Customer Reviews

Killer Poker: Strategy and Tactics for Winning Poker Play

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Vorhaus is probably the most talented writer in the poker genre, which makes him, and particularly this book, very fun to read. More importantly, however, he covers the subjects most knowledgeable, but struggling players need to learn. By "knowledgeable", I mean we have read a few books, played a few years or more, and know a few tricks of the trade. If you have played very little poker and/or are still new to the game, then go ahead and read the basic strategy books and learn starting hand requirements, odds, how to play a drawing hand, etc. (there are about 14 million of them now to choose from)...but after you play awhile and feel you have hit the glass ceiling in your results, or maybe even getting worse, then read this book. Anybody who can read can learn the basics of poker, but what distinguishes big and consistent winners from the pack goes much deeper than what you can learn in a few pages of the typical poker book.

I am futures trader and this book reminds me of a book called "Trading in the Zone" by Mark Douglas. The premise of "Zone" was that more and better market analysis was NOT the key to more profitable trading, but the key was within you, your thinking. This may seem like the standard "positive mental attitude" baloney, which I despise, but it is not. It is a MINDSET. You'll have to read that book if you want the details, but the ideas in that book directly apply to poker (See also Way of the Warrior Trader by Richard McCall).

Vorhaus, without saying it in these terms, points out that to succeed beyond where standard and predictable poker strategy can take you, you need to develop a new mindset. He DOES NOT say you should start playing looser and wilder and with trash hands.....don't misinterpret my previous statement. The most successful poker players play with the same 52 cards we play with, get dealt the same good and bad hands we get dealt, and suffer the same bad beats we suffer (or worse), and yet they are consistently more successful than the rest of us. Why?......they have a different mindset. Vorhaus calls this "Killer Poker". Notwithstanding the undeniable reality, and often the disproportionate amount, of bad beats in poker, often at the hands of reckless idiots, particularly in hold'em, consistent success will come from a mindset that is different from, and superior than, that of the average player. Any amateur can catch a straight flush and bust a top player on occasion, but day-in and day-out, the consistent winner will be the player that thinks differently than the masses, and accepts and embraces the realities and risks of gambling in general, and poker specifically. The mental aspect of poker (or futures trading, investing, or risk-taking in general) is what separates winners and losers. How do you handle that bad beat? How do you handle winning a few big pots in a row? How do you control your emotions? How do you handle your mistakes? How do respond to a table bully? How do you evaluate your competitors? What is your edge? How do you take control of a table? How do you respond to cold cards? etc. These are the kinds of questions and issues (and many more) that top players are thinking about. You can rest assured that top players are not going to allow something as random and unpredictable as the cards they are dealt to determine whether or not they are successful in the long run. Since we all play with the same cards, have equal intelligence, why do they consistently outperform us? What is their edge? It is their mindset! They know the weaknesses and thought processes of the average player, and exploit them.

As the name would imply, Vorhaus advocates an aggressive style of play, but not a wild and uncontrolled dash to destruction, rather a purposed and targeted aggression with an end result in mind. Yes, for you poker students, a tight/aggressive approach as we were all taught, but he goes deeper and explains what this really means and how to apply it to your game.

Vorhaus also covers what EVERY poker player should do on a continual basis......seek and destroy your leaks. Over the long run, that occasional loose call costs you much more than you think. But Vorhaus, with logic that is remarkably similar to that in "Trading in the Zone", points out that leaks, or weaknesses, are not just innocent little errors, rather, they are the offspring of a much bigger and much more serious problem, a flawed mindset! A flawed mindset which is probably the source of numerous other "leaks" and mistakes that you are probably not even aware of. He teaches that a brutal self-examination is the only way to locate the source of these problems, which is where your efforts must be focused if you expect to correct these problems. SECRET: Just because you know of a specific fault in your game does NOT mean you know why you do it NOR does it mean you can correct it---no more than an alcoholic who knows he has a problem can just quit drinking. You have to fix the problem at the source.

Vorhaus, in connection with the tough self-evaluative approach he teaches, emphasizes the usefulness of keeping a journal of your play, among other things. Don't underestimate the importance of this. Keeping the right records can be VERY revealing.

Just as "Trading in the Zone" taught that more and better market analysis was NOT the key to success in trading and that real success came from the proper mindset; once you have learned the basics of poker, reading more and more poker books that say 95% of the same thing, will get you nowhere. It will be a WASTE.....OF.....TIME!! Spend that time studying your game and yourself. Find a few good books that teach you the basics and whatever advanced techniques you desire, and read them over and over and over. But along with that, to really succeed, you must improve your mindset. Killer Poker will help you do both, and much more.

As I said, there are countless books that cover the basics, and every poker player across the country in poker rooms or online has read many of them (I would highly recommend Winning Low-Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones for those new to hold'em and/or lacking in fundamentals), but Killer Poker is truly unique in that it covers the single most important aspect of your game.....you. Yes, I know that sounds cliché, but those "countless books" can TEACH you (the basics), but beyond a certain point, they can't really HELP you (take you to the next level), Killer Poker can, and along the way you will enjoy an interesting and entertaining writer. Killer Poker and "Improve Your Poker" by Bob Ciaffone are the 2 books that have truly helped me the most. Since you are my competition, feel free to NOT read either one of them.

