Review: Killer Poker Online
I’ve read some columns by John Vorhaus online and enjoyed what I read. His book, Killer Poker Online: Crushing the Internet Game, is a completely different story. The book is a waste of time and money. I’m glad a friend bought the book for me or I would have been very disappointed in the read.
I read the book expecting to get some new insights into online poker. I was looking for strategy and examples of online play. In the first paragraph of the Introduction, Vorhaus writes:
…I want to put forth the startling idea that, hey, maybe Internet poker’s not such a hot idea…
What? Is this really in a book about crushing the Internet game? Instead of reading about poker strategy, the book taught me the basics of how online poker works. Chapter 2 is titled “The Mechanics of the Thing” and explains the computer recommendations for running a poker client, what a screen name is, what the lobby is, play money tables, hand history logs, setting your options and various other things.
New Book on the Way
Last night on UB I turned my 3,200 Ultimate Points into 4,600 playing a no-limit points table, just enough to order Zen and the Art of Poker, a book I’ve wanted for several months.
Review: Internet Texas Hold’em
A little over a month ago, Ammon from ITH offered me a free copy of Matthew Hilger’s book Internet Texas Hold’em: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro in exchange for writing a review on my site. Since I always review the books I read and had wanted the book, I quickly took him up on his offer.
At the time, I had just started reading Theory of Poker (my review), so I didn’t start on ITH until last week when I was taking a break from the poker tables. I finished ITH earlier this week. It was really a quick read, even though its length is comparable to most poker books. I was able to read it so fast because I’m already familiar with most of the concepts discussed from reading TOP and Small Stakes Hold’em. That’s not to say that the book is all repeat information though.
ITH is a great book and one that I would recommend to anyone who wants to start playing poker online. Yes, I’d even recommend it before SSH in this case. What sets ITH apart is that the book concentrates on the differences between online and live play. Hilger gives you solid advice on how to beat the online game.
The book is broken down into chapters and the order was great. The jump from one topic to the next flows smoothly and would allow a beginner to easily follow along. Perhaps the best part of the book is the examples and how they are used to supplement the text. At the end of each chapter there are 15-20 real examples taken from online hand histories. The situation is laid out in plain English and then a question is proposed. Should you call? Is raising a better play? Right after each question, Hilger lays out what he believes is the correct play for each situation. Another thing that sets the examples apart from the other books I’ve read is that the author doesn’t use large card images to show you the hand and situation. He simple explains it in text form. This helps to cut down on a lot of space and flipping back and forth between pages.
ITH is not only a great book for the beginning poker player, but it can be a great resource for anyone’s online game. I’ve been struggling with my game over the past two months and the book helped to reinforce some of the concepts and strategies that I had forgot. There are other books I like better, but since the book does so well at what it’s meant for I have to give it an A.
Review: The Theory of Poker
The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky is probably the most comprehensive book ever written on poker strategy. Sklansky covers bluffing, slow playing, game theory, table selection, and every other topic you can think of. While the book was written several years ago, almost everything can still be applied to today’s styles of play.
I will say that this book should not be the first poker book you read. It shouldn’t even be the second or third. The concepts would easily confuse someone that is just learning the game. There were times while reading TOP that I was confused. The book is just loaded with information. I doubt I’ll ever understand it all, even if I read it 100 times in the next year. I’m not trying to scare anyone away from reading the book, because it’s a must read for any poker player serious about learning the game. I’m simply saying that there’s a lot to take in.
One of the most brilliant, yet simple, things I’ve ever read about poker is Sklanky’s Fundamental Theorem of Poker:
Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you could see all your opponents’ cards, they gain; and every time you play your hand the same way you would have played it if you could see all their cards, they lose. Conversely, every time opponents play their hands differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose.
The age of the book can be seen by the number of examples relating to games such as Stud, Razz, and Draw poker, but the concepts can be applied to any game out there. It would be nice if Sklansky would come out with a revision that just related to hold’em, the most popular form of poker today.
Like I said before, if you’ve read a few other poker books, feel free to jump into TOP, otherwise wait until you have some more experience and reading under your belt. Once you do though, dive right in. I give the book an A.
Killer Poker Online: Crushing the Internet Game
My friend Dave just bought me this book after he’d purchased the original Killer Poker. From what he’s said it really gets into the mind games that you play with yourself in poker. Just what I need lately. I hope it will help me to figure out why I think some of the things I do or act in certain ways. Watch out fish! My poker library is growing quite large lately. I have at least 6 books that I’ve yet to crack the cover on. I guess it’s time for more study and less poker play.
The Poker Gods Wish Me a Happy Birthday
The poker gods must know it’s my birthday. The big 25!
I played two $2/4 tables this morning and won 48 BB in 99 hands at one table and finished less than a BB ahead at the other. Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.
My brother gave me 4 suited show glasses as a present to go along with the card protector he bought me for Christmas. The shot glasses are pretty neat. My sister bought me a few more books, namely Tournament Poker for Advanced Players and Caro’s Book of Poker Tells. With all of the new reading material I won’t have any time to play poker, but I should be making a TV final table soon. Ha ha!
Christmas Wishes
What’s on your Christmas list this year related to poker? I really hope I get Zen and the Art of Poker: Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Game. I’m doing well at handling all of the bad beats, simply because I’ve come to expect them, but I think this book would really help out the mental aspects of my game.
Hold’Em Poker
At about $20, this book is no where near being worth the purchase. I’ve only read one other Sklansky book, so I’m not an expert on his writing, but Hold’Em Poker comes up short in value. I own Small Stakes Hold ‘em: Winning Big With Expert Play, which is a much better book. Everything that is discussed in HP is in SSH and with 10 times the amount of detail.
While reading through all 108 pages of HP, I didn’t really learn anything I hadn’t read in SSH. The concepts are all the same. Since HP was one of the first books written on Texas Hold’em the information is also a bit outdated for today’s game. If I hadn’t read SSH first, I think I would have been confused by some of the advice Skansky gives in HP. He discusses a lot of great information, but a reader is left without the proper details. There are a few hand examples to illustrate some of the concepts, but not nearly enough.
Where the book is useful is in the sense of a refresher course. While reading it, I was reminded of a few things I had forgotten from SSH. Also, since the book is so short (I already mentioned the whopping 108 pages) you can easily take it with you anywhere.
In my opinion, if you are going to buy a book, spend the extra money and get SSH or even The Theory of Poker. I haven’t read TOP, also by Sklansky, but it’s the next one on my list after I review some of SSH.
If I had to grade Hold’Em Poker, I’d have to give it a C+.
Reading Material
Just ordered a few new books…
Doyle’s Work
Looks like the only way you’ll be able to get Super System 2 is by playing at Doyle’s Room. Seems stupid to me. How does Brunson expect to make any money from the book like this?
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