Customer Reviews

Final Table Poker with Phil Gordon

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The first DVD by Expert Insight shows exactly how effective the concept of "getting inside the mind of an expert" can be. I have watched a number (10+) poker DVDs and think that this one is, by far, the best. Phil is a gifted teacher. The video is incredibly informative and enjoyable. The production quality is extremly high. What else can I say? Buy it...

This is a teaching DVD as opposed to a live action one; a contrived simulation of a final table in which Gordon addresses viewers as he plays. The exercise certainly helps one understand how to play at the final table of a No Limit Hold `Em tournament. Of course, it expounds on a good deal more than that. Phil goes through many of the poker rules and concepts here which are also found in his Little Green Book, but the video does a fine job illustrating his points independently. He doesn't show you the hole cards of the other players which is helpful because it forces viewers to think along with him, and go through the decision making of a professional.

Overall, this DVD is sound and you'll certainly get more out of it than what's in a random WPT video. Some of the lessons like, "don't play dominated hands," are well-developed. It's a good teaching tool and it's always nice to see Chris Ferguson on television in any capacity-even if he's essentially acting. The Butch, "internet punk," character is overdone but amusing. The only annoying thing here are the commercial breaks for Full Tilt Poker. Personally, I think it's dirty pool to subject us to those after we paid in advance for a product; although, I admit the one with Howard Lederer was witty.

I read a lot of poker books and watch every major poker video or DVD that comes on to the market. Final Table Poker is far and away the most informative and the most entertaining. To hear Phil Gordon's thoughts as the game is really being played is an extremely effective device that really clarifies and drives home important concepts about betting, position, putting players on hands, and much more.

Poker is a game of decisions. To be able to hear an expert player reason out all of his decisions at the final table of a big tournament is nothing short of the stone cold nuts.

This is no boring instructional video. This is a very entertaining way to make your game better. In fact, if you're one of the people I play poker with regularly, I hope you DON'T buy this DVD.

This DVD has taken my tournament skills to the next level. Phil continues to provide easy-to-understand explainations of poker concepts. Not too much math (I hate math) but, enough to be successful at the table.
I has 2 viewing modes, one for beginner and one for advanced. Also comes with a starting hand guide and an Odds & Outs Chart.
I think it's a must have for any poker player.

This DVD has really good info for both beginers and intermdiates. It actually has two sound tracks for beginer and advanced. I actually watch it before I play in my local poker league just to get my mind prepared for battle. It came with some great pull-out charts that you can use while you play too.
I actually picked mine up at the website: www.expertinsight.com
for the same price. Well worth it.
I picked up Phil's new book, Phil Gordon's Little Green Book, here on amazon. Great book for no-limit.

Compared to Harrington's 3 volume opus there is little to learn from Phil Gordon's discussion of final table strategy. The concepts of chip stack size, starting hands in short table play, and heads up play are only given perfunctory analysis.

Alan Safani

For those who hate to read, this is a very good DVD to watch. I learned about calculating pot odds from this dvd and have used it in every tournament since. I found listening to his reasons for doing what he did interesting and educational. Highly recommend this dvd.