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Poker Book Review: Online Ace by Scott Fischman

Scott Fischman is a young WSOP bracelet winner, and a very successful multi-tabling online poker player.  He claims to have never read a poker book.  He learned poker at the table.  Well, mostly at the computer.  Now, he has written a book, ONLINE ACE: A WORLD SERIES OF POKER CHAMPION'S GUIDE TO MASTERING INTERNET POKER.  Forget the irony, because this book is packed with poker wisdom and Internet poker tips.

Here is a sampling:

1)  "Nearly every great poker player has an arsenal of mental tricks he uses to stay on top of his game, maintain a positive outlook, and assist with critical decisions."  Page 1. 

2) "Winning is not the goal, but the by-product of making good decisions at the poker table."  Page 5.

3)  "Be tight in your play, but loose in your imagination."  Page 31.

4) "It's usually better, to be the bettor."  Page 62.

5)  "When the blinds in a tournament get big, so do the two benefits that come from stealing them - you've grown your own stack and prevented your opponents from adding to theirs."  Page 77.

6)  "While it's good to be unpredictable at the poker table, it's far better to be misunderstood."  Page 95.

7)  "Positive superstitions are rituals that help put you in a winning frame of mind."  Page 98.

Fischman devotes a chapter each to Sit n Gos, multi-table tournaments, and to playing multi-tables.  There is plenty of basic and advanced advice.  Making this book valuable for any level player.

R. Steve McCollum  (rstevemccollum)  www.sitngoholdempoker.com

"Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement."  ~Cowboy Proverb

Copyright 2007-2008  SitnGoHoldemPoker.com.  All rights reserved.

Poker Book Review: Winning Secrets of Online Poker by Douglas W. and Curtis D. Frye

Winning Secrets of Online Poker by Douglas W. and Curtis D. Frye is a solid guide for anyone new to online poker.  The book is professionally organized and clearly written.  In addition to illustrative screenshots throughout, the book contains a thorough section on the use of Excel (or Calc) to build a poker spreadsheet program.  Learning to evaluate your play using spreadsheets is an important step towards becoming a serious winning player.

In fact, the three chapters, Evaluating Your Play Using Spreadsheets, Analyzing Your Game Using Poker Software and Turning Data Into Discipline, is as good an introduction into the science of online poker as can be found.  While containing many good playing tips, the strength of this book is its introduction to the methods of collecting, formating, understanding, and using your online play data. This is the basis for any effort in advanced poker self-improvement.

If you plan to take online poker very seriously, this would be a good book to have on your bookshelf.

R. Steve McCollum  (rstevemccollum)  www.sitngoholdempoker.com

"Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement."  ~Cowboy Proverb

Copyright 2007-2008  SitnGoHoldemPoker.com.  All rights reserved.

Poker Book Review: Internet Texas Hold'em by Matthew Hilger

I suppose that by now everyone has read Internet Texas Hold'em: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro by Matthew Hilger.  I devoured it about two years ago.  It was a long, slow chew.

Then and now, Hilger's Internet poker textbook stands out as one of the best and most thorough.  My emphasis is correctly placed on the word 'textbook'.  There are hand examples, Internet Tips, chapter reviews, and tests.  Hilger shares and teaches all of his Internet pro experience.

Here are a few tasty morsels of Hilger's wisdom:

1)  "In many cases, it is the size of the pot that determines if drawing to a particular hand is profitable.  Given the same exact hand and scenario, your hand could either be folded or played depending on the size of the pot."  Page 29.

2)  "Bluffs on the flop have a higher chance of success since most flops do not help your opponents, and to call your bluff, your opponents know that there are still two betting rounds remaining."  Page 45.

3)  "Playing strong hands strongly can sometimes confuse your opponents into thinking you have either a vulnerable hand or are bluffing.  For this reason, usually only slowplay when the pot is small and your opponents are likely to fold if you bet."  Page 66.

4)  "Advanced players try to play more hands against weak opponents and less hands against strong opponents."  Page 76.

5)  "By the way, in any position except the blinds, once you have limped in, you should almost always call a raise."  Page 80.

6)  "You will lose money in the blinds no matter how good you are."  Page 83.

7)  "When you are in the big blind against the small blind, you should generally play aggressively.  If the small blind raises, generally reraise with all the hands you would raise with from the small blind..."  Page 87.

8)  "Flopped straights are vulnerable hands that should almost always be played strongly and almost never slowplayed."  Page 123.

9)  "Check-raising on the Internet can be especially effective in earning additional bets."  Page 140.

If you play Internet poker, but haven't read this book...do I really need to ask why?  Don't those Hilger morsels whet your appetite?

Speaking of appetites - it's Thanksgiving.  Have a great one.  Eat all you want, but not the book. :)

R. Steve McCollum  (rstevemccollum)  www.sitngoholdempoker.com

"Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement."  ~Cowboy Proverb

Copyright 2007 SitnGoHoldemPoker.com.  All rights reserved.