Customer Reviews

Secrets the Pros Won't Tell You About Winning Hold'em Poker: About Winning Hold'em Poker

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Have you seen all of the poker books at any large bookstore? Five years ago there were three. Now there are nearly 80. Can any new book really add anything to the voluminous poker literature that fills the shelves?

The answer is an enthusiastic YES!

Secrets The Pros Won't Tell You About Winning Holdem Poker is a welcome addition to the short list of truly excellent poker books available. Novices, intermediate, and advanced players will surely profit from the many nuggets of insight presented by Krieger and Bykofsky.

The authors presume a basic knowledge of the game of Texas Holdem.

It is not a telling of poker stories, as so many books are these days. This is no glamorous look at the rich and famous of the poker world. Thank goodness for that.

But Krieger and Bykofsky provide us with dozens of nuggets of useful and profound insights. The best part of the book is the beginning and longest chapter entitled "Basic Concepts and Play." In it the authors present and explore dozens of ideas such as: what makes a good poker game (for the player), how to get a read on your opponent's hand, where to sit to increase your profit, how to play against maniacs, weak players, or good players; how to use your image to your advantage, why and when you should bet on the River, how to read opponents' betting patterns, and the difference between value betting and bluffing.

Each of these concepts alone is worthy of an entire book. They are presented clearly and concisely -- sufficient for the typical reader to grasp their importance, understand them, and then apply them to his game. In that sense the presentation is masterful and efficient -- so much power in so little space.

Chapter Five, entitled "Money," addresses commonly asked questions about bankroll requirements, money management, and simple ways to minimize your losses while maximizing your wins. Chapter Seven is an excellent, if brief, exploration of winning tactics for online play. Especially useful was an explanation of how to best use the notetaking features available only to online players. There is a rather lengthy chapter on the minimal math of poker and a few brief ending chapters on tournament play.

The book is not without its flaws. Most significantly, the reader needs to be aware that although the book is presented as if it were covering both limit and no limit holdem, it chiefly addresses limit strategy. No limit and pot limit strategy are very different from limit. The authors clearly recognize this and point it out from time to time. But when there is no mention of the game being no limit, it's important that the reader -- especially the young or new-to-poker reader who has only played no limit -- recognize that Krieger and Bykofsky are talking about limit holdem strategy.

This is especially important in the sections that talk about bluffing, betting on the river, and raising. Although they are spot on when talking about how to play limit holdem, viewed through the lens of no limit poker, these sections would be inadequate for failing to address the different strategy that results when considering both the size of a bet and relative stack sizes. For example, the authors' excellent advice of generally calling on the River in a limit holdem game (because of the excellent pot odds that are generally being offered by the time of the final betting round) is definitely unsound advice if the game is no limit and your opponent makes a pot-sized bet at the end.

There are other small errors that do not detract from the fundamental soundness of the book. There is some redundancy between the chapters (implied odds are explained well in one section and not-so-well elsewhere). And although the two math tables are generally very helpful and clear, I did not understand the statement at the bottom of one table: "Two unmatched cards will make a split pair 2.2 percent of the time."

These small detractions not withstanding, the book is a powerful tool for any player looking to learn the basic concepts for winning play and for every player who wants an edge over his opponent.

The true test of the usefulness of a poker book is how it will add to the reader's bottom line. There's no question but that Secrets will help the beginning, intermediate, and advanced player make more money (and for the most careful reader, much more money) at the poker table.

I have to agree with one of the previous reviews. This book has the most misleading title I have ever seen. There is not one "secret" or subject on poker in the whole book which is not already in any of the other well known poker books.

Somebody must have thought about how to squeeze some bucks out of the poker community and came up with a fantastic idea:
Develop a promising title for a book, put in some standard poker knowledge and then ask some buddies to write positive reviews on Amazon.

Their plan worked. They got my money and that of several others.

This book's title has to be the most misleading book title I have ever encountered. "Secrets the pros won't tell you about winning hold'em poker" doesn't contain any insights that are not contained in dozens of other poker books. It is not a bad book, it just doesn't add much to the world of poker literature.

