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This outstanding book has chapters from some of the best young players in the world.

In the first chapter Evelyn Ng outlines a solid strategy for beginners. The 'Missing with AK' section is informative, but basically, she is advocating no-nonsense 'hammer and anvil' poker .

The next chapter by Todd Bruson (Winning at High Limit Cash Games) is a fun read and the discussion on dominated hands is thought provoking.

Erick Lindgren (Playing No Limit Hold'em online) wrote a good section. Initially I thought it was a little light in material but now that I've had time to think about it ... the subject is huge and deserves a book just on the subject.

Paul Wasicka (Short Handed online No Limit Hold'em) gives a short (about 20 pages) set of hints about short-handed play. He is a great, steady player that has that 'learning/improving cloak' perpetually around his shoulders when he talks and when he plays.

David Williams (Mixing up your game) is thought provoking in his comments and frankly, I am having a hard time extracting good direction from this chapter. I shrug my shoulders and will read it again but it was a good read.

The crown jewel of the book: "Small Ball Poker" by Daniel Negreanu.

Small Ball poker is an active method of playing poker that is not for beginners, but makes a lot of sense. Explained in a down-to-Earth way, Daniel walks you through the ideas with real examples. Lots of them. A healthy sense of humour makes this book flow, unlike most other ponderous poker books that spend a lot of time in self-promotion.

You can tell that Daniel spent a lot of time and TLC writing this book, urged on by his assistant Patty no doubt, reminding him to keep writing , but the result is solid platinum.

I took this book with me on a two week vacation (to Turks & Caicos no less ) and although Daniel says in the forward to read the book from beginning to end ... I went right to the Small Ball chapter first. Afterwards I read the book from beginning to end.

Back to the crown jewel of the book, Daniel's 180+ pages on Small Ball, it rocks .

IMHO it is required reading for any improving poker player. I am planning a third read in a month.

If you are a poker player seeking to improve your game, this book is a solid addition to your learning curve.

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flintsword

"The lucky player is usually the player that knows how much to leave to chance."

Blog www.myspace.com/flintsword

Thanks for another great review, I'll have to check out this book. Daniel is a great player, he pushes alot of small edges and plays non-standard hands to extract max value.

His only real flaw, is an overtendency to gamble with hands in the wrong spot (especially when stuck), and he doesn't trust his reads which most of the times are spot on.


Jason

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I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !