Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
 The Perfect Place to Start Your Poker Education October 25, 2004
D. R. Jeanclerc (Brunswick, OH USA)
35 out of 36 found this review helpful
There's no debating that poker is a hot topic these days, and because of it, there's a lot of interest in learning about it. In this quest, lots of people will head straight for the "... For Dummies" series because it's familiar - they'll be making a bigger mistake than going all-in on a 2-7 offsuit.
"Poker: The Real Deal" is a well-rounded, very informative, easy-to-read and immensely entertaining book for the poker newbie. It covers a wide range of topics on poker, from the development of its variations throughout history, to the basics of strategy, to the lingo and customs needed to not look foolish at a casino or home game. This breadth of topics make it worth reading even if you're a moderately experienced player, but the true value is held for the novice.
Strategy is what most people will be looking for, and the strategy section is a definite strength, discussing the calculation of pot odds, the importance of position and the basics of valuing your hand strength vs. your read on that of others at the table. Does it cover strategy as in-depth as Sklansky and Malmuth's books or the classic "Super/System"? Of course not - that wouldn't be appropriate for the book's core audience. But the great thing about this book is that it contains very helpful passages from those books and points you to them if you'd like to get more information. Let's face it - most of us are just looking to keep up with our home games and occasional casino vacations, and this book works as a single-volume bookshelf that more than fits the needs of such a player. But again, if you envision yourself flipping the boss the bird and staking your claim as the next Greg Raymer, then "Poker: The Real Deal" will help you find all of the additional information necessary to start.
Online play is also covered, and while it's a good chapter, it's also (understandably) rather biased toward's Phil's affiliated website.
Many will buy or give this book based on Phil Gordon's recognition from Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown", and that's fine. His personal anecdotes add a lot to the readability of the book. Finally, it's even a physically attractive book printed on quality paper, even if it is a screwy size (very tall and narrow, making it more difficult than usual to hold open at the very beginning and end). Do you really want to host your first home game and have someone spot that atrocious yellow-and-black "Dummies" book on your shelf? Of course not.
If you're among the many who recently discovered poker via TV or the Internet but are buffaloed by the numerous books on taking your game to the next level, then your search is over - this is THE one book for you.
Poker in a nutshell October 6, 2004
Amy S. Douglas
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I've been playing poker for a number of years and recently felt the urge to start reading books in order to improve my game (too many bad beats for my pocket book). During the process, I've discovered that most talented poker players make horrible authors.
Phil Gordon, however, has broke the mold. The writing, structure and content in this book is excellent. All the material is useful, he explains a number of facets of the game that are not well covered in other books, and, he is humble enough to point you towards other works that better explain the remaining aspects of the game.
Finally, I've watched Phil play. After all these years, he maintains his wonderlust for the game and always behaves like a gentleman while winning and losing. That personnality comes through and makes the book that much more exciting.
Poker: The Real Deal is The Real Deal! January 26, 2005
Pokamillionaire
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
If you are new to the game of Hold'Em or an experienced player this book is definitely worth the time and money spent! Unlike the "advanced" books on poker, Phil Gordon did not mean for this to be a textbook, instead it's an introduction to the poker lifestyle. This book will help anyone take their game to the next level and I love Phil's humor as well as his other poker text recommendations. =)
Great Place to Start December 17, 2004
Rich Hill (Kansas City, MO)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The thing I like about this book is that it doesn't try to teach you how to play every situation. Rather, Phil opts to give you a general style of play and directs you to other books for the minutia and theory. As a beginner, I feel that I have a much better understanding of the game now than I did when I started reading the book. I also have a wish list full of must-read poker books. I also like how he caps every chapter by putting you in a Defining Moment situation, which may or may not have a clear-cut answer. He gets you to think about what you would do in that situation. Improving at poker is about getting that thought process going, not just reacting to cards. I feel that this book will pay for itself a hundred times over. I give it 5 bets on my 5 bet rating scale.
Humor, Thought, and Poker...What More Do You Need? December 21, 2004
Joel Nixon (San Antonio, TX)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a book which is at once funny and thought-provoking. Phil does an excellent job of explaining how Texas Holdem is played in a way which clearly describes the game to the novice, while not talking down to those who are more experienced at the game. In addition, he includes fun chapters on the history of the game, of Phil's own journey from poker novice to poker champion (I got a mental image of Phil going to the ATM at 3 in the morning that made me laugh), and of the various differences in the game of holdem. The wealth of information he included in the book is very suprising...he picked through numerous poker books and included the best ideas from each (crediting the authors for their work), and it was done in such a way to make you want to buy their books as well. One of my two favorite parts of the book, though, were the listings of websites for home games, websites for more poker strategy, the best poker rooms in the world, and the website created by Phil and his poker friends (tiltboys.com). My other favorite part of the book was the reader's hypothetical run in the World Series of Poker, and of the, well, idyllic way it ended, proving Phil has a VERY creative imagination too. All told, Phil Gordon writes as well as he plays poker, and smart poker players will buy this book and discover this for themselves. Thanks, Phil.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
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