Book Review: Play Like the Pros

[UglyJimStudly 0]

Maybe someone can give me an intelligible answer to this question. Everyone is dissing Phil's book, especially the limit hold 'em section, because they propose that Phil calls for super-tight play. My question is: What's wrong with tight play??

Generally nothing, but specifically in this case his hand list has some problems (IMHO). For example, pocket pairs as low as 7s are one of his top 10 hands for "supertight" play, and he recommends playing them pretty much regardless of position and betting patterns. That can get beginning players into some trouble. He also doesn't do a good job of letting players know how rare his top 10 hands are - it's quite possible to sit down at a B&M game for an hour or two and get zero playable hands, following his rules.Another problem with his advice is it's focused on games where TPTK is often the dominant hand and raising to protect that hand works. Most low-limit games are sufficiently loose that TPTK isn't necessarily all that great, and depending on the table you might actually lose money pushing it too hard.

[digitalmonkey 929]

Play Poker Like the Pros was the first poker book I purchased.

[Shadow 0]

I like his aggressive style very much. I think it can be used in low-limit too, but you have to adapt it a little.I started with that book and the hands I play are still based on his reccomendations. But I made several adjustments after reading Sklansky, SS2 etc.But I feel better this way then if I had to build my strategy on Sklansky first.And if you read Jennifer Harman's section in SS2 there is one thing she repeats and repeats: Aggression!But I agree with Daniel that using his style by the book might get you in trouble. You pay a price for aggression: Even if you raised pre-flop - if you missed the flop completely it is time to fold and say goodbye to you initial investment. This results in bigger pots to win, but bigger swings due to a lot of failed attempts.It will pay off, but only if you can fold consequently. If you are the type of player who likes to fight for the "money invested" even if you are only second best than indeed his strategy will get you in trouble.

[Monster_Josh 0]

Love it Love it Love, I hope to work with Phil in some of his future projects.I was a pretty good Hold Em player before I read the book, PPLP got rid of the kinks.

[Rocketwadster 0]

Today I tried playing nothing but his top ten hands, I played three hands in five hours at the table. I lost all three.   :doh:

The biggest problem with playing the top ten hands only is that you will suffer (seemingly) more bad beats. Give it some time, and I am sure that your winnings will catch up and surpass your losings. :wink:

[Monster_Josh 0]

Today I tried playing nothing but his top ten hands, I played three hands in five hours at the table. I lost all three. :doh:

The biggest problem with playing the top ten hands only is that you will suffer (seemingly) more bad beats. Give it some time, and I am sure that your winnings will catch up and surpass your losings. :wink:

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! For sheezie off the heezie.

[Donkey 0]

I agree with Daniel's assessment. It was the first book i purchased. It gave a good foundation, and his animal types helped me to begin to read people, and act based on their styles. If his no limit section were larger, it would be a MUCH better book. His omaha section was also surprisingly informative. For limit it was just too agressive, especially at low limits where some of those donkeys will never fold their gutshot.

[Weasle 0]

Like several who have posted here, it was the first book I read. I bought it along with Super Systems (the original) and after reading through the first part of the NL section of SS I felt it was a slow read because I found myself having to look back over things as I my only foundation for poker was what I had picked up from personal experience.Hellmuth's book reads very quick and easy. There's a lot on which he could expand, but I think that would take away from the value he gets from it being so easy to read and implement quickly. Like Rich mentioned, he was able to read the beginner's section and immediately correct some of his mistakes and take the opportunity to observe while not in hands due to the tight nature of his game. I think many people who already have a good foundation in poker devalue Phil's book because they think it makes you too tight as a beginner. The whole purpose of his tight Top 10 strategy is to give you plenty of opportunities to observe and pick up on your opponents' plays so that when you expand to the intermediate and advanced play of LHE you have those skills under your belt.Like Rich, I initially did very well after reading Phil's book. Unfortunately its aggressive approach can cost you a lot if you miss too many hands, or make poor post-flop decisions. Phil's goal is to put you in a position to win big pots and establish yourself as the aggressor at the table. Like DN stated, I think this works much better in a Tournament Situation than at cash games because people will turn into calling stations when they figure out your style. Since they've invested so much preflop, many times, they're correct in calling it down based on the pot odds and implied odds they are getting (which Phil doesn't go into much at all). I would recommend this book to any new poker player as a starting point. Read it once...play for a month or two til you feel comfortable in that style, come back and reread the intermediate and advanced LHE sections because I guarantee you will find things you were doing wrong. Play another month or two under that system and if you play with any regularity, move directly to Small-Stakes Hold Em by Sklansky, Miller, and Malmuth. I played for over a year under Phil's system and started losing money over the long run at the low stakes tables. I can't refute what DN says about this strategy in the higher limit games since I've never played them, but I can say that over the long-run it doesn't seem to work well in low limit. I just got SSHE last monday. I have read all the way through the post-flop play section and hope to finish the river chapters this weekend. I can't tell you how much of a difference it has made in my game. The one thing I can say about SSHE is that if I read it out of the gates, I'd wouldn't have been able to digest half of what I've been reading. Even now I find myself having to adjust my game because I took something out of context or forgot how that particular situation should be played. SSHE tames the aggression that Phil advocates to the level that is very successful in low limit games.Like others I also found the chapters on Omaha 8/b, Razz, and 7 stud to be well written and put you in a great position to be successful in those games. I have a home game I play in where we often play dealer's choice (every once in a while someone will call some crazy stuff like 3 5 7 or follow the queen, but that's less than 1% of the time). I love it when a friend of mine calls Razz (or when I call it) because I don't think anyone in that room besides him and me know any level of strategy in that game. I owe that all to Phil's Razz section.Also, if you made it through this far, I have read the SS chapters on NLHE and LHE and after reading Phil's book, found it to read much easier and that Doyle adds a lot more finese to his aggression...didn't want anyone to take my comment about SS out of context.

