Have you seen all of the poker books at any large bookstore? Five years ago there were three. Now there are nearly 80. Can any new book really add anything to the voluminous poker literature that fills the shelves?
The answer is an enthusiastic YES!
Secrets The Pros Won't Tell You About Winning Holdem Poker is a welcome addition to the short list of truly excellent poker books available. Novices, intermediate, and advanced players will surely profit from the many nuggets of insight presented by Krieger and Bykofsky.
The authors presume a basic knowledge of the game of Texas Holdem.
It is not a telling of poker stories, as so many books are these days. This is no glamorous look at the rich and famous of the poker world. Thank goodness for that.
But Krieger and Bykofsky provide us with dozens of nuggets of useful and profound insights. The best part of the book is the beginning and longest chapter entitled "Basic Concepts and Play." In it the authors present and explore dozens of ideas such as: what makes a good poker game (for the player), how to get a read on your opponent's hand, where to sit to increase your profit, how to play against maniacs, weak players, or good players; how to use your image to your advantage, why and when you should bet on the River, how to read opponents' betting patterns, and the difference between value betting and bluffing.
Each of these concepts alone is worthy of an entire book. They are presented clearly and concisely -- sufficient for the typical reader to grasp their importance, understand them, and then apply them to his game. In that sense the presentation is masterful and efficient -- so much power in so little space.
Chapter Five, entitled "Money," addresses commonly asked questions about bankroll requirements, money management, and simple ways to minimize your losses while maximizing your wins. Chapter Seven is an excellent, if brief, exploration of winning tactics for online play. Especially useful was an explanation of how to best use the notetaking features available only to online players. There is a rather lengthy chapter on the minimal math of poker and a few brief ending chapters on tournament play.
The book is not without its flaws. Most significantly, the reader needs to be aware that although the book is presented as if it were covering both limit and no limit holdem, it chiefly addresses limit strategy. No limit and pot limit strategy are very different from limit. The authors clearly recognize this and point it out from time to time. But when there is no mention of the game being no limit, it's important that the reader -- especially the young or new-to-poker reader who has only played no limit -- recognize that Krieger and Bykofsky are talking about limit holdem strategy.
This is especially important in the sections that talk about bluffing, betting on the river, and raising. Although they are spot on when talking about how to play limit holdem, viewed through the lens of no limit poker, these sections would be inadequate for failing to address the different strategy that results when considering both the size of a bet and relative stack sizes. For example, the authors' excellent advice of generally calling on the River in a limit holdem game (because of the excellent pot odds that are generally being offered by the time of the final betting round) is definitely unsound advice if the game is no limit and your opponent makes a pot-sized bet at the end.
There are other small errors that do not detract from the fundamental soundness of the book. There is some redundancy between the chapters (implied odds are explained well in one section and not-so-well elsewhere). And although the two math tables are generally very helpful and clear, I did not understand the statement at the bottom of one table: "Two unmatched cards will make a split pair 2.2 percent of the time."
These small detractions not withstanding, the book is a powerful tool for any player looking to learn the basic concepts for winning play and for every player who wants an edge over his opponent.
The true test of the usefulness of a poker book is how it will add to the reader's bottom line. There's no question but that Secrets will help the beginning, intermediate, and advanced player make more money (and for the most careful reader, much more money) at the poker table.
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