Customer Reviews

Tournament Poker And The Art Of War

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

 

 

If every single poker book that was ever written were assembled into a bible-like book, David Apostolico's Tournament Poker and the Art of War would fall under Proverbs. Apostolico takes a very different approach to expound the many subtle strategies that any successful poker player should implement by using Sun-Tzu's Art of War as the basis to approach a No-limit Texas Hold-em tournament game. The book is a very quick read and I have prospered greatly from the wisdom that oozes. The book is well written, but contains one fundamental flaw that is easy to get around. Despite this flaw, I will highly recommend Apostolico's Tournament Poker and the Art of War to any student of the game.

The book begins by outlining 10 principles that are gleaned from the Art of War and applied to tournament strategy. This 30-page section on the 10 principles is easily the strongest part of the book and I have read it and re-read it many times. It is worth purchasing this book for this section alone. I briefly summarize the 10 principles below:

1: Understand all of the potential consequences of your actions
2: Play each hand for maximum value and minimum risk
3: Eliminate your opponent the first chance you get
4: Accumulate chips at every opportunity
5: Mix up your play
6: Know thy enemy and know thyself
7: Use your strength to exploit your enemy's weakness
8: Do not wait for pocket Aces to make a move
9: Adjust your play with changing situations
10: Poker is an art of deception

In the remaining chapters of the book, Apostolico does his best to incorporate the teachings of Sun-Tzu by integrating excerpts from the Art of War into the text of the book. It sounds like a good idea, however there are so many excerpts integrated into the text that the book suffers from giving the reader too much information. It is very difficult to remain focused on the topic because there is an interruption after every paragraph. The vast majority of poker players are not academics and this style of writing may not appeal to a broad audience. I have found that this issue is easily overcome by skipping over the Sun-Tzu excerpts and focusing on Apostolico's writings.

I have read many books on poker. I love Sklansky and am not a big fan of Brunson the author. Although I skipped all of the Sun-Tzu excerpts in the latter part of David Apostolico's Tournament Poker and the Art of War, I find that this book remains strong nonetheless, and holds a top spot in my list of recommended books on poker strategy.

When I first heard about this book I could not help from thinking what an excellent idea it was. It could succeed in bringing the maxims and philosophy of Sun Tzu to legions of people who had previously never heard of him. Apostolico summarizes the arguments of Sun Tzu from The Art of War, and then applies the concepts to tournament poker. Many times, however, the author stretches the similarities existing between poker and war. He does, quite responsibly, point out in the beginning that his work is in no way intended to minimize the seriousness of war by comparing it to a game. Yet, strategy for one can be juxtaposed with another to a certain extent.

The only real problem that I had with this book is that it was tough to get through, and it was not a result of the subject matter or the austerity of Sun Tzu's writing. In actuality, Apostolico did not use enough specifics and examples in his text. He's a tournament player, and I think, from a readability standpoint, he would have done better to include more scenarios from his experiences to illustrate each individual tenet. What we have instead is page after page of generalities. Most of the arguments and suggestions are helpful, but they are dry and fail to captivate.

In 15 seconds, you have to make a decision online or the card room, each of the 10 principles must be thought about and your decision entered, your tournament life is at stake.

Excellent book for the players who think they need cards and luck to win, this read will be an eye opener. they will begin to see what is REALLY happening at the table.

Excellent book for the players who understand position, pushing chips, and table domination. This book will bring to the forefront and reinforce the principles of tournament play that you already understand. You will discover and add more power to your game.

This book is NOT a novel, each paragraph brings strategic ideas to light, that must be thought about and replayed in your mind. When you understand and can implement all of the 10 principles your tournament game will never be the same.

The action is to you, in 15 seconds you must make a decision that will affect the rest of your tournament life, do you have all the information you need?

This book is different from any other poker book I've read. It takes age-old war strategy and applies it to no-limit holdem tournaments. The discussion of pre-tourney preparation and mental discipline during the tourney is first-rate. Also, by illustrating Sun-Tzu's principles with examples of actual hands, the author makes it easy for even novice players to grasp his points. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to start playing no-limit tournaments, as well as veterans trying to reach the next level.

This book was a waste of time and (fortunately very little) money. The reviewer that said "mostly fluff" was right on the money, except that he still gave it 3 stars. I bought this book mainly because I was looking for another poker book and I had always wanted to read Sun Tzu's Art of War. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this book. If interested in "The Art of War", buy that instead; If you are interested in a good poker book, buy one of Slanksy's or Harrington's. This book is littered with insights like (to paraphrase) "when your opponent is weaker than you, attack and accumulate his chips; when he is stronger than you, retreat and conserve your chips". Wow, would never had thought of that. Kept reading it hoping there would be something of substance to this book but was disappointed to the end.

This is a good book for people that don't play poker all the time. Poker pros and "serious" poker players (those who do play all the time) wouldn't get a lot from it. This book is very much about the mental game, and it's moreso that than many other books out there.

It's a good investment in your game to buy this book.

Although this book has an interesting concept, I do not recommend it for any player except for the beginner. The writing is repetitive, and somewhat shallow.

If you are looking for a theoretical/spiritual/strategy type book I HIGHLY RECOMMEND "Zen and the Art of Poker," which helps with life in general as well as at the poker table -- helping reinforce your game and keep you balanced.

Good luck!

This is the Number 1 poker book that has totally transformed my game. I had the basic knowledge, and even the advanced from what Skalnsky and Harrington had written but this "New View" on poker really will redefine your game.

I've always been a fan of Sun Tzu, so when I saw this, I picked it up right away. From the opening where the 10 basic principles are covered all the way to each and every chapter of the Art of War, all the knowledge is dissected and explained in an easy to read manner.

This book is the best available if your looking for a giant edge when you go to the poker tables. Whether online or a casino.

This is a great book. I played in 3 poker tournaments after reading this book and finished in the money ALL THREE TIMES! The lessons in the Art of War apply so well to poker. Now, when I play in a hand I feel like I have an advantage.

the book was great on how to use your chips in a commanding way. showed how to properly use dealer button placement to take control of chips.