH player and was looking for a book on NLH. There is a lot of good advice on how to play Limit Hold'em in this book for beginners. However, most of the stuff in this book a good player will all ready know.



4. This is a great book for those who already have some experience playing Limit Texas Holdem. It takes your game to the next level. Sometimes you should go for that gutshot straight. Fit or fold is not always the best option. Always know the pot size and your break even odds. This book is not designed to keep you safe and away from traps. It is designed to get you the maximum profits from aggressive play. Advanced concepts include partial outs and outs for backdoor flushes and straights. What is your hand really worth. Other concepts include starting hand evaluations, overcalls, counterfieting, reverse domination, hidden outs. You were always aware of reverse domination (A2 beating AK on a flop of A Q 2), Counterfeiting (A2 vs AK, board of A Q 2 5 Q - AK wins as the pair of Queens counterfeits the pair of 2s. The second Queen was a hidden out). This book gives you plenty to think about and apply in you lifelong game of poker. Here are the essential concepts to raise your game to the next level. Happy fishing.



5. This book is excellent for the small stakes player. There is lots of good information. It can get a bit complicated with all the stuff you have to learn and remember from the book -- but failing to follow the strategies outlined in the book will result you in being a long term loser in small stakes poker.

5 comments about Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised.

1. This is a good book if you want to become a casual card counter. If you are planning on quitting your job and becoming a professional blackjack player, you would certainly need more than this, but the "Johnny (or Jane) Weekend" player that just wants to not get killed by the casino should read and study this book. My favorite part of Vancura and Fuchs's system is the fact that there is no need to clumsily estimate how many decks are left and divide that number into the running count to obtain the true count. K-O Blackjack is a mathematically sound counting system which involves much less effort and study than even the Hi-Lo system. Highly recommended!



2. This system will not work.
   
   Let's assume your playing in a 6-deck game. This system has you start your running count at -20, with -4 or higher as the "key" (The point at which you bet high). Using the KO method, after all of the decks are counted through the count will be +4. Does anyone else see the flaw here? Let's say you have a count of -3. This system tells you to bet high (Even suggesting 10 betting units!). But think about it, if a deck completely counted through will end up at +4, then there's a better chance that you'll be drawing low cards, meaning the dealer actually has the advantage. Put simply, if you use this system YOU WILL BE BETTING HIGH WHEN THE DEALER HAS THE ADVANTAGE. If I'm wrong then correct me, please. But I believe this is a very faulty system. If you win anything using it, count it off as luck. Eventually it will ruin you.
   
   This book explains other counting systems as being near impossible for the average person to learn; even explaining how difficult the Hi-Lo system is (Bull). The Hi-Lo system is still the easiest effective counting system (Explained well in Wong's "Professional Blackjack") with the Omega II being one of the most powerful (Beautifully explained in "Blackjack for Blood" by Bryce Carlson). I highly recommend either one of those two systems.
   
   There is a note in this book about the notion of blackjack books being put out by casinos to sort of sabotage counters with false tips. I believe this may very possibly be one of those books. Avoid, avoid, avoid.



3. If you are an amateur, which you probably are if you are reading this, stop reading right now. Get out your credit card and order this book.
   
   I ordered this book a little over a year ago, and since then I am 8-1-1 in my last 10 casino visits. I am UNDEFEATED (too many games to count) in local private games with low table limits, which are fairly common here in this college town. This was all after practicing card counting for 30 minutes per day for about a month.
   
   This is the most effective simple system you can learn to use. Forget about hi/lo. Knock-Out is an unbalanced system, which means there is no need to keep a true count. This is extremely valuable in a casino environment when you have cocktail watresses grabbing you every 10 minutes and the guy beside you won't shut his trap. Order this book, get a deck of cards, print off the strategy tables and go to work.



4. I usually don't write reviews, but I decided to on this one, because there are some reviews that are idiotic. So, let me share with you my experience. Not only have I read this book, I have actually USED the system. Not only have I used this system, I have also used Hi-Low, and Hi-Low OptI. This book specifically tells you why he wrote it from the beginning, and mentioned all the ins and outs of the count. It is well written, and if you have IQ over 50, you'll understand it. Now the real story.
   
   Basically unbalanced count was developed for the "real" world. Why, try Hi-Low OptI count for 8 hours at a packed casino. Try going there 8pm on friday night, and see if you'll find a table with 3 players only. LOL. You won't. Hi-Low OptI is very draining on your mental fatigue, I doubt even 20 year pros can keep doing it for that long. What they have to do is, do it for an hour and move on to another casino, or table after break. Same with Hi-Low, although easier, it is mentally taxing. I actually sat at a same table ($15) and played for 8 hours straight using KO. It's taxing, but not so much as balanced system. That's what it is designed for.
   
   The book comes out telling you that it's not good as balanced count system, but by miniscule fraction! BJinsider did a great article (i think it's newsletter 29 - free) that showed how KO, Red7, BlackA did against Hi-Low on a 6-deck. Hi-Low was .68% gain, vs .67% for Red7, .65% for KO and .63% for BlackA. The great thing is you don't have to take his word for it. You can download some of these testing softwares or buy it, and run the test yourself, and you should get a similar results.
   
   Now, the final point. All these statistics for counting are using A LARGE # of hands played, to minimize noise and get the actual true "worth" of the system. Remember, you have to play over million hands to actually see these results. .65% is little over 1% advantage over the house. You ain't going to make thousands consistently playing 500-600 hands a week. That why there was the mit "TEAM". They main objective is to get as many hands played possible (they also cheated little using team work, but we'll leave that for another day). If you can get 45-60 hands/hour, you can probably play 10-12 hours/day with break in between. that's like 600 hands avg a day. You have to play 7x600 = 4200 hands. 4200x50 = 210K hands. Do that for 5 years, and maybe you'll stiff 6 figure gain. You want a LIFE like that? (exaggerating little bit, but you get the point)
   
   So, what I'm trying to say is KO is a GREAT system for casual players, as this book was written for. It's also a good system for pros, since it's similar to Hi-Low in returns. Don't expect to leave the casinos with a whad of cash, if you're lucky it can happen. I once made over $2k playing $15 table in 2.5 hours. So, it's possible with KO. But you gotta be lucky too. Because I've also been busted couple of times too ($400 max each session). It's over the long haul he's talking about. Oh, unbalanced system becomes more accurate as deeper you penetrate the deck, so don't go crazy early on. wait for 3-4 decks to be gone, so each deck you'll only have 2 or 3 chances to bet big. That's still good enough if you get lucky, since odds are with you. I played many shoes that I didn't even get to bet big, it's ok. This is the grind. Big spreads are best, but can get heat, so learn some stealth from this book or other books. Go there to have fun, make some money if you are lucky, just don't expect to be rich unless you plan on 12h x 7d x 50wks x50yrs BJ life. Hope this helps.
   
   Edit: I forgot to add this tidbit, since I mostly play AC and they only have shoe games. But for 1 or 2 deck games, I'd recommend learning the Hi-Low as you want more accurate count then. But for shoes games KO and Red7 is just as nice.



5. I bought a copy of this book 10 years ago, and have won money at blackjack almost every time that I *diligently* followed this system.
   
   And...you must practice, practice, practice to be successful!