 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Poker Tournament Formula for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This is the only book that shows how to beat the fast no-limit holdem tournaments that most people play For the first time, youll learn why cards dont matter as much as the dynamics of a tournament. Every so often, a book comes along that changes the way players attack a game and provides them with a big advantage over opponents. This is it
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a huge fan of Harrington's three books on Tournament Poker, and have modelled my approach around much of his advice with some success, although generally on multi-table SNGs or paced tournaments with fewer players. However, I've been on the look out for a similar book from another source to broaden out my approach, especially with the more aggressive nature of online and smaller stakes poker than Action Dan generally writes about, and especially those fast tournaments with hundreds or thousands signed up to them. I think I've found it with this new Arnold Synder book. It's well-written, moves into many advanced areas of strategy and with its emphasis not necessarily on the cards you hold, but such issues as position, betting, stack size, blinds etc. I think it both complements and builds on the text-book approach of the Harrington and Sklansky books. I also like the fact that the book starts with the basics but then effectively moves into more advanced advice.
At the heart of the book is the view that tight play at some point (either when the blinds are rising or your stack is falling) is not an option if you are going to have any chance of winning big in a large multi-table tournament. Arnold reckons you need to be considering all-in moves much sooner than implied by more 'conservative' textbooks and also that late position is almost more important than the cards. I have to say that the aggressive approach goes against my more natural tight, steady approach to large tournaments, but he rightly states that as luck plays such a large part in fast tournaments, you need to keep the foot on the gas if you want to get into the serious money rather than just survive beyond the bubble.
As always, if you get an early boost to your stack, then it becomes easier to take chances with late raises and start to bully the smaller stacks, even if you occasionally have a set back or two. What Arnold does stress is that your stack has to stay competitive otherwise you'll eventually be blinded out at some point. Don't survive, play to win it and if you're not competitive, your really wasting your time and are better putting your efforts into the next tournament.
In the book he shows a graph of his tournament winnings for a period of time. I've no idea how accurate or contemporary it is, but it shows periods of 10-20 tournaments when he has no money finish, but that when the cards and the strategy come together, he wins big and that keeps the overall income gradient rising! It's an interesting approach and one you might want to try if you find you are getting nowhere in big tourneys or even freerolls despite playing 'correctly' from a Tight-Aggressive approach.
It's relatively early for me to fully assess Arnold's approach and find out if it proves profitable for me in the long-term (my review is based on the quality of the book), but I'm already encouraged by finding that I've already gone very deep in an on-line larger tournament recently as a result of using the strategy, which has more than compensated for going out quicker than normal in another few (thereby probably not wasting valuable hours when I could be elsewhere, no doubt). The 'Formula' is not for most SNGs or tournaments, but it could be worth a try on a few modestly-priced large fast tournaments in the near future.
At the heart of the book is the view that tight play at some point (either when the blinds are rising or your stack is falling) is not an option if you are going to have any chance of winning big in a large multi-table tournament. Arnold reckons you need to be considering all-in moves much sooner than implied by more 'conservative' textbooks and also that late position is almost more important than the cards. I have to say that the aggressive approach goes against my more natural tight, steady approach to large tournaments, but he rightly states that as luck plays such a large part in fast tournaments, you need to keep the foot on the gas if you want to get into the serious money rather than just survive beyond the bubble.
As always, if you get an early boost to your stack, then it becomes easier to take chances with late raises and start to bully the smaller stacks, even if you occasionally have a set back or two. What Arnold does stress is that your stack has to stay competitive otherwise you'll eventually be blinded out at some point. Don't survive, play to win it and if you're not competitive, your really wasting your time and are better putting your efforts into the next tournament.
In the book he shows a graph of his tournament winnings for a period of time. I've no idea how accurate or contemporary it is, but it shows periods of 10-20 tournaments when he has no money finish, but that when the cards and the strategy come together, he wins big and that keeps the overall income gradient rising! It's an interesting approach and one you might want to try if you find you are getting nowhere in big tourneys or even freerolls despite playing 'correctly' from a Tight-Aggressive approach.
It's relatively early for me to fully assess Arnold's approach and find out if it proves profitable for me in the long-term (my review is based on the quality of the book), but I'm already encouraged by finding that I've already gone very deep in an on-line larger tournament recently as a result of using the strategy, which has more than compensated for going out quicker than normal in another few (thereby probably not wasting valuable hours when I could be elsewhere, no doubt). The 'Formula' is not for most SNGs or tournaments, but it could be worth a try on a few modestly-priced large fast tournaments in the near future.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Poker Tournament Formula is written specifically for fast paced, low buy-in MTTs. Snyder argues that much of the existing poker literature offers inadequate advice for doing well in such tournaments. He advocates and describes a highly aggressive approach to playing that often sees players betting and raising with junk. It's not that I don't agree that the level of aggression is warranted, it's that I don't think that any one such strategy can be followed slavishly and to be successful you should incorporate ideas from many strategies. I certainly think that the tournament formula in this book will work much better in real casinos than online.
