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113 of 114 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly Good!, June 1, 2007
This review is from: The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition (Paperback)
I was suspicious of this book and wasn't sure it would include any new information that isn't in other poker books (Harrington or Sklansky and Malmuth). Many poker books rehash concepts (play tight early, more aggressive later). This book has several new concepts I haven't read before. For example, Howard Lederer talks about a hand versus Phil Ivey when Ivey raised. Howard raised all-in. Ivey folded. Lederer analyzes this nondescript hand and explains the concept of leverage. Andy Bloch in his preflop hands goes far beyond "play early tight, play quality hands" and gives a chart for the "Jam or Fold" game (small blind v. big blind). His chart, he believes, is superior to the Sklansky-Chubakov Jam of Fold ratings because in the S-C rankings the small blind turns up their hand. In Bloch's chart, the small blind does not (which is more realistic). Andy explains that the S-C underestimates hands such as 9-T s Jam value. Howard Lederer's chapter on Limit Holdem made me excited to play Limit holdem. He gives the reader a good limit system that the blinds can play out of position against a raiser. Chris Ferguson's chapter on postflop No Limit play is also valuable. Ferguson's chapter is like a minilesson with him. Other games besides Holdem are covered. Matusow in the 08 chapter explains why he raised with K-Q-J-6 facing heavy preflop action! The book is full of things like this. I was afraid that this book was an attempt to make a quick book on the poker boom with many authors writing a chapter for a quick paycheck and not taking responsibility for overall shoddy work. It isn't the case. You will find material here that you will not find elsewhere.
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Move Over Doyle Brunson, June 3, 2007
This review is from: The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition (Paperback)
This is destined to become one of the "must have" poker books. Brunson's Super System (I and II) covers the spectrum of poker as played in ring games at casinos. This volume is the counterpart for tournament play.
The title suggests a joined-at-the-hip connection with the web site. Nothing could be further from the truth - the primary connection I see is that the book covers the games played on the site, and the site covers the games played at casinos, the World Series of Poker, etc.
Michael Craig (author of "Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King", probably the best told tale ever of the biggest poker game ever) has done a masterful job of organizing the book. Though I did note a few small grammatical problems, none interfere with either the flow or the message.
Games discussed include: (1) No-Limit Hold'em (of course), (2) Limit Hold'em (similar name, different game), (3) Pot-Limit Hold'em (different strategy requirements), (4) Pot-Limit Omaha, (5) Omaha Eight-or-Better, (6) Seven-Card Stud, (7) Stud Eight-or-Better, and (8) razz. Long, long ago and far, far away I was a Draw Poker and Five-Card Stud player. Things I learned from those games make me a better Hold'em player, and if you'll learn a bit about other variations of poker you will find your game improves.
A story has been told about Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch in which Ferguson spotted Bloch setting in a restaurant. When Chris went over to Andy's table he saw that Andy was poring over a binder of computer-generated tables, the result of Bloch's extensive simulations of hand versus hand, hand versus table, etc. Ferguson had done precisely the same sort of computations prior to launching his highly successful career in tournament No-Limit Hold'em. The similarity of their style of play - and their success - stems from this mathematical analysis away from the table. In one fact and concept filled chapter of 57 pages Bloch presents a series of tables showing some of the results of his simulations. This chapter alone is worth far more than the price of the book.
Other notable chapters include:
- A chapter on Seven-Card Stud by noted Stud authority Keith Sexton.
- A cram session on Razz strategy by Huck Seed and Ted Forest.
- Chris Ferguson on Pot-Limit Omaha.
- Ironically, Mike Matusow on Omaha Eight-or-Better - a game in which bluffing is particularly difficult written by a master of bluffing at No-Limit Hold'em.
- Limit Hold'em by Howard Lederer.
- Rafe Furst and Andy Bloch on Pot-Limit Hold'em.
- Phil Gordon discusses Short Stack Play in No-Limit Hold'em.
- Gavin Smith shares some of his tricks for Big Stack Play at No-Limit Hold'em.
- And more.
This book does for tournament poker what Super System did for ring games. If you aspire to be good - really good - at tournament poker, you need to study this book.
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Poker advice, well packaged, June 4, 2007
This review is from: The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition (Paperback)
Imagine having several of the world's top poker players each send you a personal communication describing their secret inner thoughts and winning strategies for Texas Hold `Em and other popular tournament poker games?
That's exactly how the Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide (Tournament Edition) reads. The book, edited by Michael Craig, is a collection of priceless essays from final table regulars like Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer and even Mike "The Mouth" Matusow. It's a deep goldmine of information, including pre- and post-flop strategies, styles of play, and hard lessons learned from countless poker hands and years of experience.
More than half of the book's 400-plus pages are dedicated to No-Limit Hold `Em, the game with the annual weeklong championship offering a multimillion dollar purse televised on ESPN. The rest of the text provides strategy essays on other games, including Limit Hold `Em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud and even Razz.
The essays get into specifics, such as how to play big and small stacks, and to play certain hands in early and late positions. Everyone will learn something to improve his or her game from this book. The only soft spot in the text was the minimal use of statistical tables, but those can be easily found on-line in more detail.
Overall, Craig has put together a real winning hand with the Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide and players shouldn't hesitate to go all-in and get a copy.
Armchair Interviews says: This book deals you a hand of good advice
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