Poker Wisdom of a Champion (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally published in 1984 under the title According to Doyle, this collection by a World Series Poker champion is longer on anecdotes than it is on advice. Doyle won the World Series of Poker twice in the 1970s and his first book, Doyle Brunson's Super System, has become one of the classic strategy books in the game. This volume, however, is made up of short, moralizing stories culled from the experiences of his long playing career. Each story ends with a bit of advice, such as "don't play your cards, play your people" and "when a man's got something heavy on his mind besides poker, he's got no business playing." Beginning players will certainly find such tips useful, but serious poker players interested in concrete suggestions would be better of with the author's first volume.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Learn what it takes to be a great poker player by climbing inside the mind of poker's most famous champion.  Fascinating anecdotes and adventures from Doyle's early career playing poker in roadhouses are interspersed with lessons from the champion who has made more money at poker than anyone else in history.  Learn what makes a great player tick, how he approaches the game, and receive candid, powerful advice from the legend himself.  208 pages

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cardoza; 2nd edition (November 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580421199
• ISBN-13: 978-1580421195
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,247 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thoroughly entertaining, November 15, 2003

By	Daniel Kimberg (Greater Philadelphia, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Previously released as "According to Doyle," this book collects a number of Brunson's columns for some now-defunct gambling magazines.

This is certainly not the book to teach anyone the basics of poker strategy, nor to introduce anyone to modern poker culture. It's not supposed to be. But Brunson's stories are a perfect introduction to the culture and ethos of poker as it was when Brunson was a young Texas road gambler. The columns are entertaining, basically popcorn reading (I suspect some or all of them were told rather than written). They aren't engineered for self-promotion, and although some could be taken as mildly moralizing, they're not designed to change anyone's life. They're just the stories that Doyle Brunson has to tell. I thought they were a lot of fun when I was starting out in poker, and I still pull the book off my shelf now and then. I'm very happy to see this new edition in print, because I would recommend it to new players as a useful book in shaping their attitudes towards the game.

The only thing I found disappointing about this new edition is that it doesn't appear to contain any new material. I don't know that I can fault anyone for that, but it would have been nice to have either some truly new material or at least some newly recovered vintage Brunson to add. Maybe I've just gotten too used to DVD extras.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best , November 22, 2004

By	Michael K. Wheeler (Anaheim, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read at least a half dozen of the top poker theory books, and I learned more from this one book than from all of the others. The wisdom Brunson espouses in this book is simple, yet it is so profound that it will change the way you view yourself and your opponents at the poker table.

The book is mainly a collection of articles Brunson has written over the years for various poker magazines. However, each one contains nuggest of poker genius (mostly related to No Limit Texas Hold 'Em)in plain simple English that authors like Sklansky and Malmuth have complicated with mathematical theories. Brunson is a simple man and he tells simple stories. The bottom line: poker is a game of people and if you understand the people you play with, then your decision making process is simplifed. The cards are secondary (although he does admit that with the influx of new players in the last few years, even he has to have good hands to make a move!). Even if you don't appreciate his wisdom, the stories he tells about the Texas roadgames of yesteryear are worth the purchase price. Somebody needs to make a movie of this guy's life!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Read, January 13, 2005

By	Brian A. Norris - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very interesting, quick read. Mostly a collection of articles Doyle has written over the years for various publications. The book delivers advice, but is not really a strategy guide. Some interesting stories from one of the all-time greats.