Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #214259 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 245 pages

Customer Reviews

Ultra-reliable information
David Sklanksy is actually a very funny man (if you don't believe this look for his wry cardplayer articles about his experiences as a young player). Of course, this book is not very funny at all; it's written in the reassuringly dry style of all his other 2+2 efforts, but everything in the text is gold.

It is obvious from this book why Sklansky is the leading theorist in poker: his ideas are insightful, and his writing is authoritative and so thoroughly researched that the reader has complete confidence in each point. For the UK player this is Sklanksy's most important collection since the seminal "Theory of Poker". (If you play mid-limit stud or hold'em then "...for the advanced player" is as important.)

Do you think you know everything in here already? If you are a typical UK tournament poker you've got a lot to learn from this book. You probably know the "Gap Concept" between hands that can call a raise and those that can raise, but you aren't aware of situations where you should refrain from eliminating players (page 80). I'm certain that this particular play is unknown to the small-buyin tourney player as I get a strategy lecture for using it.

This is the book that contains Sklansky's controversial article "The System" (page 122). In it, he implicitly attacks the no-limit structure in hold'em tournaments and gives case studies of amateur players neutralizing most of the professional's edge without post-flop betting. Subsequent articles (e.g. from D. Neagranu) have endorsed the message that Pot Limit is the more skillfull game, so perhaps "The System" presages the end of NLH's supremacy. (The Cadillac of Poker was driven to the top of the gambling heap by the Texas Road-Gambler's dominance of '70s poker, and might be considered a historical accident. If the championship events had been decided by the Californian players we'd all be studying NL lowball; which might be the game-of-the-future because its more TV friendly. In fact, some of the examples here are taken from lowball.)

I have to quibble with the Sklansky/Malmuth house style. The fifth chapter is a deliberate rehash of the preceding material in the guise of "Questions & Answers", and to bulk-up the page count they re-use their old trick of inserting large images of the cards instead of describing them. However, if there exists any chance that you don't know everything already, an investment in this book will prove very profitable.

What's the difference between tournament and cash games?
If you have a decent working knowledge of the basics of poker, you will get a lot from this book especially if like me you want to move from cash games to tournament play. Some concepts like the Gap Concept and how they alter during the tournament, how the value of chips alters etc. seem really obvious, but only when someone points them out to you. Other concepts such as when to go all-in when short stacked seem counter intuitive too, but you can't argue with Sklansky's well reasoned logic.
Before this I was an OK mid-level cash game player, but tournaments...I could never get beyond the last 10%. I was a survivor, but I always just ran out of chips and got bullied into submission. After reading this book and altering my mindset (the harder part!) it began to make sense and I've made the finals tables at several pretty large online tournies (9th in a 2500+ field being my personal highlight, especially as I was only put out by a very bad beat) and won several smaller ones. It's also helped my cash-game as I now understand where some of my opponents are coming from and can more easily put them on hands and work out how to play them.

Read it, read it again, and then read it some more!
Quite simply this will prove to be the greatest value purchase you will ever make as a poker player. The advice on the difference between being a good player and a good tournament player is nothing short of enlightening. Upon reading the first three chapters alone you should be able to spot those players at your table that exhibit strong tournament play and those who do not. The edge that this gives you is quite simply immense.

If you follow the principles laid out in this book you will make money at the table. If you are already successful at the table and read this book then you will be more so. Put simply David Sklansky should really charge a commission on the extra money he helps you win as well as the cost of the book. It really is that good.

If you want to win money at tournaments then buy this book. If you want to win tournaments then buy this book. If you're anyone other than Phil Hellmuth then buy this book. You won't regret it.