I've read 5 or 6 poker books. They all deal with details of starting hands and how to play and so on. The problem is not so much that we don't know how to play well, it's that we don't do what we know we're supposed to do. We are victims of our own emotions and bad habits.

John Vorhaus has an easy humorous syle that shows us thru examples and excercises how to get better control of the beast within us that encourages us to play badly.

This is not to say that there is no playing strategy. Luckily,
by simplifying starting hand selection with his "absolut" and "small card poison" ideas, my own play online has improved very noticeably. He has also simplified understanding of the odds so that you can use your mind for playing instead of computing.

He provides many excercises that you can use no matter what methods you currently follow that WILL improve your game. This of course pertains to players that may need to improve their game.
If I were only going to read one poker book before playing this would be it.

Books that concentrate too heavily on strategy treat poker as if it were a strictly mathematical excercise. Poker isn't blackjack. With poker it's decisions within decisions within decisions. Mental discipline doesn't come easy, we need to work at it. For me this is the BEST poker guide to that end.

This is the worst book I have ever read about poker,and I have more than 20.This is not a book for serious poker player at all,it may teach some compulsive gamblers how to reduce their losses but nothing more.I paid $4 for it and I regret for buying it,don't waste your money.(I am not surprised that used copy of it goes for $1+shipping)

This book is worthless. Full of rediculous advice that will get you "killed" at the poker table. I tried some of these techniques and it ruined my game. If you need to get a book, get one from an actual poker player. This guy is simply a writer trying to sell some books. For those of you who said this book was great and improved your game... I have some land to sell you!

I finished this book in a couple of days and when I first picked it up i couldn't put it down. If you are looking for a book which charts, pictures of hands and how they play out, then this book isn't for you. If you are looking to better your game and understand the moves you do and why sometimes they don't work. Then buy this book. Most of us know that TIGHT AGGRESSIVE is the type of player we want to be to win at Poker, and this books makes you see yourself from other players point of view. This book also gives you drills to do in your next playing session and for you to focus on that and that only not winning. The result will amaze you. I did two drills during online poker. One Tourney I won and the other I took third. The Ghosting and the Poison drill are the ones I did and they helped. I'm now reading the Killer Poker Texas Hold'em workbook soon to follow Killer Poker By the Numbers.

This book is one of the best poker books I have read. The info in it is not basic and is definitely not for beginners. This book is about strategy if your looking for a book to tell you what to do in every situation, a) you won't find it and b) if you did I'd tell you to burn it. Poker is a game of situations that require skilled analysis of the situation and your opponent. The strategies in this book help you to do both of those things and make it harder for your opponents to do so. Killer Poker is about a mindset, if you embrace the mindset this system will help elevate your game to a much higher level.

To let you know after reading this book I won my college's no-limit tournament with over 500 other players and went to AC and won over $400 in 6 hours at a $1/$2 table.

This review is of the book titled 'Killer Poker: Strategy and Tactics for Winning Poker Play' with an ISBN of 0-8184-0630-5.

The book is obviously nothing more than a journal kept by the author, John Vorhaus, to encourage himself and improve his own play. His suggestions about how to play--or how not to play--are occasionally vague, and often contradictory. He repeatedly recommends to the reader to write down their own reactions, to keep their own "poker journal." Aside from the book having been edited for publication (to no doubt remove much repetition and improve the overall structure), the actual content of the book reads like what it is: a dull, solipsistic diary of no value to anyone but the author. It is not about poker, it is about John Vorhaus talking to himself in an effort to stop playing badly and to instead play "Killer Poker," whatever that is.

There are several other books in the Killer Poker series, which seem to roll off the publisher's printing presses as if trees have no value. The only one I *can* recommend is 'Killer Poker By the Numbers,' written instead by Tony Guerrera.

The advice in Killer Poker is relevant to every person who thinks he already is a top-notch player. It can plug a leak you weren't aware of if you are willing (or capable) of brutal self-examination. I don't recommend this book for fundamentals. Or for those who think compassion is a part of poker. The writing style is a cut above other writers in the genre. I would have given it five stars if it came with a Ben Franklin bookmark.

It's no wonder some of you poker bandwagon jumpers hated this book. It's much too advanced for you. This isn't one of those cookie-cutter books that every por is writing right now to make a few bucks. This is a serious look at the philosophy of poker, written by a self-proclaimed amatuer. The best piece of advice in this book regards becoming a poker professional. "When should I turn pro?" someone asks. John answers "Probably never." It's wisdom like that which makes this book so valuable.

John gives out his email address in the version I read and I decided to write him with a question. He answered me, and gave me some good advice. What a stud. This is the best poker book I've ever read, and I've read about 40 of them. Trust me.

This book is not for those who are looking for a How-To basics of poker type of book. Rather, this book is for those who have the basics down to a T but wish to develop their strategic thought and techniques.