| Management Information Systems |
|
HomeShop at BookSurgeComputersManagement Information SystemsPressure Poker: Poker Strategy and Tools to Improve Your Game |
|  |
| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 13 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 Good Companion for the Online Poker Player Jul 20, 2006
By Damien Del Russo
I recently read through Pressure Poker, and I can honestly say I made some changes to my game as a result. I was impressed with how well it was all put together: the examples didn't have any errors, and I only found 1 typo in the entire thing (even the classic novels have more than that). It contains lots of useful information.
My only criticisms from the poker side are that the examples were not very precise and the section on tournament stack size, especially accounting for antes, was critically understated. However, this was more than made up for by the very specific information on PokerTracker, file structures, "following the fish", and the great site reviews. It's also more important because those topics are not covered in other books, while anyone can get more information on tournament stacks or the gap concept from Harrington or Sklansky.
In all, Pressure Poker makes a great companion to the existing poker literature. As "Ace on the River" is for the mature player, "Pressure Poker" is a good "young gun" book that can get a player set up on the Internet and provide some unique insights into current day Poker.
I would note that Pressure Poker is a much more nuts-and-bolts type of book than the name implies. Only one section is actually about pressuring your opponent. It is not anything like "Killer Poker", which is all about attitude. Pressure Poker is brimming with practical advice, with an emphasis on all factors surrounding the game that are necessary to get right in order to perform at your best.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Where's the Pressure? Nov 11, 2006
By River
"River"
The truth about this book lies somewhere between those early five star "publisher's fluff" reviews, and the guy who says the book is worthless. There is some good material in the book. I liked the discussion of the various software tools for online-poker. (Although much or all of this can be found on the internet.)
"Pressure Poker" is a technique or strategy that is currently a hot topic in the poker world. So you would think a book with this title would explore that topic rather throughly. Unfortunately there are only about 5 pages on that topic. So I felt the title was misleading.
People who have never played online poker before (a vast number of people) will find a lot of good intoductory material here. Those already in the know, may consider it to be filler. But I did find a few interesting ideas that I had not seen in print before. So I would not say the book is unoriginal.
Not a bad book. If it were priced comparably to other books of it's size, I could have given it 4 stars. But for the price, you can buy the great "Harrington on Holdem" and still have some change left...
14 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 You'll learn about more than just how to play Ace-Queen out of position. Jul 17, 2006
By A. Nardi
Probably the single most under-explored area of instruction in poker books is in the customization and enhancement of the online poker experience. I would assume that at any given moment there are at least twenty times the number of online players playing as there are seats filled in Vegas, Atlantic City, and all other card clubs worldwide. And aside from a few mentions in books like "Harrington on Hold 'Em" that Internet players are loose (and, as he infers, "fish"), there doesn't seem to be good advice in print for the capable player to use to help them get the most of the trout ponds of Party, Full Tilt and Poker Stars.
Scott Gallant's book contains that kind of advice. How to track your play and the play of others with an online database, how to tweak that database and output instant results to a heads-up display that overlays the online poker table, and how to interpret the results to have a better idea whether to make that call on a dangerous board with top pair will save/earn you a few big bets, so why aren't more people taking advantage? It's this type of advice and more that your average online player isn't thinking about. Gallant's book gives you the extra edge.
While there certainly is valuable poker strategy and illustrated hands, it's absolutely the way this book helps you take advantage of every key piece of information available to you as an online player that sets it apart from the rest. If you're looking for baseline beginner instruction to play Friday night poker with your buddies, this probably isn't it. But if you're interested in playing online - even as that same beginner - this book is essential.
If you're even semi-serious about online poker as a hobby, passing this book by for one of the old guard of poker tomes is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. Get this, pair it with the Dan Harrington books, and you'll have the weapons you need to jump in and start shooting.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Don't waste your time with this "book"... Nov 11, 2006
By Johnny A. Large
I own over 60 poker related books and dvd's and this is only the 2nd book I have ever sent back. It is just a compilation of information from other books, and a bunch of useless information (how to build a poker table?? don't they sell those in several stores??). Please save your money for one of the myraid other poker titles that will actually teach you something. It sure has a NICE TITLE, and a review from one of his friends, but don't let either sway you.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Fine, fine job, A's Dec 26, 2006
By Steve L. Botsko
I'm a pretty stubborn person and don't like to take advice from people, but this was the first poker book I bought since I got so much detailed and helpful advice from doubleas' blog site (it's still the only poker book I own). Yes, I lost $ when I started playing poker online, but have been much more successful since reading Scott's book. He does cover a lot of the basics, but also expands into the other realms of poker which most people should find interesting. There is no such thing as the perfect book, so I'm not sure what some of the complaints are about. If you aren't interested in a certain portion of the book...just skip it...there are plenty of other interested readers who would enjoy the topic you are unintersted in anyway. So hats off to Scott for covering a wide-range of poker and including his buddies in the guest chapters. I find that very honorable, unlike someone else commented. Best of all, the book contains his strategies that have made him, and countless other players, successful poker players. If you don't find the book helpful, or think it's "useless", or even sent it back, then you're not understanding it's content well and not appreciating what the book can do for you.
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
| | |
|
|
