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 Phil
Gordon is well known as a professional poker player, having appeared at final
tables both on the World Poker Tour and at events in the World Series of
Poker. For the last few years he's also been the poker expert on Bravo's
popular series Celebrity Poker Showdown. In this role Gordon has been
responsible for bringing poker knowledge to a wide audience that otherwise
might never have become interested in the game. It's this audience that his
book Poker: The Read Deal will appeal to the most.
Unlike many other poker titles available today, Poker: The Real Deal is
not a strategy book. To Gordon's credit, he doesn't try to compete with these
books by providing non-stop strategic advice the way he does on television.
Instead he has put together what might be called a "lifestyle" book, covering
a wide variety of topics relating to poker in a general manner. This general
approach does mean that some topics won't be covered in the depth that readers
might like to see, but Gordon often provides sources of more information when
his approach forces him to be brief. Newcomers to the game will appreciate not
being overloaded with strategy, and chances are they will also appreciate the
light tone of the book: a humorous touch is present throughout, making for a
very easy read.
Like any writer covering a rich topic in a general way, Gordon starts at the
beginning. The first chapter of the book gives readers a little history of the
game. He covers some of the origins of the game and follows it up to modern
times, including the legendary heads-up match between Nick "The Greek"
Dandalos and 3-time WSOP champion Johnny Moss,
Doyle Brunson's Super System,
and the cult classic movie Rounders. A short chapter follows covering
the basics of the game - the cards used, betting, and hand rankings - and then
it's straight into the game as it's played today.
"The First Day Of School," the next chapter in the book, introduces important
poker concepts such as expected value, hand selection, pot odds, implied odds,
position, and semi-bluffing. Following chapters on putting together a home
game and thinking like a poker player is an overview of online poker. This
chapter can be extremely useful for newer players who have never played for
real money in an online room before, as stepping into the world of online
poker can be intimidating to newcomers. Just as intimidating for new players
is playing in a brick-and-mortar card room, and Gordon gives this topic its
own chapter as well. Much of the advice in this chapter will be invaluable to
anyone visiting a casino poker room for the first time, especially the points
that touch on table etiquette, tipping, and card room quirks such as straddle
raises and kill pots. Other chapters covering no-limit
hold'em, moving up in
limits, tournament final tables, playing as a professional, and the World
Series of Poker round out the book.
Perhaps the most useful parts of the book come at the end of each chapter.
"Your Defining Moment" presents a table situation that relates to the subject
of the chapter it follows and puts the reader in position to make a decision.
These small quizzes not only sum up all the material presented in the
preceding chapter, but they also prepare new players for the main task
involved in poker: making decisions. Once the reader has made a choice, he can
read Gordon's expert advice on each situation and learn by comparing the pro's
answers to his own. A player learning his way through the game could do much
worse than revisiting these chapter-ending segments from time to time.
While the book may be a general look at many different aspects of poker, there
is enough specific advice contained in Poker: The Real Deal to help
newer players quickly improve their game. And this advice comes from a true
expert in the field, making it even more valuable. Phil Gordon has already
made a reputation for himself as a great poker player - along with his
television job, this book has begun to earn him a reputation as a great
teacher of the uninitiated. Those who don't seek more than they'll find in
this book should be pleased with what they find.
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