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Book Review: The Zen Of Gambling by Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root, the King of Las Vegas, is a remarkable success story.  In his words, he is living the American Dream: he makes tons of money watching sports on television.  But his book, The Zen of Gambling: Lessons from the World's Greatest Gambler, is not about sports gambling.  Instead, Root advances the spiritual principles behind his consistent winning in all of his endeavors.

Here are a few lessons we can all embrace.

1)  "Success all comes down to a series of gambles:  your ability to make positive choices at pivotal moments, to thrive on risk, challenge,and high stress."  Page 2.

2)  "Even in the face of long odds, even after multiple failures, superachievers are not afraid to put it all on the line again."  Page 12.

3)  "Winners treat gambling like a serious business."  Page 35.

4)  "Nothing kills more gamblers (or their bankrolls) than simply not knowing when to stop."  Page 35.

5)  "Risk is essential to success, even more essential to mega-success.  And ignoring the (negative) advice of "experts" and critics is equal to being willing to risk!"  Page 80.

6)  "The only way to overcome a losing slump as a professional gambler, handicapper, entrepreneur, or human being is to have real confidence to go out and take the next calculated, high-percentage risk..."  Page 129.

7)  "Without discipline, all the commitment, confidence, and tenacity in the world is for naught."  Page 141.

8)  "Discipline is essential to putting the odds in your favor."  Page 141.

9)  "Your job as a smart bettor is to recognize those situations where you have a significant edge."  Page 167.

To see the man in action, check out his website, www.WinningEDGE.com .

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.

Poker Book Review: Professional Poker by Mark Blade

If you fancy yourself becoming a poker professional, or if you want to just play profitably as an amateur, then Professional Poker: The Essential Guide to Playing for a Living by Mark Blade, is the best source written on the subject.  OK, it's the only source; outside of a few chapters in a few other poker books. 

Blade tackles professional poker's every angle, discussing and analyzing in detail the pros and cons of every aspect of playing for a living.  He presents some of the best organized and insightful poker discussions you will find in one book.  There are chapters on bankroll management, money management, tournaments vs. cash games, Internet vs. live games, educational recommendations, the lifestyle, advanced playing tips, bad beats, self control, and tons more.

Here are just a few of Blade's many hard won lessons:

1)  "The formula for winning poker is fairly simple.  Play against players who are worse than you."  Page 30.

2)  "...the profit that comes from picking and choosing the best tournaments and best cash games amounts to the greatest profit potential of all for the versatile pro."  Page 36.

3)  "When analyzed at its core, playing poker for a living requires two abilities.  The first one is expertise in card playing.  The second is expertise in bankroll management."  Page 87.

4)  "Almost every suited connector you have gets beaten by almost every opposing hand that has even one card higher than your highest card, even if that opposing hand isn't coordinated at all."  Page 200.

5)  "It's a strange, interesting twist that as a consequence of improving your play is that the better you get, the more bad beats you will proportionally get vs. the total number of your showdown hands."  Page 258.

This book is so inclusive, it would be no stretch to say that Professional Poker should be the first book that any serious poker player reads.

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.

Poker Book Review: Gambling For A Living by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth

Even though Gambling for a Living: How To Make $100,000 A Year, by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth, is showing its age (published in 1997, no Internet section), the book is a solid, universal grounding for winning at the business of gambling.

There are chapters for Blackjack, Horses, Slots, Casinos, and my favorite, Poker and Poker Tournaments.  The advice is expert, time tested, and proven.  Here are a few Poker excerpts:

1)  "As far as the kind of money that can be won playing poker, there should be no problem in winning that $100,000 a year if you get good enough."  Page 213.

2)  "And the sad, but true fact is, that the biggest factor in your success as a professional poker player is the difference between your skill and your opponents' skill rather than simply how good you play."  Page 217.

3)  "You must either find a game where most of the players are mediocre, or a game where at least one of them is terrible."  Page 221.

4)  "Making $100,000 per year means about $50 per hour.  Thus, to reach that figure you would need to be at least a $30-$60 player."  Page 222.

5)  "And, if you go through three hundred (big) bets it is highly doubtful that you are a bet-an-hour long-run winner."  Page 225.

6)  "It is absolutely imperative that you do not try to get back big losses quickly."  Page 226.

7)  "If you want to be a professional poker player, patience and the ability to refrain from playing an unprofitable hand is a must."  Page 228.

8)  "The fact is, with few exceptions, professional poker players play fewer hands than nonprofessionals."  Page 229.

9)  "As we have already said, to become an excellent poker player you will need to study, get experience, and do a great deal of thinking about the game."  Page 270.

As you can see, whether you are pursuing poker for a career or for profitable recreation, the principles for winning are the same.  This is a good book for learning expert, realistic strategies, and the poker professional mind set.

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.