Doyle Brunson's Super System: A Course in Power Poker, 3rd Edition

There is more than a little truth to this accusation. Poker is an ever-evolving superset of games with the individual games changing over time as the players learn how one game and then another should be played. Write a revealing book and the old games disappear more quickly and the "rocks" have to learn the new game in order to continue to make a living. Today's most important games are hold'em and seven card stud. Both are covered in this book, hold'em quite extensively.

What sets Brunson's Super/System apart from other poker books is first the prestige and celebrity of the writers, especially Doyle himself, but also Bobby Baldwin (also a World Champion); David "Chip" Reese, Doyle's expert on seven-card stud; Joey Hawthorne on Low-Ball; David Sklanski on Hi-Low; and Mike Caro (MJC) on draw poker. I used to play with Sklanski and MJC back in the sixties in Gardena when the only legal game in the California clubs was draw poker, both lowball and jacks or better. Sklanski has gone on to be one of the game's great theoreticians and the author of several excellent books on poker. Caro, known as "the Mad Genius of Poker," has formed his own "Poker University" and is partly responsible for this book's republication, and has become quite a poker entrepreneur.

Second, there is the comprehensive coverage of the games from five card draw to no limit hold'em. Not everything is explained and some of the tricks are held back. Reese in particular, in his chapter on seven-card stud is somewhat reticent. He presents a tight strategy that is sound but withholds more aggressive strategies that, in the proper hands, would make more money.

By the way, "no limit" really means table stakes since you are NOT, as is sometimes seen in the movies, allowed to go to the bank and get some money when you hold a killer hand! In fact, no limit is really no different than pot limit expect that instead of being restricted to the amount of the pot when betting, one can, if one so chooses, push in one's entire stack. THAT does make for some interesting psychological situations! One of Doyle Brunson's main points in this book is the huge difference between set limit poker as played in the clubs and indeed as played for the so-called world championship, and no limit poker as played by the rich and the top professionals. The latter game is much more of a psychological game in that you can lose pot after small pot and yet come out ahead by winning one great big monster, and also because it takes a lot of nerve to either call a huge bet or to make a huge bet. Furthermore as you're playing along you have to be aware that at any moment the pot can suddenly mushroom to gigantic proportions. Because of these psychological factors, some of the top players at limit have never been able to make a satisfactory jump to the no limit game. In Brunson's case, he actually was adept at no limit long before he became a top limit player.

Third, there are the brilliant caricatures of the players by Stan Hunt. Just to see those again in print is worth the price of the book.

Fourth are the poker odds and statistics by Mike Caro. Believe me they are completely accurate. I and a number of others players checked and rechecked them, hoping to catch MJC in an error. No such luck! I was a little disappointed that Mike chose to recall an odds story that showed him in the right, because I, among a very small number of people, actually did beat him out of a twenty dollar bet in the sixties on some odds we were discussing. Of course Mike would "give away" money just to support his carefully cultivated image as a "madman." One of his most notorious "plays" at draw was to pretend to have a pat hand, raise the opener, and then not bet after the draw and just show down his nothing hand, thereby giving away the pot. I mean eyebrows raised and heads shook incomprehensibly at this totally "irrational" play. Yet it worked because people then would call him when he really had something.

Caro was also an expert on poker tells. He wrote a book on the subject. He would, when playing, do parodies of the other players by betting and acting as they would in an exaggerated way. Sometimes he actually did unconscious parodies of himself.

Doyle Brunson on the other hand loved the psychological struggle and just being in action. In his prime he was arguably the world's best player at both limit and no limit hold'em. He had nerves of steel and an intensely competitive nature and a deep obsessive love of the game. He overpowered his opponents with a constant energy that was always, always pushing. He had a few tricks and his knowledge of the game was among the best, but perhaps his greatest gift was his ability to bet when he knew the other guy would toss in.

What you can learn from this book about poker is really almost priceless. Even though this book is definitely dated (and today's stars are a different breed) nonetheless there is wealth of information here for the casual as well as the professional player. This is, in my opinion, still the best how-to book on poker ever written.


A Great Set of Lessons   February 22, 2004
Jags (ND, United States)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

A few years ago while sitting at home sick, I happened to turn on ESPN and saw a no-limit hold'em game. I believe it was a head's up game between humberto brenes and erik seidel. Nonetheless, after watching the two battle for an hour, I was hooked. I talked to a friend who I knew played poker the next day and he told me to read this book super system by Doyle Brunson. I tried reading through the sections, but couldn't take in much of it simply because I didn't understand all that went into the game. Soon after, I proceeded to start playing 2/4 and 3/6 hold'em at a local casino. I spent the next year losing 90% of the time. It was after that year that I re-read super system and truly began to appreciate all the knowledge it offered. I never once thought about tells, about positioning and how it related to raising and calling, or simply what constituted a playable hand from a horrible hand from a great hand. After I had re-read the book, I had a firm grasp on the game and began to win consistently. Sometimes a mere $40 or $50, sometimes hundreds. Buy this book, play a little on your own for very low stakes and then read whatever section it is that interests you. If you have an interest in poker, my experience with myself and others suggests this is the best way to go about learning the game effectively.


I gave it a five because i couldn't give it an 11   March 4, 2004
Dave Sciamarelli (Salisbury, Maryland United States)
19 out of 23 found this review helpful

I'm a 19 year old college student and considered myself a good hold'em player. Then i heard about this book and decided to read it. Since then, i've been winning over $1000/semester. People may say this book is outdated, but i don't care this is the best book i've read so far (out of 5). Do not do what this book says to the T, use what it teaches and mold your game from it... Books are simply roadmaps, but you are the driver. The knowledge i have learned from this book set my basic roadmap of how to play hold'em, and i feel I have made myself an incredible strategy that branches off, this is simply a must read...


This Book is AMAZING   October 19, 2005
Chris L. Smith (Harrodsburg, Ky USA)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

I can't even begin to say enough good things about this book. I concentrate on playing texas hold em, which is only one of the many games covered in this book. While this book is nearly three decades old, its contents are invaluable. My game has improved ten fold. Since reading it I have been on a constant winning swing. You can learn many valuable tips with this book that will help you win more money and lose minimal amounts when the luck is against you. I recommend this book to ANY serious poker player. It's a must have. They call it the Poker Bible for a reason. GET IT.


The Original Poker Book   August 26, 2006
Matthew Patty (Rhode Island)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

If you're a poker player and you haven't read this book then just remember, all the other players around you have. It's a great book particularly Chip Reese's section on stud. The classic chapter, Doyle's No Limit musings is also a must read for serious players. However, a few things should be noted by any reader not wanting to lose half their bankroll in the first hour after digesting the material. 1. Doyle is famous for his uncanny reading ability. When he talks about being willing to "take the worst hand sometimes" he doesn't mean that you should just start pushing all in any time you flop a gut shot draw. 2. For his whole adult life he's played in the highest stakes games on Earth. Many of the concepts about aggression only apply if your opponenets are willing to fold certain hands. In uber Low Limit poker with unskilled fish abound it's extremely difficult to apply Doyle's concepts. 3. The game has changed alot since
Doyle's day when most pro's considered pocket queens to be "a small pair". In other words relating to #2 on my list, semi bluffing as he teaches it is a much trickier art than it used to be. Although this is a great book, ultimately it will only help you if learn how to read players and not just words.