PRO POKER SCHOOL Learn Before You Earn

Poker Review

Review by Aaron Bartley

Tournament Poker' is one of the best reference books that a tournament player can own. While it does not go into as much detail as books like The Theory of Poker, it contains tons of information on a broad range of tournament topics. It also provides a very good "jumping off" place for every tournament player to begin or continue their thought process about the game.

Tournament Poker For Advanced Players by David Sklansky is geared towards good ring-game players, who are looking to add tournaments to their repertoire. Advanced tournament players can glean enough information from this book to warrant buying it, but the book is of invaluable importance to the poker player who simply haven't given tournament poker much thought before.

The biggest and most important concept in Sklansky's book is the "gap concept". Basically, he says that you need a better hand to call a bet than you need to make a bet. This rings so true, as it plays into an aggressive player's style. Many aggressive players just take for granted that their style of play works, and don't think about the rationalization behind their aggressive style. It is always important to understand why something works, and not just be content to do what you perceive works for you. By gaining a deeper understanding of poker in general, you will become a much more efficient tournament poker player.

Another solid section of the book is one that addresses game theory, especially as it relates to bluffing. Basically, Sklansky shows the mathematical formula behind maximizing your EV with bluffs. By putting your opponent on a hand, and by finding the odds that the pot is laying your opponent to call a bet, and then by only bluffing that exact percentage of the time, you are maximizing the EV of making that bet. Sklansky shows a very easy way to do this, by picking a range of cards (equal to the odds that the pot is laying the opponent) and then bluffing only when one of those pre-determined cards falls. This is a great tool for all tournament players, and works especially well in all limit tournaments.

This book, along with a multitude of others (Theory of Poker, Tao of Poker, etc.) are must haves. This brings up a very interesting point-one of the major things that separates the winning tournament poker players from the dominating tournament poker players. You must use poker books as a stepping off point, NOT as a final destination. If you only read these books, and then repeat the knowledge in route memorization, you aren't increasing your knowledge of tournament poker, and any advanced player will be able to crush you.

You must play tournaments consistently with an open mind, thinking proactively about the game and about your opponents. The concepts in this book are very important, but you shouldn't simply take them as fact and move on. You should learn them and try to apply them to your own game! Each individual has a different playing style that suits him/her. Some are more aggressive, some are tight. Use the tips, and adapt them to your personal game winning style.