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Ace on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide
Barry Greenstein
Last Knight Publishing Company
- Lowest new price: $25.00
- Lowest used price: $13.28
Average customer rating:
Too much discussion from Barry about what a great person he is...
If you wan't to hear Barry go on and on about how great he is (in a cleverly modest way) then this is the book for you. It does contain useful poke info directed at high level players but it has too much stuff about how Barry donates to charity. Certainly not critizing him for donating to charity - just don't want to read about it in a poker book....
Introspection into a poker pro...
Let me start of by saying that this is not your typical poker book. If you are looking to solely improve your game, look elsewhere.. like Brunson's Super System or Slansky's Theory of Poker. This is his life story and how Barry came about becoming a poker pro. There arent too many books that offer this kind of social aspect of the poker world. After reading this book, I feel like I know Barry inside out, why he is such a respected character in the poker world today. He also does offer some nice advice how to prosper in the poker world. If you are considering becoming a full time poker pro... THIS IS A MUST READ!
Not what I was looking for
I found the pictures nice but lacking in substance pertaining to NLH. 2/3 of the book was about Barry's biography.
I read this book and became a winning player.
This book is filled with practical information that will be valuable to intermediate and advanced players. Barry Greenstein is a very intelligent and sensitive person. He has written a book about how to play certain problem hands, the other players and how to manage your own life as a poker player.
His chapter on poker society helped me get into the minds of the people who play this game a lot more often than I do.
The hand examples go over the most common tricky situations you find yourself in at the table. I think the information contained in this part of the book helped me overcome a serious flaw in my own game and make the transition from being an inconsistent player to a winning one. There was also something about his general poker and personal philosophy that really clicked with me.
I had been struggling at the intermediate level for a few months at the time i read this book. Immediately afterwards I became aware of some of the situations where I was donking off chips and began to avoid them and winning (of folding) in the same situations.
The charts in the back of the book showing certain hand match-ups, number of outs, and winning percentages will give you something to chew on after you finish the book.
Without the illustrations and photos, this would be a thin book but the value of what is written in is very high. This is clearly a case of quality over quantity.
I see Mr. Greenstein at our local casinos from time to time. I am going to start keeping this book in my car so I can have him sigh it. I'd also like to thank him personally.
Still an Enigma
Having watched Barry Greenstein on the World Poker Tour over the years, and then reading about his part in the Andy Beal versus the top tier of high stakes poker pros in the highest stakes games in history story (read about that in "The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King), I just had to get this book. Based on what I knew about him he definitely was an enigmatic character to me. After reading the book he's still enigmatic. Why he gives away his poker tournament earnings is a mystery still.
Anyway, if you think you might buy it, please note that the subtitle of the book (An Advanced Poker Guide) is misleading. You'd expect the book to be a poker instructional manual based on that. It isn't. The play lessons comprise only part of the book.
What it is: a fascinating insight into the society of pro poker players. If you have a fantasy of becoming a pro, definitely worth reading.
For the rest of us, it's an entertaining and fun read but unlikely to help you at the table.
The book is nicely designed with great photos.