Real Poker II: The Play of Hands [Paperback]

Roy Cooke (Author), John Bond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2005

Roy Cooke has been beating the hell out of poker games since 1972. His Card Player Magazine column is poker’s longest continuously running commentary. He was a pioneer in the Internet Poker Industry. His rule book has become an industry standard. He is a champion for player’s rights, fighting harder than anyone for more protection against cheats, especially online. Real Poker II contains all his Play of Hand columns from 1992-1999, and is widely considered an essential on any poker player’s bookshelf.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ROY COOKE started playing poker against professional competition at the age of 15, sneaking into cardrooms in the Seattle area. Since then, he has played over 60,000 hours of poker all over the world, but mostly in the casinos of Las Vegas. He is generally recognized as one of the best middle-limit Texas hold ’em players in the world, and certainly the most consistent. He has been a featured columnist for Card Player Magazine for nearly fifteen years. His first book, Real Poker: The Cooke Collection, a collection of his columns, completely sold out. He was a pioneer in the Internet poker industry as the Cardroom Manager of the first Internet poker room. In that role, he defined the standards for anti-collusion efforts around the world. His most recent book, Cooke’s Rules of Real Poker, is the only definitive collection of rules of poker in the modern era of the game. He belongs to a number of community groups, including Toastmasters. Roy lives in Las Vegas where he and his wife Misty own a successful real estate brokerage. They live on a golf course with their daughter, Krystle, and three dogs. JOHN BOND is a retired attorney and recreational poker player. A former newspaper editor, he has taught writing at a variety of institutions, including Nova Southeastern University and Florida International University, Trinity College Dublin, the University of British Columbia, and University College London. He’s a former Miami Herald columnist, is regularly featured in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and has a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Among various other accomplishments he is a PADI Course Director (Instructor of SCUBA Instructors), USCG licensed commercial boat captain, licensed pilot, and Realtor. He lives by the ocean in Dania Beach, Florida, with his wife, Jeannie Deininger, and their two shih tzus.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: ConJelCo LLC; 2nd edition (December 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886070245
• ISBN-13: 978-1886070240
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Play of the Hands will improve your game, March 22, 2005

By 

Card Player "Never Bluffs" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Poker II: The Play of the Hands (Paperback)

In each chapter, Cooke focuses on one hand. He lays out the scene, how the hand played out, and what his thought process was on each hand.
His goal is to make as much money as possible on his winners, and to lose as little as possible on his losers (a good goal).
While sometimes he may come across as a bit of a know-it-all, this is an invaluable book that addresses many of the issues poker players face at the felt, including Pot Odds, Implied Odds, how to play in loose games v. tight games, short-handed v. full games, and more.
Each chapter is about 3 pages, making this an ideal book for those who don't often have large chunks of time to devote to reading.
If you play Limit Hold 'Em and want to make more money, buy this book, put it in your bathroom, and read one chapter a day. Your game will be better for it.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For limit holdem players, not for No Limit holdem players, May 21, 2007

By 

R. DEBEST - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Poker II: The Play of Hands (Paperback)

the book is the reprint of a number of articles published by the author over time. It is well written, and the information is definitely of high calibre. It is however best used by limit holdem players; as no limit holdem strategy differs widely from limit strategy.
With that proviso in mind, i think those interested will find their dollars recieve fair value from the author.

9 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of WInning Play of Hand columns in poker, April 26, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Poker II: The Play of Hands (Paperback)

REAL POKER II: THE PLAY OF HANDS offers up a winning set of his Play of Hand columns from 1992-99. From right and wrong plays and misreading to deciding when to call, REAL POKER II: THE PLAY OF HANDS is for avid players who would be better.