Customer Reviews

How To Play Winning Poker

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

 

 

The Book took on too many games to provide any kind of useful information on how to play. It should be used more as an introduction to the various rules of the different styles of poker. Touched only briefly on the issues of starting hands and calling bets in each of the different games.

In all seriousness Avery Cardoza couldn't have spent more then 5 hours putting this book together in it's entirety. The chief ill of this book is that it takes on too broad of a scope in covering the major forms of poker (Hold'Em, Seven card Stud, Lowball, Draw, etc) but then serves further insult by providing only a cursory explaination of rules for these poker variations with no inclusion of specific play strategy for each of them. The other information (winning strategy, money management, etc.) is completely generic and skimpy in weight. Do yourself a favour and fold this weak hand before the flop.

As you can tell from the other reviews, if you are an intermediate or advanced player, you will probably want to skip this one. If, however, you are jumping on to the band wagon or otherwise new to poker it is an excellent introduction.

Cardoza introduces you to the history of the game (not essential, but mildly interesting) as well as the basic rules. He then takes you through Draw, 7 Card Stud, Hold 'Em and Omaha. He does a good job of introducing you to some of the differences between a casino and a home game. This can help the novice player feel a bit more comfortable when sitting down at a table. Then, he goes on to the 15 Winning Concepts of Poker as well as an introduction to bluffing and discusses money managment.

His analysis of Draw and 7 Card Stud are very good. He skimps a bit on Hold 'Em and Omaha. His rather abbreviated discussion of these two popular forms is why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.

If you follow the advice in the book, you will become a bit of an A-B-C player (a tight player who plays the same hands the same ways), but you can expand as you get more comfortable.

Avery Cardoza writes another winner. Not only is he a succesful gambler himself, I have used the techniques listed in this book to win real money! It explains the basics of poker, and gives you the rules for some of the most popular games. With this, it gives you several strategies, money management techniques, and advice on what to do against what kind of player. This was a very usefull book, a must-have for any beginning poker player.

I picked up this book at a used bookstore on a whim and was completely disappointed. There were one or two interesting pieces of information, but for the most part the book was repetitive and uninformative. I agree that this book is only useful as a rulebook and extremely basic strategy. You could get that same information from a general card game anthology, like hoyles or scarnes if you wanted to. Or, if you are really interested in learning how to win at poker there are a variety of other, more detailed books available.

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, "How To Play Winning Poker" continues to establish itself as an invaluable instructional guide to successfully playing poker whether it's a kitchen table game or a world class tournament. This newest and thoroughly `user friendly' edition includes No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Pot Limit Hold'em, and the diverse aspects of tournament play. Players seeking to enhanced and refine their poker skills will be instructed in winning strategies for the main home and casino poker games that also include 7-Card Stud, Draw Poker, Omaha Cash Games; and playing poker online. Features include twenty-one of poker's essential winning concepts, fifteen critically important bluffing strategies in poker, advice on reading opponents, how to calculate and use `pot odds', the importance of player position, professional money management. There's even a poker glossary. If you only have time to read one `how to' book on playing poker for fun and profit, then you would be well advised to make it Avery Cardoza's "How To Play Winning Poker".