Tournament books

These days we are spoilt for choice when it comes to high-tech poker tools and training media, from videos and forums all the way through to boot camps and mentor programs. However, the continued publication and success of poker literature shows that people still value good old-fashioned books as a valid training tool. More so than other media, books can provide an in-depth and comprehensive insight into the thought processes of the world’s finest players.

This group test concentrates on books that will help your no-limit hold’em tournament play. And with the 2008 WSOP main event under way, it seemed only right to choose books authored by former world champions. The authors of the four books have a combined 43 World Series bracelets to their names, including six main event championships.

Volume 1 from the Harrington on Hold’em series concentrates purely on tournament strategy, and is widely considered a must-read. Doyle Brunson’s Super System 2 is not a specialist no-limit hold’em tournament book, but we’ve included it because of its weighty reputation and the fact that it’s authored by a two-time main event champion.

The newest book is The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition, which brings together 12 top tournament pros, each giving their expert insight into a specific aspect of tournament play. And to round off our test we have Championship No-limit and Pot-limit Hold’em, the collaboration from poker legends T.J. Cloutier and Tom McEvoy. Each book will be assessed on three qualities: a) Is it well structured?; b) Do you need a PhD to understand it?; c) Is the advice in it applicable to real-life situations?

HARRINGTON ON HOLD’EM Volume 1 – Rating 4.75/5

by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie

STRUCTURE
In this classic volume, Harrington takes you through all the possible stages that make up a tournament poker hand and devotes a chapter to each. Every new subject is thoroughly discussed and explored, then illustrated through a series of quiz-style problems ranging from simple to advanced.

COMPREHENSIBILITY
Although a percentage of the theories and topics explained are advanced, Harrington has written them in such a way that potentially difficult maths concepts relating to outs and odds are easily understood.

PRACTICALITY
The first thing to note is that even with very little poker experience there is still a huge amount to learn from this book. The book advocates a TAG (tight-aggressive) approach combined with the basics of ABC poker, which as Harrington demonstrates can be a very successful formula for winning tournaments.

The many examples and problems help to keep you interested, as you aren’t always simply faced with large chunks of text and you see the effectiveness of each theory as you go. A huge number of concepts are covered, from the most basic to the most advanced, and the advice is relevant whether you’re playing in the smallest online tournament or the World Series main event.

VERDICT
This book is ideal for any level of player who is looking to improve their tournament poker. It’s easy to digest and contains a wealth of invaluable material.

OVERALL RATING
Advantages: Excellent problems, thorough explanations, massive array of topics covered, very well presented
Disadvantages: An expensive proposition if you decide to get all three books in the series
Final rating: 9.5/10
Price: £16.95

SUPER SYSTEM 2 – Rating 2/5

by Doyle Brunson (plus various contributors)

STRUCTURE
Super System 2 includes a short section on tournament poker but nothing except the most basic ideas are introduced. The chapter makes for an interesting read about what to expect over the course of a week in a typical live major event but fails to teach anything of much worth.

COMPREHENSIBILITY
The tournament overview is very basic and goes into no great detail about how to play hands. It covers only the most simple strategy so there is no great knowledge of poker required to grasp what is being explained.

PRACTICALITY
If you are looking to become a more successful no-limit hold’em tournament player this is not the book for you. All it offers is a six-page overview of what it takes to win a major live tournament. It talks about how to manage and maintain a good stack and includes a few basic theories and principles. The rest of the book is very useful if you are interested in learning the other variants of poker and becoming more of an all-rounder. Although Brunson himself wrote the no-limit hold’em ring-game section, the majority of the concepts and strategies are far too aggressive for tournament play.

VERDICT
A classic book and still a must-read if you’re interested in learning the basic strategies of the different poker variants. But if you are solely looking to become a winning tournament player, give this one a miss.

OVERALL RATING
Advantages: A lot of good advice relating to almost every imaginable variant of poker
Disadvantages: Tiny section on tournament no-limit hold’em games
Final rating: 4/10
Price: £22.95

THE FULL TILT POKER STRATEGY GUIDE – Rating 4.5/5

(Tournament Edition) edited by Michael Craig

STRUCTURE
A very interesting collection of small, dense chapters covering an array of different tournament strategies and scenarios, from hand selection to heads-up play. A different Full Tilt pro writes each chapter, so you learn many different ways that top players approach tournaments.

COMPREHENSIBILITY
In parts this book is heavy going but you won’t need a PhD to understand the majority of the principles explained. Although many of the topics covered do require previous poker knowledge, each section is accompanied by plenty of examples to help explain things.

PRACTICALITY
This book offers a unique insight into tournament strategy, with several top players including Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch giving their opinions on what they feel is the optimal style. Although many of the concepts covered are relatively basic, the pros look at each scenario from an advanced perspective and offer anecdotes to illustrate their points. With such a variety of styles on offer, the book allows you to pick and choose the ideas that best suit your game. The second half of the book also contains several useful chapters on variants other than no-limit hold’em.

VERDICT
An excellent book for new and advanced players interested in learning a few concepts they might not have come across before, from an impressive collection of pros.

OVERALL RATING
Advantages: Lots of different views, short interesting chapters, good examples
Disadvantages: Some complex and advanced sections; half the book is not relevant to no-limit hold’em
Final rating: 9/10
Price: £15.95

CHAMPIONSHIP NO-LIMIT AND POT-LIMIT HOLD’EM – Rating 4/5

by T.J. Cloutier and Tom McEvoy

STRUCTURE
Cloutier and McEvoy are both highly experienced players and this book is good evidence of that. It’s written in such a way that it intertwines a narrative style with a teaching one, and the anecdotes that accompany the complex strategy help break up the text.

COMPREHENSIBILITY
This book contains a lot of information, but the majority of it is clear and well explained, and there’s a helpful ‘problems’ section in the second half of the book. Some parts of the book are more advanced but there is very little maths involved.

PRACTICALITY
This book offers an insight into two of poker’s most successful tournament minds, while at the same time teaching you everything you need to know to play effective tournament poker. Covering both pot-limit and no-limit tournament play, the book looks at everything from tournament mindset all the way through to knocking out the last player.

The problems section goes into further detail, explaining how to play a range of hands in different positions and at different stages of a tournament. The strategies explained in this book are all relevant and useful, regardless of the type of tournament you are playing in.

VERDICT
A very good book for any level of player. It offers good value for money, and will definitely improve your tournament play.

OVERALL RATING
Advantages: Thorough explanations, good selection of topics, good examples
Disadvantages: Half the book relates to pot-limit hold’em, lack of thorough endgame strategy
Final rating: 8/10
Price: £19.95

All books available on highstakes.co.uk

AND THE WINNER IS… HARRINGTON ON HOLD’EM!

In Harrington on Hold’em Volume 1, ‘Action Dan’ has managed to walk that difficult line between offering expert strategy and presenting it in an easily digestible way. You’d be hard-pressed to find any pro who has not read at least a few chapters – which makes it pretty essential reading for the amateur player. Probably the best £17 you’ll ever spend.