Customer Reviews

The Book of Bluffs: How to Bluff and Win at Poker

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is pretty badly flawed: it suffers from a lack of organization, content, and focus. There are no more than forty or so sample bluffs analyzed for the reader, and almost half of them are for Omaha or 7-card Stud (and very specific to the format of those games). So right off the bat those who have a greater interest in hold em are moderately short-changed. However, what really turned me off this book is that the last 100 pages are devoted to showcasing longshot bluffs that will never work in the real world, and to discussing a handful of famous WSOP bluffs which are similarly unrealistic. So basically there's only 100 some-odd pages of actual content here; and of that, almost all of it falls into the category of either obvious (attack an opponent who doesn't seem to like his/her hand) or far too specific (i.e. here's a great play that will rarely come up).

What's sad is that the most useful advice offered here comes from Chris Moneymaker, of all people (maybe because he's got more of an everyman's perspective on the game). In a brief cameo interview tacked on at the end of the book, he counsels readers to bluff when a turn or river card is scary compared to the hand you think your opponent has. Voila! This is as clear and useful as anything else the book has to say on the subject, and is probably more than enough for real-world players.

Why I have to give the book two stars is that I'm afraid people who read "How to Bluff" will come away with the idea that they can bluff their way out of any horrible situation they put themselves into. Lessinger focuses way too much on bluffs that simply will not work in real-world play (at least at low or moderate limits), especially online. He even includes an example where a player folded pocket aces that flopped a set because the other guy in a three-handed game represented a straight that required him to have exactly JQ and to have made his hand with a gutshot draw on the turn; does anyone else think that this will NEVER work? Online players are simply not going to fold the second-best possible hand (and sometimes not even the second-worst hand, it would seem), no matter how convincingly you represent the nuts. Honestly, I couldn't fold a set of aces to the possibility of someone having made a gutshot draw against me in probably any circumstance, and neither will your other opponents. There may be a place for longshot bluffs and hail mary plays to be featured in any strategic text; that place should not be from pp. 82 to 220 inclusive.

The whole tone of the book seems to suggest that players don't bluff enough; I just have to wonder if Lessinger is living in the 1980s or something. Players today do not need a book on how to bluff: they need someone to talk them down from that ledge. Lessinger would have done better by his readers to put out a title called "Betting for Value: Cashing in on Modern Player's Absurd Bluffing." That would have been a far more interesting, practical, and profitable read.

I'd recommend The Poker Tournament Formula and Poker Tips that Pay: Expert Strategy Guide for Winning No Limit Texas Hold em for readers that are looking for a more balanced hand-by-hand approach to improving one's poker game.

This book is really informative, it outlines some good ideas and some good strategys. 1st things 1st, this book is cheap and worth the money and the read.

The Book focuses on examples for the bulk of the text. The remainder is the authors insight (which proves to be informative).

Heres a couple of things to know about this book before purchasing it:

1.) It focuses a lot on Limit hold em, the author is mostly using Limit in his examples. Some are NL and some have a paragraph dedicated to "If this were NL".

2.) The author focuses on "higher" limit games (in my opinion). To me 5/10 NL is a high limit. Which leads me to my next point:

3.) D.A.I. (DONT ASSUME INTELLIGENCE) This was taken right out of the book. Its hard to bluff at people when 1.) they dont have any knowledge of the game and will call you down with garbage and 2.) Do not have regard for 50 or 100 bucks.

All in all, its worth buying and reading but you have to pick and choose your info, if you take to much of it to heart you might as well flush your money down the toilet, this book should guide you a little, not warp your game.

Matt Lessinger, The Book of Bluffs: How to Bluff and Win at Poker (Warner, 2005)

I'm not a bluffer. Reading The Book of Bluffs convinced me that I will likely never be a bluffer. (I do wonder about some of the things Lessinger calls bluffs, though; raising with a fistful of outs does not strike me as a bluff.)

Now, don't get me wrong, It's a good book. If you take it as simply a compendium of bluffs rather than a how-to book, there are some great hands to revisit here. You probably thought "what the hell was he thinking?" when you watched some of these hands on television. You'll probably think the same thing reading about them. If you can use this as a how-to book, and master this style of play, it will put you in the stratosphere against good players. (Remember, though, David Sklansky's correct assertion in Tournament Poker for Advanced Players that loose-aggressive players will hamstring every bluff in your arsenal-- and the majority of the players you'll meet online and in your Tuesday night home game are likely to fall into that category.) You'll be in the Daniel Negreanu league. (Get the right Botox injections, and you may even make Phil Ivey level.)

Fun stuff one way or the other for poker enthusiasts. *** ½

Bluffing is a fundamental part of poker. Without it we would all be at the mercy of the cards. That being said, it is also one of the most misunderstood and misused plays in the game. Real poker is a lot different than what you see on tv. If you wonder why you get called when you move in with 2-6 when it worked on the WPT, this book is for you.

It goes through 49 different bluffs and tells you why they worked or why they didn't. It explains the things you need to look for when you make your move. It covers it all, your opponents style, chip stacks, positional bluffs (early and late position,) attacking weakness, and knowing when to abandon your bluff.

It really helped me take my game to a higher level. I would say it is a must read for anyone who considers their self a student of the game of poker.

I've read several other poker books but this one is different. While most other books are boring, this one is actually a lot of fun to read, and many of the situations he talks about are things you don't see in other places. I think anyone who likes poker and likes to bluff will definitely enjoy it.

Speaking of which, it is written by Matt Lessinger. As far as I know, Mike Caro only wrote the foreword, but it says "By Mike Caro" on Amazon, which confuses me a little. I presume that Matt wrote the rest of it, so Amazon might want to change the byline, or at least add Matt's name.

