19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wanted more original strategy advice, but not that bad., 3 Oct 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: Internet Texas Holdem: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro (Paperback)
I was somewhat disappointed by this book, not because the advice was poor, but rather simply because I don't think it added too much to the existing poker literature...the book bills itself as a guide to helping you beat the internet poker games, but most of the advice is simply generic poker strategy advice (and if that's all you're looking for, there are certainly more accomplished authors, i.e. sklansky, malmuth, jones) to look to first.
I also think the book could and should have devoted more time to the very real differences between the internet games and live casino play. The recent surge in poker's popularity has led to a HUGE influx of very poor players into the online poker sites, and I think the author could have taken some time to explain strategy variations that are effective in the different style of play you find online - if you do open an account online, though, search around for a sign-up bonus code to use when you sign up - another post here led me to pokercroaker.com, who keeps theirs updated fairly frequently.
That being said, the advice is fairly sound, and written in an easy-to-understand style - just not all that much different than can be found in more popular books, by the authors mentioned above.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vastly underrated book!, 22 May 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: Internet Texas Holdem: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro (Paperback)
In my opinion, if you have been playing holdem for a little while, and starting to become a break-even player (which is no small feat) or better, I would rate this book above Lee Jone's Winning Low Limit Holdem as the reference book to go back to time and time again to improve your play further, since there is more substance and advanced strategies to it.
Some of the advice, I think, is also a little bit more sound. Consider this: Jones says to always raise and reraise with pair Jacks pre-flop even from early position. This book says to call, then call any raise, which to me, is far more sensible. JJ becomes pretty marginal if an initial raise doesn't thin out the field or even if there are one or two callers before it comes to you. He does qualify JJ by saying its raisable first off in tight games, but the reality, I find, is that there are not many tight games in bottom-end low-level such as $1-$2, where most people start out. Some people tend to call with Jack, Queen, King or Ace high, regardless of kicker. So your JJ are going to have to dodge Queen, King and Aces going into the flop. So I agree that JJ is mostly only good for a call, unless you know what game and players you're up against.
Overall, as the example above illustrates, I think there is a lot more nuance to this book over Jones'. But having said that, I can see why people have raved over Jone's book. It's undoubtedly better structured and presented, less daunting and more accessible and digestable if you are brand new to the game, or if you have been following a losing path, and your game needs a complete re-haul from scratch.
So I think it boils down to this: in my opinion, Lee Jones Winning Holdem is the best book for beginning to intermediate players because it allows you to grapple with all the basic poker concepts more quickly. After that, this book takes over from intermediate level onwards due to its greater subtlety. Matthew is a world class player and his recommended plays shows. This book gives you far more substance to advance your game to higher levels once you have become familiar with the basics. I think this book lacks the recognition it deserves because it's probably not the most well presented, but the lessons within are first class. All said, BOTH books definitely belong on the shelves of any player serious in poker. Now, if only Amazon were to offer both books on a special package deal....
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Authoritative Guide to Playing Poker Online, 21 Jan 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Internet Texas Holdem: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro (Paperback)
With the phenomenal growth of poker playing sites on the internet, this kind of book is really overdue. But this one has been worth waiting for. Whereas most poker books are content to state the obvious, Matthew Hilger presents a practical system for maximising your winnings (or minimising your losses), specially targeted at internet play.
Whilst easy to read, the book goes into a good deal of detail, particularly on playing the flop, which the author evidently regards as of crucial importance. The book aims at the comparative novice who already knows the rules of the game, but there is information here that could benefit even intermediate players. I'd recommend this book, which if studied diligently is likely to pay for itself.
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