Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed but Helpful. , August 11, 2005
It's rare when my views differ markedly from the other Amazon pundits, so let me, first thing, address what the other fellows said about this one:
I'm going to concede several of their points:
1. That this is a "low budget" DVD is undeniable, but, of course, it is also very cheap.
2. Chris Moneymaker is not a good public speaker, but, in comparison to Tom McEvoy, he's William Jefferson Clinton. That guy belongs nowhere near a camera. He appeared to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and could not stop himself from constantly fidgeting with his chips and cards. It was embarrassing.
3. The "do these card tricks so you can look like a pro" segment was dumb and pointless. I don't care how I appear at the table; it's all about the Benjamins.
Now that I've agreed with the other critics about these peripherals, let me clash with them over the real issue; which is that I regard the DVD as having some value. Moneymaker's portion of the recording is actually quite good. Yes, he appears unenthusiastic, but that's his accountant demeanor, I believe. I'm a substance over style guy anyway. His recommendations about strategy for online play are sound. Chris tells us that he learned to become a champion by pretending that the "call/check" button did not exist. He forced himself to morph into an aggressive monster by raising or folding alone. Moneymaker prevented sending any signals of weakness to his opponents through his constant aggression. Now I can't speak for the other guys, but I know that my calling and checking have cost me a ton of money since I started playing so his words meant something to me. Another thing that I admired was the way that Chris admitted that he began playing online as a losing player. He was not able to turn around his game for six months. Such a reality provides serious inspiration for the rest of us.
Numerous miscellaneous tidbits appealed to me as well like the way in which Chris evaluates online tells and which tables are the most appealing to him, and also, the ways in which to locate them. Even McEvoy, I felt, had some helpful things to say about betting and raising. I got something out of this video--even if, stylistically, it appeared to be put together by Ed Wood productions.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
HORRIBLE, April 25, 2005
This has to be the worst poker DVD on the market. The presentations look like they were planned out 5 minutes before taping, and the information given is worthless. If you don't know what your fingers are called (ring finger, index, thumb, etc.), then maybe this DVD is worth it, as the "chip trick" footage goes into detail on what each finger is called.
I think you'll play worse poker after watching this DVD.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Beginner's Only!, October 17, 2005
While I felt that this DVD was a waste of time for me personally, I am giving it 2 stars because it can afford the beginner some good information, and because I can't give it 1 1/2 stars). Why 1 1/2 stars? The DVD is split into 4 segments: How to play the game; How to play the game online; Strategy; and Poker Chip tricks. A full segment on poker chip and card tricks is neat to watch..but, it drones on and on and I feel is not the worth the time on this DVD. Players don't care if you can flip chips (at least I don't), it is your play at the table that matters. The good players are reading your patterns...not the fact that you can spin chips, etc. Chris Moneymaker seems as if he is missing something more important somewhere, and Tom McEvoy is the one of those proverbial "monotone professors" that some of us may have (unfortunately and irritatingly) experienced in our lifetime. It was hard to watch Tom speak, and actually unnerving (I love his books, though!). But, it gets stars ONLY...I stress ONLY...because it has some validity to those completely new to the game. If you have been watching poker on TV and thought, "I want to learn how to play this game" (notice I DIDN'T say play like the pros), then this will help you learn the game, some (very little) strategy, and some neat poker chip tricks. There are alot of books out there that can give you additional, and more valid, strategy...but, experience is going to be your best teacher. Getting online to play is a great way to learn and practice (I agree with Moneymaker's suggestion on this), but online play also different from Live play. But, online, you can practice and make the mistakes with play money instead of real money. However, people play differently with play money that real money too...again, experience will teach you this. Save your money and loan this from your local library (that's what I did). I read the previous reviews myself, but went ahead and viewed it anyway, much to my dismay (deservedly so). This review is in NO WAY a knock to Moneymaker nor Tom McEvoy...they have made their mark on poker for a reason. But, the reviews are true on this one. Learn to play online - so you're anonymous and can make the mistakes, and get the 5-star rated books on strategy and theory. For the more experienced players like myself - click your "Continue Shopping" button and move on...this will waste your time.
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