Customer Reviews

Poker: One Hundred and One Ways to Win

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a serious poker player. I travel around the country playing in different poker rooms. I have read just about every book written on the subject of poker. Most of these books are okay, some are very informative. 101 Ways to Win is one of the very best. In fact I call it the Rosetta Stone of poker books. If you remember, the Rosetta Stone was discovered by French scientists in Eygpt in the late 17 hundreds. The inscriptions on the stone allowed researchers to finally translate the Eygptian hieroglyphics. These hieroglyphics had been unreadable up until then. This is what this book, 101 Ways to Win, does for the average poker player! It translates many of the finer points of the game unto understandable language. Mr. Nelson, the author, details so many new concepts that the reader can take directly to the table to help him win more. I especially liked the chapters, "Be As Good As You Think You Are" and "Coping With A Check Raise." Thanks, Mr. Andy Nelson, for writing this book. I shall be purchasing all of your other books.

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I really don't know whether to love this book or hate it.

As a 51-year-old novice player losing regularly, I decided it was time to buy a book or two on how to play poker. On Amazon.com there must be 100 or more such books so I began perusing the Reader Reviews of all of them. Two books floated to the top and I ordered both. I should point out that I put great faith in Reader Reviews because they are, generally, honest about content. I read Andy's book "Poker: 101 Ways to Win" and began to realize that the book should have been called 67 Ways to Win (or maybe 43 Ways to Win) because the writer's goal of 101 ways to win (apparently, so as to have a catchy title) forced me to slog through page after page of tripe masquerading as worthwhile content.

His sophomoric analogies drip with clichéd syntax and uninspired thought. Let me give you an example from the chapter on Trapping, (which he never did explain): "Visualize how a big cat stalks its prey. He chooses his victim and watches. Without movement or sound, he sets the perfect way to bring it down. The cat is sneaky, silent, serene and has the heart of a killer. He doesn?t move a muscle until the precise moment and with the ferocity of a tornado, he takes down the prey. With awesome quickness, with improbable power..."? Need I go on? This is a book about poker, right?

The trouble is, when he does deliver something good, it really is good. I was able to see the mistakes I'd been making and how to avoid them. Basically, I learned how to be a better player. And that's where this book shines. It's a great book for the once-a-month poker player because it will elevate your game to a higher level than that of most opponents. It's plainly obvious that Andy's won a lot of money playing poker and his somewhat unscientific approach to explaining the game is easy to absorb. I've also reviewed David Sklansky's "The Theory of Poker," a book I strongly recommend.

This book is another must have for the serious poker player. It is filled with short, easy to read essays on a multitude of important poker topics. Need a quick refresher on emotional control, patience, strategy or proper attitude? This book has it.

I bought this book mostly on the recommendations of the other readers here. But I have been disappointed with this book. I was hoping for more strategies and methods of winning poker. I understand this is a complex game and Andy Nelson does provide some good insights. But as a beginner, I needed a more basic book with techniques I could use. Also, this book uses some jargon that only more experienced players will understand. Maybe after I master more of the game, I'll reread this book and see if it offers more help.

I am a life long poker player having started in high school. Now I teach in a Big Ten school and have made a nice part time income from poker, lately from Texas Hold 'Em. I have purchased and read every book on poker that is in print. There are several good books on statistics and philosophy. I have found that 101 Ways to Win provides some unique and special insights not covered by other books.
There is the routine stuff like patience, position, starting hands, etc. The parts I like are the sophisticated stuff. Chapters such as: BE AS GOOD AS YOU THINK YOU ARE, DO YOU PLAY OR PLAY TO WIN?, TROUB LE HANDS SPELL T-R-O-U-B-L-E, READING OPPONENTS. These and other chapters I found incredibly useful.
I fully recommend this book to inprove your game!
I am now reading the rest of Mr. Nelson's books because I like the way he expresses himself.

I am a serious poker player. I travel around the country playing in different poker rooms. I have read just about every book written on the subject of poker. Most of these books are okay, some are very informative. 101 Ways to Win is one of the very best. In fact I call it the Rosetta Stone of poker books. If you remember, the Rosetta Stone was discovered by French scientists in Eygpt in the late 17 hundreds. The inscriptions on the stone allowed researchers to finally translate the Eygptian hieroglyphics. These hieroglyphics had been unreadable up until then. This is what this book, 101 Ways to Win, does for the average poker player! It translates many of the finer points of the game unto understandable language. Mr. Nelson, the author, details so many new concepts that the reader can take directly to the table to help him win more. I especially liked the chapters, "Be As Good As You Think You Are" and "Coping With A Check Raise." Thanks, Mr. Andy Nelson, for writing this book. I shall be purchasing all of your other books.

This is my fourth Andy Nelson book, and by far this is his best work. Most comprehensive on all sorts of situations. The section on the tournaments is outstanding, too. Won my first tournament within two weeks of reading this book. Strategies can be applied to any poker game ... from casino to kitchen table!

This was my first poker book. I had Just started to play in a casino. but knew i was missing something. This book enlightened me as to what to look for, It was a good book for me to start with Not overly technical and Pretty easy to read. gave me the basics

I sure wish I had this book available when I started Playing poker. It would have saved me a LOT of money while I learned the game.
Many books deal with statistics and starting hands. This book deals with strategies and emotional factors. Like facing up to ourselves as our own worst enemy. And what to do when another player puts us on tilt with a check raise. And why other players do such crazy things. Learning how to cope with life at the table is what this book is about and Mr. Nelson has done a fabulous job of helping us develop winning skills.

If you have read some books on poker, have you EVER read anything about coping with a check raise? What do you do when you place a bet and someone who has already checked puts in a raise? COPING WITH A CHECK RAISE is but one valuable chapter in this fabulous book on practical poker. There are 101 chapters that are useful for the novice and the professional player. Another chapter title is WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE AN EARLY LOSS. Another is THE IMPORTANCE OF MARGINAL HANDS. As you can tell, this book is worth hundreds of times its purchase price. It has helped me move from the recreational poker player level to the semi-pro level. The highly recommend this book.