This is an excellent book, filling a strangely neglected gap in poker "how-to" literature. I particularly enjoyed the interview with Chris Moneymaker about "the bluff of the century," as I heard Sam Farha's side of the story for my book "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" (Chapter 25 "The Man Who Bluffed Himself"). Lessinger writes clearly and insightfully, and his analyses of sample bluffs are illuminating. I kept wondering, while reading the book, why no-one had written this before. Great stuff.

Mr. Gelling is right in one aspect of his review, which is that there is a bit of bluff mania going on. But that doesn't diminish the value of this book at all...instead, you simply rev back your bluffing motor to those exactly perfect spots and, concurrently, wait for others to make their amateur moves and then pick them off.

The other reviewers capture the value of mastering this skill --whether or not you will actually use it yourself-- and so i won't repeat their generally accurate comments. I'll just make three main points. One, as I mention above, this is first and foremost a well written book. It is smartly organized, internally consistent, and concise. It is not surprising that ML is also a columnist for Cardplayer.

Two, this is a detailed book. In taking you through a variety of lessons and hands, ML is careful to capture exact elements that make bluffs work or not work and usually avoids the ridiculous generalizations that are the bane of much of this genre. As an example, after Moneymaker discusses a hand from the 2004 WSOP (one in which he was the target of a bluff, not the actual bluffer), ML adds his own observations from the ESPN footage of the hand. To me, this is indicative of someone who not only knows this subject inside and out but is willing to go to extra lengths to make sure you do as well.

Three, this book is truly useful. It doesn't go overboard and suggest that you bluff all the time everytime. It doesn't suggest that bluffs can work all the time, either. A considerable amount of time is spent in discussing when bluffs don't work, why they don't work, and when to let them go...although it also doesn't suggest that just because you get caught in a bluff you should give up bluffing altogether. Instead, it puts some valuable tools in your hands and you, the player, get to decide when to use them.

I read reviews that this is mostly Omaha and stud bluffs. That the book would cost you money at the tables, that some people could never bluff, that making a move with a fistful of outs is not a bluff.

Well, most of the bluffs in the book does cover hold'em. The omaha and stud examples are there for a reason: they are used to demonstrate a universal idea that can be used in all forms of poker. The author carefully explains why a bluff might work and masterfully includes bluffs that fail to show you where you might go wrong. Someone saying that making a move with 5 outs is not a bluff is probably not a winning player. And finally, if someone elects to never bluff, they are missing an important part of the game. Remember this quote from Tom McEvoy, "Poker is a game of people played with cards, not a game of cards played with people." If you sit at the table for a session or play a long online MTT and hope to come out ahead because you won a card catching contest, you are giving your opponents a tremendous edge.

Matt Lessinger shows you some easy bluffs we all do and advances to the bluffs that require the situation to be just right, you have to have a good read on your opponent, etc. The end of the book highlights the greatest bluffs and includes interviews with those involved in the bluff. These were bluffs from the WSOP. There were a few examples of keen bluffs from the WSOP 2003 and 2004 final table. I have both of those on dvd and it is incredible to watch the final table after reading about how a specific bluff came together and why it was attempted.

This book started out slow and once it got into the really advanced bluffs, I never put the book down. It shows you that with practice, you can look for great bluff opportunities at the table. To become a really well-rounded player, you need to have a few bluffs up your sleeve. This book provides the information to get you started in that direction. I am not someone who naturally likes to bluff or thought I would ever be interested, but once I tested a few out, I definitely saw a change in my results. I'm sure as time goes on, I will be able to recognize proper times to attempt a bluff and add more of them into my game plan.

This book was really well written. There was a nice mix of successful and busted bluffs to teach you based on the successes and failures of others. Matt explains why a bluff was successful or failed, which is important to keep you from making mistakes with your money. He also covers some of the best bluffs in WSOP history. Here, we see that to truly become a world class level player, the bluff must be used. It is such a powerful weapon that to never bluff would be giving too much advantage to your opponent. You didn't really think the guys who won all these poker tournaments caught the best cards the entire time did you? Definitely a 5 star poker book. I would highly recommend it to other players looking to add to their game.

I've read pretty much every poker book out there, and there are alot now-a-days, but I have never enjoyed reading one as much, nor gotten as much usefull information. Many of the books out there today just parrot one another. We should all have a good idea about proper hand selection by now, and should all understand the basic concepts, but if you want to truly take your game to the nest level I would deifnitely recommend this book. In short this book is unique, helpful, and fun, a poker must read!!

First, I loved reading the reviews - and would love to play against Mr. Gelling... Bluffing is necessary in poker, regardless of the game or the format. Knowing what bluff has the opportunity for employment at any given time expands your ability to pick up some nice pots. When you bluff, will you win without challenge? Of course not... Lessinger provides some good insight here - including his estimate of success probability.

Bluffing is an aspect of the game which is necessary to learn, and fits in with other elements including hand reading, math, and stack management. No doubt there's a LOT of bluffing happening on the tables - especially online. Using the approaches in this book can help you identify (read) the bluffs a lot better, and be in a position to counter them - or know when to lay a hand down. And, fully reading your image at the table is crucial in being successful at that table for that session (unless it's a regular game).

Playing poker requires a multitude of skills. Bluffing is but one of them that may be more important in some situations, and some games. Some games require a very tight approach, whilst others become profitable with a good bit of bluffing. This book provides some additional tools you can add to enhance your ability - but please don't think this is a comprehensive coverage of playing poker - then it will cost you a lot of money.