To give you an example, one strategy he would have you employ is open-raising from late position with any 2 cards. If you get called from the blinds and your opponent checks to you then bet half the pot. If he calls and checks the turn, bet half the pot again whether you have a hand or not. If he calls and checks the river then either bet half the pot again or shove all in if you have more than half your chips in the pot. The problem with this particular strategy is that at low level buy-ins, opponents will call you down with marginal hands and you will frequently lose on your total bluffs, at at higher level buy-ins, players at your table will let you do this once or twice and then either slow play or check-raise the hell out of you.
I do think that at a bricks and mortar casino the strategy described is much more likely to work as people play tighter at your local £20-30 week night tournament than they would in a $5-15 buy-in online simply because if they bust out they can't just join another game and will have to wait until (at least) tomorrow to play again.
This book offers many useful pieces advice on positional play and aggression and I agree with the author that other books such as the Harrington series do not adequately prepare you for blind levels that rise as fast as in the majority of low stakes tournaments. A complete guide of how to do well at these kind of blind speed would be very difficult to come up with since so much of the outcome will be determined by the cards you are dealt in the short space of time you have and this book makes a decent stab at setting you on the right track. However if you are looking for a complete formula that you can follow to success then you will be disappointed (if you are looking for this in any book you will be disappointed). I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could but the fact that I don't think many of the ideas can be applied to online play where there are plenty of opponents playing lose aggressively and willing to play back at you pulls it back to 3.
To give you an example, one strategy he would have you employ is open-raising from late position with any 2 cards. If you get called from the blinds and your opponent checks to you then bet half the pot. If he calls and checks the turn, bet half the pot again whether you have a hand or not. If he calls and checks the river then either bet half the pot again or shove all in if you have more than half your chips in the pot. The problem with this particular strategy is that at low level buy-ins, opponents will call you down with marginal hands and you will frequently lose on your total bluffs, at at higher level buy-ins, players at your table will let you do this once or twice and then either slow play or check-raise the hell out of you.
I do think that at a bricks and mortar casino the strategy described is much more likely to work as people play tighter at your local £20-30 week night tournament than they would in a $5-15 buy-in online simply because if they bust out they can't just join another game and will have to wait until (at least) tomorrow to play again.
This book offers many useful pieces advice on positional play and aggression and I agree with the author that other books such as the Harrington series do not adequately prepare you for blind levels that rise as fast as in the majority of low stakes tournaments. A complete guide of how to do well at these kind of blind speed would be very difficult to come up with since so much of the outcome will be determined by the cards you are dealt in the short space of time you have and this book makes a decent stab at setting you on the right track. However if you are looking for a complete formula that you can follow to success then you will be disappointed (if you are looking for this in any book you will be disappointed). I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could but the fact that I don't think many of the ideas can be applied to online play where there are plenty of opponents playing lose aggressively and willing to play back at you pulls it back to 3.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent book that shows you how to pick up hands when you have absolutly nothing.
A great book, easy to read and understand, though putting his strategies into practice takes some guts.
A must for all serious poker players who want to move up the ladder.
A great book, easy to read and understand, though putting his strategies into practice takes some guts.
A must for all serious poker players who want to move up the ladder.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good...but not so good.
Excellent writting and easy to understand.Good for bennigers...but it's overpast. If you search for online poker schools or articles,you see an evolution of the poker. Read more
Published on 17 April 2010 by Daniel
Explains why and how you play aggressive tournament poker
This book has a good explanation on how to utilize the three main weapons in poker: position, chips and .... (what was it????) ... cards. Read more
Published on 3 July 2009 by Trond
Understanding Tournament Speed
This book is an essential read for beginners and intermediates. Many players assume the only difference between online NLH tournaments to be the buy in cost and the size of the... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2009 by Mark Griffiths
Revolutionary
Hi,
This book was a revolution to me, the book opened my eyes and is my best ever investment into a poker book (and I have a few)
I am not going to describe... Read more
This book was a revolution to me, the book opened my eyes and is my best ever investment into a poker book (and I have a few)
I am not going to describe... Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2009 by Renaud Nicolas
ROFLMAO
Play looser in late position.There you go I saved you having to buy and read this book,as that is it period it covers nothing else.Buy the Harrington series instead.
Published on 10 Dec 2008 by Jayson
Dont bother with this
Compares poker to rock paper scissors! Bit random.
Also openly recites a lot of stuff that you can get from other books like Mike Caro.
Also openly recites a lot of stuff that you can get from other books like Mike Caro.
Published on 3 Dec 2008 by Michael Sneddon
Better than most....
Bought this book among about a dozen others and would recommend this book as it covers many of the intermediate topics of tournament play that other book merely pad out. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2008 by A. Cresswell
Something different
A well-written and persuasive book that provides a different way of thinking about the game and how to do well in tournaments than the more established classics (Harrington,... Read more
Published on 25 May 2008 by Devski
Make money - only not from poker!
This is another in a very long line of "improving your game" books whose titles cover any hobby/sport or pastime imaginable. Read more
Published on 9 April 2008 by Inkspot
A last a relevant book on Tournament Poker.
Nearly all tournament poker books provide an optimium strategy for the World Series of Poker tournament or a similarly structured event. I and 99. Read more
Published on 8 April 2008 by Pavlov's Dog
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
