Customer Reviews

Phil Hellmuth's Million Dollar Secrets to Bluffing & Tells

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

 

 

I was really disappointed with this DVD. If you are looking for play strategies, odds, tells, etc. -- you won't find it here. Phil talks more about himself (and in an almost arrogant manner) about his conquests...and how good he is...without offering any sound advice that has any substance. Just a few nuggets here and there...almost as if he is throwing us "underlings" a bone. Very disappointing. In my opinion, Howard Lederer's DVDs are far more intelligent than both of Phil's (Phil has another DVD on "million dollar play" -- that does not delier either an is worse that this one). Fortunately, I checked Phil's DVDs out at my local library instead of wasting (yes, I mean wasting) my money by purchasing them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Phil-basher -- he already has many of those...in fact I like one of his books...but, these videos are really disappointing..if not patronizing.

In inventory management they use the term FIFO which is First In First Out. In an attempt to be first to market with the huge poker explosion they rushed this DVD and now the Hellmuth DVD's are mostly getting slammed. This one is a little better than "Million Dollar Poker System". If you have seen the first one you will see they filmed this one at the same time; he is wearing the same shirt and makes references to things discussed in the first one. A point to consider: if you want to get a more accurate feel for how the public really feels about any product look at the sales rankings instead of the reviews good or bad. Any item that's sales ranks are around ten thousand or worse is being judged by the market(not positively). This is one of the "First Outs" among the flood of products being pushed on the public. If you have Netflix or some other rental outlet considering pre-viewing before buying. To Phil's credit there is some good stuff here but he overhypes and oversells leaving you mostly disappointed. If you are fairly new to poker you will definitely find some useful stuff here it is just not advanced or "Million Dollar" advice. Be honest with your assessment of your current level of knowledge; if you are new to intermediate and have not had any exposure to bluffing and tells material you will learn from this DVD.

Unlike Mike Caros' videos, this product merely has Phil Hellmuth speaking for less than an hour about tells and bluffs. There is really no reason for this to be a video; one could have gotten the same info from a 20-25 page book. There are absolutely no actual videos or pictures of players, only some Hellmuth stories. Most of the info is quite elementary. Honestly, I borrowed this from a library, but I would be amazed if anyone would actually pay for this trash, much less find it useful.

DON"T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS!

I have to agree with the harsher reviewers for Hellmuth's products. At least Lederer's DVD's attempt to SHOW the viewer some sample hands meant to demonstrate by example. By contrast this video shows Helmuth seated behind a stack of chips relaying anecdotes with little or no cohesion from which one could learn. For a genuine examination of poker tells and bluffs see Mike Caro's Book of Poker Tells.

Bluffing and Tells are a HUGE part of poker, and for many players, the part they need the most help with. Unlike some of the other DVDs I've seen on the subject this one is jam packed with useful tips and practical insights. Phil is obnoxious on TV, but in this he's really engaging and gives you the tools you'll need to become a better player. I've been using what I learned and I'm twice the player I was!!

If you want to bluff your way to the top, this DVD is for you! I got this DVD because I wanted to learn how to bluff when I played poker and also be able to "read" the other players at the table. I knew the basics of poker, when to fold, when to hold, etc. However I couldn't seem to get to the next level because I had a tough time knowing what my opponents had, and I always tried to bluff at the wrong times! Well, those days are long gone! Phil Hellmuth very simply explains some of the "secrets" to bluffing that can be easily used. He also shows you how to get a good "read" on the other players by letting you in on the "tells" that other players tend to do. No other DVD that I have seen gives you this much detailed, useful info on this aspect of poker... I highly recommend it!