Killer Poker Online: Crushing the Internet Game (Paperback)

~ John Vorhaus (Author)
Key Phrases: online pitfalls, poker environment, most online players, Elephant Man, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Lyle Stuart; illustrated edition edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0818406313
• ISBN-13: 978-0818406317
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #433,077 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some useful advise, but ...., December 28, 2003

By	Kenneth E. Bagwell "Look2Jesus" (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you play K7o in early position (or don't know exactly what this means), this is not the book for you. Go buy Lee Jones's book on low-limit poker and read it about 10 times.

However, if you really know how to play, and you are frustrated on the internet, this might be what you need. He goes into the psycology of playing online. Talks about "What the hellism" - his concept for not assigning any meaning to the chips - and other self-defeating thought patterns.

Also read this if you are new to gambling period. Much of this "Self-control" type of stuff is what you learn from gambling experience in general.

However, the author does describe some "Winning Tactics for online play" that I take issue with. He talks about "betting it up" - going into a game and raising all the time to make people unconfortable. This is great if you are playing premium hands or constantly catching cards, but if you are against a even one or two decent players, you will see a lot of reraises, then get beat by the premium hands - the author doesn't go into how to handle that situation ! Another thing. If the game is low-limit, there is not a lot of bluffing that can be done period. So maybe the author is good enough do to this in the right game and the right stakes - but it's irresponsible offer this as general poker tactic to everyone.

I also take issue with his advise to chat decitfully or annoyingly so as to take advantage of "weak-minded or naive player". Every respected poker author on the planet tells players to be nice to people - this helps the individual game, the player himself (despite what the author thinks), and poker in general. This poker boom won't last if we are not decent to each other - and to suggest otherwise is again, irresponsible.

So while this is not a classic by any means, I found it a good mental check-up on poker and gambling in general.

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More damaging than helpful, March 30, 2004

By	Randall "dba mlc3stooge" (Henderson, Nv USA) - See all my reviews

I hope novices don't take this book to heart (unless they are playing at my table) because many of the concepts presented are more harmful than they are helpful. I guess the best thing to say about the book is there are FEW concepts (and therefore few harmful concepts) in the book. The author rambles about trivial things like where is your computer located, are you multi tasking, etc, and completely ignores the actual play until the last third of the book.

And then his tips? "Don't overplay, instead set an alarm clock to limit your play". PLEASE!!! If you have no more poker savvy then not to know when to quit, an alarm clock ain't gonna cut it. "Online poker is fast paced, therefore you don't get the rest breaks that you get in live games". Have you ever seen a little button called "Deal me out"? "Watch for this tell, although it can be faked and exploited". Well, there's some definite help. And how is that different than a person-to-person game.

Bottom line -- this book is VERY little help to anyone who wants to understand the world on online poker. As an aside, let me state that apparently I am not alone in this assessment. I purchased the book used, and the previous owner highlighted only one sentence in the 273 pages.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Two Good Ideas, But That's All, August 13, 2004

By	darrelv (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This book offers two ideas that are useful. One, learn how your
opponents play and document it. Two, focus while playing poker on
your computer. These points are over-emphasized ad naseum.

Essentially this is a collection of ideas that in theory could be used
while playing online. It is not a system of good practices based on
the author's actual experience. It cannot be, because too much is
impractical and contradictory.

No advice about how to play a hand is given.