[greatwhite 0]

It's only good if you want to get familiar with the games.

[ChrisK 0]

Haha, I wish I had read this post sooner.I bought Phil's "Texas Hold'em" book, which are just the hold'em chapters from "play like the pros".I took his advice on how to play limit.....and got killed.Raising to "get information" doesn't work when the person calls with anything, all it tells you is he/she could have anything.I think most of Phil's success comes from talents that can not be taught.The section on No Limit Touranment play basically said nothing that wasn't totally obvious. I was already doing most of those "techniques" without ever reading a book on poker in my entire life.I feel like recommending this book to my friends, so I can beat them more often!

[greatwhite 0]

If I were you guys I would skip the hold'em section. The rest of the book is ok, but the hold'em section is terrible. He suggests to cap with hands like a pair of sevens. We all know why Phil isn't a famous cash game player now.

[nafxosder 0]

First poker book I ever read. It was ok.

[project240 0]

Good book for a beginner wanting to learn hand values?

[boyitalia 0]

Playing 6-12 hold em in a nor cal pokerrom, I can see where DN is coming from. It is way too loose of a game t try all of those isolation tactics or post flop raising to "get information" Limit hold'em is all about pot odds and reading your opponents. I would say Lee jones book on low limit hold em is much better for limit players. Good book for tourny play though.

[BigDawgBuuck 0]

I started reading this book the other day. I am about 1/4 of the way through and am hoping to learn something eventually towards the end...

[UncleBill 0]

Not nearly as good as Harrington's or TJ's books. I'm glad I borrowed it from a friend, instead of buying it.

[socalpoker_j 1]

Never bothered to pick this book up, when's DN's new book supposed to hit shelves?

[compncards 0]

This book is great for Limit Holdem tourneys. Low level cash games....this book is next to useless in most games in my opinion. I hope to run across the people that play stud hi lo according to this book. While it it ok....I think it makes stud hi lo players too loose in some aspects, too tight in others.

[David_Nicoson 1]

It's crap.

[fleung22 1]

I truly believe that if you read this book and follow the principals closely it could help you advance in tournament poker. However, try these same principals and you basically have no chance for success in cash games. The book stresses brute aggression and isolation tactics that are simply ineffective in most cash games. (I'll add more later)

It's probably a matter of opinion but I've been waiting for two years and still no more!

[trippkelly 0]

Wow. There should be a poll somewhere. What was the first poker book you read. I have to agree with a LOT of the posters. Yes, this was my first poker book. Wonder why that is? Well, for me...I think it was because it was what I found at the library. And I knew who Phil was from TV. If there's one thing Phil can do...it's marketing. LOL!

[Balloon guy 158]

Greatest Poker Book everCash games are overrated

[mrdeeds 0]

This was actually my second book, behind Gary Carson's The Complete Book of Hold'em Poker. It is a decent book for a beginner, but I would recommend Phil Gordon's Little Green Book and Harrington's book for more indepth strategic play. Hellmuth does have some good stories as well.

[Ec5 0]

Wow. There should be a poll somewhere. What was the first poker book you read. I have to agree with a LOT of the posters. Yes, this was my first poker book. Wonder why that is? Well, for me...I think it was because it was what I found at the library. And I knew who Phil was from TV. If there's one thing Phil can do...it's marketing. LOL!

Ah yes, I also lost my poker book virginity with Phil as well, and I also got it from the library. I remember that one of his starting hand charts was missing a hand. I think it was the Omaha (High) Starting hand chart? I think he missed Q-Q-J-J, it should be hand #19. If might be a different chart, but I know he missed one somewhere.I also watched his Dvd's but only liked the tournament one, because of his entertaining stories about how great he is. I'm also hoping that he has some funny comments in the new WSOP video game, due out in late September. He plugged it on PAD. Yes, he is a master marketer. He could probably sell sand to the Middle East.

[RailBird32 0]

Play poker like the pros is the most underated poker book in poker book history. I read both supers system's; the theory of poker; Limit hold'em for the advanced player, and a johnny chan book, and I have to say Phil's theory towards hold'em is above the rest. After all he is probably the best texas hold'em player in history. His personal insight into the book will help all crops of players.