If you want to read an authorative book about poker try Doyle Brunson's Super Sytem for some really detailed advice. Super System has the advantage of being written and endorsed by someone who is clearly one of the best players in the world... which can't be said for either of the authors of this very average book. (Also try Barry Greenstein's Ace on the River, another very interesting book by written by someone who has actually achieved great success as a player)

I actually would give it a two and a half rather than a three but that option was not available. It is not a terrible book; it is just somewhat boring to read, very repetitive and not very original. If you have the time and the patience to read this book through a couple of times there is actually some very good information in here. The problem is mostly in the editing; I really struggled to finish it. Many ideas are re-presented through the course of the book which made me think they didn't care if I read it or not they were just happy to make a sale. Poor editing from people who have written many books between them is close to unforgivable.

Also I felt they were very concerned over page count and consequently "filled" many pages with ramblings and beginner poker tips; certainly not "pro secrets". If it had been more tightly edited to reflect the title's promise-condensed by about forty or fifty pages of the novice level fluff-I might have given it a four to four and a half. Which is why I settled on my three rating. I would recommend a rereading of "Theory of Poker" by Sklansky if you want "pro" level material.

If knowing the correct starting hands to play was all it took to play winning poker, we would all be winning players. This book goes into detail on playing your opponents, in spite of and because of the two cards in your starting hand.

The best chapter, in my opinion, is the one titled Minimal Math. It was also the hardest. I had to read it several time. However, at the conclusion I had a good understanding of how the math works, and how I could apply it to each hand I play; in effect, having the mechanics to play high percentage poker.

A lot of the points in the book were not secrets. They had been mentioned in other poker books I have read. What made this book good study material is that the authors did not merely "mention" playing tips; they gave clear explanations as to why the pros play the way they do.

For me, the book is well worth the time involved in reading it. It is not light reading. It is a text book for serious poker study.

"Secrets the Pros Won't Tell You" is a first-rate insider's guide to all the essential components of winning poker play. Comprehensive and easy to understand, this book is loaded with smart advice that can make a major difference in your game. Everything you need to gain a solid understanding of poker is here --- from strategic basics, to more advanced tactics, table image, money management, tournament play, calculating odds, and more. For anyone who wants to start winning money at poker, or simply win more, this book is a great place to begin.

Poker is easy to learn, hard to play - and impossible to master. Why? Because you will never figure out how everyone else in the world plays. But while you have to work out your opponents one at a time, there is one player you can always work on: yourself.

I was turned on to Lou Krieger's books by 1983 World Champion of Poker Tom McEvoy, who was my personal coach for a year (see my book, "Getting Lucky"). Tom has great respect for Lou as a poker author, and after reading "Secrets," I can see why. When coaching me, Tom said, "the aim is for you to play mistake-free poker." This is, of course, impossible even for a great player; but the fewer mistakes you make, and the more your opponents make, the better. So when I read, in "Secrets" that "you make more money from your opponents' mistakes than from your own brilliance" - well, I knew I was reading the right book.

Lou and Sheree are both fine players, and astute poker theoreticians. I think that some of the reviewers who were disappointed with this book were perhaps expecting "magic bullets", along the lines of "always play Jack-Eight offsuit from 4th position for three bets." Well, poker is a game of infinite subtlety, and the fact is that there are no magic bullets. There is only one way to become good at this game. You have to learn how to think. You have to learn how to think in several dimensions, and around corners. This book will teach you how to think like a very solid player. It switched on a lot of lightbulbs for me, and it can do the same for anyone who really wants to learn.

As I read some of the other reviews of this great book I was amazed - I guess they didn't read the same book I did. This book has made a huge difference in the way I play, how often I win and most importantly how much I enjoy the game.

If you want to win and enjoy the process this is a must read.

after reading a book - i create a notebook on what i found useful or important. this whole book was like someone letting me take a look at their private files. basicly, all the things i've learned and placed in my own notebook was in this book.

Lou Krieger and Sheree Bykofsky, Secrets the Pros Won't Tell You About Winning Hold'em Poker (Lyle Stuart, 2006)

I'd have to disagree with this book's title; it should have actually been Secrets the Pros Have Kept Telling You About Winning Hold'em Poker, But That You Haven't Listened to Yet. Yes, there's a great deal of information here that you've heard before, but it won't do you any harm to hear it again. Is it worth shelling out the cash? I can't tell you that; it depends entirely on how much of this is new to you. Some of it might be. Take it out of the library and give it a whirl before you buy it, however. ***