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Here Phil Gordon takes the next step in his series of books, started with the Little Green Book (also reviewed, see thread). Like the earlier book, this is very readable for adults and there is zero 'talking down' dialogue, it is straight talk that comes across very 'person-to-person' so you never feel intimidated.

Even someone that has lost some money playing and is reaching for this book will find solid comfort in this small (portable), hardcover book (I like hardcover ) that opens up Phil's playbook for amateur players.

It really is a step up from the Little Green Book but remains (in the words of an old coot who bought it) a "God damned gold mine" of detailed poker playing information and poker lore. The old coot was upset that he actually learned something from this book, despite having played poker since (as he put it) "dinosaurs lived in Vegas".

Hand analysis is situational, not theoretical. This means that you are learning from actual hands. The treatment of different hands is well laid out, in an easy pictorial format. Some of the hands relate to the hard lessons that Phil himself learnt ... the hard way ... and you share Phil's pain as he gets bluffed, smashed, outdrawn, and dominated.

Unlike "the other Phil", Phil Gordon does not let ego rule the book. It is linear and precise, with enough humour and situational anger ... even a little sarcasm ... to make reading it enjoyable.

The situational origin also means you get snapshots of key hands in Phil's poker life, which are very instructive. He has a healthy sense of humour, as mentioned, which comes across well and adds to the book's readability.

I feel that this book is an absolute must for any improving poker player, if only to have a book you can go back to to "reset" your play when you get too loose and your earn rate starts slipping ... a very common occurance in poker players that play a lot IMHO.

Only give this book as a present to people that already play ... not rank beginners, since you do need familiarity with poker terms to read this book.

Small enough to qualify as "commute reading" on a train or subway.

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flintsword

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