More Book Reviews

Best Selling Poker Books of 2014How did the new books compare to the old classics? Well, we will let the data speak for itself. Take a look at the list of the best selling poker books of 2014.Deal Me In and Eat Professional Poker Players Alive ReviewedThere isn't a clear path by which people become professional poker players. There aren't any good courses at the local vo-tech for a person to study. The road to becoming a poker pro is inevitably difficult, circuitous, and filled with setbacks. Deal Me In is a book describing the course by which twenty top poker players became professionals. Poker Winners Are DifferentThere is a big difference between what's typical human behavior and what is called for to play poker at a high level. There aren't a lot of people for whom maximizing their expectation in poker games comes naturally. Poker Winners Are Different by Alan Schoonmaker examines this conundrum.

Odds and Texas Hold'em

Strategy for Making Something Happen in Poker The Importance of Pot Odds in Texas Hold'em Understanding All-In Odds in No-Limit Hold'em All-In Hold'em Odds With Slick

Winning in Tough Hold'em Games

by Nick Grudzien

Though many books cover Texas hold'em, few concentrate on the tougher aspects of short-handed hold'em, particularly in the high-stakes limit hold'em games often found in the online poker arena. Both authors, who were fraternity brothers, gained most of their needed experience online. The authors start with a detailed explaination of the typical players at various limits, starting at the $3-6 level and progressing to the $150-300 and up limits. Their work is peppered with charts that verify the concepts and theories they teach and include pre-flop play (opening with a raise, playing to steal, isolating players, restealing, limping, etc.), defending the blinds (three bets, four bets, handling passive and aggressive blinds), post-flop heads-up play (responding to check raises on the flop and turn, betting the river as a stone bluff, turn value check, the semi-bluff, and more) plus miscellaneous topics. The final sections include sample hands and discussions of them, quizzes and a summary.

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Two New Poker Books Aimed At Tough Players And Pigeons

by Howard Schwartz

If you're a tough player and one who likes to pretend you're a dunce, two new books just arrived at Gambler's Book Shop that aim to help you perfect your skills at the poker tables and end up withHoward Schwartz, the "librarian for gamblers," is the marketing director for Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas, a position he has held since 1979. Author of hundreds of articles on gambling, his weekly book reviews appear in numerous publications throughout the gaming industry. Howard's website is www.gamblersbook.com <a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.readybetgo.com/phpadsnew/adclick.php?n=abcc77e6' target='_BLANK'><img src='http://www.readybetgo.com/phpadsnew/adview.php?n=abcc77e6' border='0' alt='Advertisement'></a> the money. Like watching a colorful parade and you never know what's coming down the street next, the new books march into our lives with exciting new titles to help them stand out and sell.

Nick Grudzien and Geoff Herzog have a fresh one titled Winning in Tough Hold ‘em Games: Short-Handed and High Stakes Concepts and Theory for Limit Hold ‘em(347 pages, paperbound, $29.95), while “Anonymous” (he offers no first or last name) has written Play Poker Like a Pigeon And Take The Money Home (213 pages, paperbound, $14.95).

The Grudzien and Herzog work addresses low-limit games ($3-$6 and below); middle limits ($5-$10 and $20-$40); upper limits ($25-$50 to $100-$200) and sky-high limits ($150-$300 and up) so there’s something for everyone here. The authors provide specific guidelines based on position to help you decide whether to play pre-flop. They recognize players sometimes remain undecided when to play because “circumstances change and decisions get more complex.” Here they help the player become more disciplined via more than a dozen charts, including one reflecting potential strategy for opening-raising from positions three or fewer seats off the button (all non-blind positions at a six-handed table). They offer similar in-depth strategy charts for the steal situation. The book delivers a powerful package of material for the serious ploy-seeking, thinking-man player. It does so by covering vital areas such as re-stealing; limping; playing in the small blind and big blind; blind defense; playing heads-up post-flop; responding to check-raises on the flop and the turn; understanding why the “free card” play may have negative expectation in tight-aggressive games and making thin value bets. The section on semi-bluffing also addresses the heads-up, post flop situation; semi-bluffing a loose player and betting and raising for value with strong draws.

The book winds down with an army of hands to emphasize correct strategies involving big and small blind defense hands; quizzes and summaries to test what you’ve learned so far in big blind defense, pre and post-flop play. Small sections review table and seat selection; psychological and tilt control.

This work is indexed so a potential buyer can review the concepts covered quickly.

Play Poker like a Pigeon is certainly going to ruffle plenty of feathers. The author is from a veteran of the tables (at least 30 years of action). His work is clearly intended for the player who swims upstream many times when everyone else is floating along in the opposite direction. He offers moves, disguises, approaches and opinions contrary to what most accept—about limit hold‘em; about online poker; about tells; starting hands; who the great players are and when to play loose and aggressive.

The author is opinionated as heck, but he believes altering your style of play is key to winning—and he explains why, with examples, shifty ideas and personal examples, “pigeon moves.” Drawing from his own experiences, observations, the mistakes he’s made and those he’s seen others make, Anonymous takes us through three decades of play around the nation.

He enjoys limit play because he believes it “gives you the best chance of ducking the broke factor.” He’ll ramble, analyze, offer advice about table play and about life. To me it sounds like he’s definitely been there. In this offbeat, easy reading, well-opinionated book, you’ll pick up some gems, some semi-precious stones and maybe more than a little understanding of what to expect if you plan to turn pro and leave your job.