23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
lets get ready to...grumble, November 26, 2005
Mostly, I liked it. It is above average in both content and production quality. It is geared toward the intermediate
player with some tips for the advanced player, and the best short-cut on figuring pot odds I have seen.
Note- it is not a real tournament- but as far as an instructional video I'm okay with that but you should be aware of that before you buy it. It is a scripted final table with six players-three actors, boxing announcer Michael Buffer's brother Bruce Buffer, Chris Ferguson and Phil Gordon. They used inexpensive generic quality non denominated chips which sound cheap every time they are thrown into the pots. It's a little bit "Hollywood"( I knew exactly when the "young gun" was going to be eliminated on the flop of the hand he went broke on) but again it's an instructional video.
What irritated me: the "young gun" player is wearing a hat with the logo "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" (the catch phrase made famous by Michael Buffer in championship boxing), the background is literally inundated with "Expert Insight" posters and large screen monitors with that logo( the company that produced the DVD), and they insert the "Full Tilt" television commercials into the tournament broadcast four times. So essentially it is a commercial for Expert Insight and Full Tilt Poker disguised as a poker tournament video. I still gave it four stars because the tutorial value for beginner to intermediate players is above average. I personally buy and watch DVD's so I won't have to watch commercials but that is really just a personal issue. Overall good quality.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good poker DVD, October 13, 2005
This is a great DVD for beginners and intermediate players. This will help you tighten up your tournament and final table strategy. It also gives reminds you of all the things that you have to be thinking about when playing in a tournament.
For advanced or expert players, there are a few things in here that might help you improve your game. I like Gordon's advise on how to "attempt" to keep yourself from going on tilt after taking a bad beat. We've all been there before, it's nice to know a pros strategy.
But for the most part, the strategies laid out, advanced and above players already know, i.e short stack strategy, odds, pot odds, implied odds, dominated hands, etc. That being said there are some tidbits that might help you fine tune your tournament game and help you improve.
If you like playing loose and always pushing the action, this DVD might help you realize the benefits of reeling your game in a little. But if loose is your style then this DVD is not for you, it preaches playing tight and being selective aggressive. This style just doesn't work for some people.
The other thing that this does is it really helps you see how the pros (Phil Gordon anyway) see and think about the game. Seeing this can really help you rethink your strategy and help you place higher in a tournament.
Also, the on screen hand graphics are the same as you see on TV with the big exception being you only see Gordon's hand. This is a great way to simulate the thought processes of analyzing hands and trying to figure out what an opponent has. Good forethought on this!
The entertainment value is good and the lessons it teaches doesn't come across as blah blah blah. Gordon keeps you interested, with his humor and his tone. His experience as host of Celebrity Poker shows through as he hosts this DVD.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that this is not a live tournament. I know it's supposed to a tutorial DVD and it is no doubt the best one out there, but it would have been nice to hear Gordon's comments and insight on live hands and see how he reacts on the fly. While the ending surprised me, the way some of the hands played out was too scripted. I wish everytime I was short stacked at a tournament I got the run of cards Gordon got on the DVD.
That being said, they did simulate the times where your strategy on a hand changes from action to action, and it was refreshing to see Gordons reactions. Still, I really wish at least some of the hands weren't scripted.
But make no mistake about it, this is a great great learning tool for poker players. For beginners and intermediate players, let me just say I wish this product was available to me when I first started. For advanced players, this might help you tighten some small weaknesses and get you finishing higher up in the money.
If Super System is the bible of poker books, then this DVD is the bible of instuctional poker videos.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Instruction DVD Ever, October 4, 2005
I bought this DVD from the Expert Insight website a few weeks ago, and I was blown away. It looks and feels like a WPT event (better actually). I just bought Phil's new book (Little Green Book) and it echoes the same principles, but in much more detail and also it has stuff that the DVD doesn't. However the DVD seems to have all of the really important concepts and it explains them perfectly. Plus, it's fun and entertaining. Chris "Jesus" Ferguson is in it, and if you are a fan of the old WSOP coverage, Matt Savage is the tournament director. I like how they didn't go for the sappy Hollywood ending either, but that's all I'll say, don't want to spoil it.
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