From there, a few game-specific titles from 2+2 publishing came out through the 90s, followed by Super System 2 in 2005, a very thorough nearly 700-page effort by Ken Lo titled A Poker Player’s Guide to Mixed Games in 2014, and most recently Chris Wallace and the Mizrachi brothers’ 2022 release, Getting Started with HORSE.

Each of these books has its merits, but what I and many others feel is the must-read for comprehensive mixed game information is Mastering Mixed Games by Dylan Linde, first published in 2019.

For those unfamiliar with Linde’s extensive resume, his Hendon Mob profile lists over $6.6 million in career tournament earnings in No-Limit Hold ‘em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and of course a litany of mixed games. He’s a WPT champion, a WSOP bracelet winner in Mixed Omaha, and has multiple big scores and victories in high-roller events.

Linde is one of poker’s best and most well-rounded players, but his love and knowledge of mixed games are what he’s chosen to share with the poker world, and Mastering Mixed Games (MMG) is a book that can be appreciated by both those just dipping their toes into the mixed game waters, and by experienced players alike.

Mastering Mixed Games: What’s Inside?

While books may have taken a back seat to online content when it comes to poker training over the years as people’s time has become more and more valuable, I can absolutely recommend MMG for not just the quality of content throughout, but because that content is laser-focused and very consumable. If there are criticisms to be made of previously written content on mixed games, it’s that they can be like a Michael Bay movie in that if you shave a good 20 minutes to a half-hour from it in the edit suite, you get an infinitely more watchable movie.

Coming in at a very readable 304 pages, with no game-specific section more than 42 pages long, Mastering Mixed Games is the equivalent of a smash-and-grab 90-minute thrill ride, with no wasted words throughout.

Those sections are separated within the formats of flop games, stud games, and draw games, with all games covered listed below.

Flop games:

• Limit Hold ‘em
• Limit Omaha 8 or Better
• Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better (40 BB Cap)

Stud Games:

• 7 Card Stud
• Razz
• 7 Card Stud 8 or Better

Draw Games:

• 2-7 Triple Draw
• Badugi
• Badeucey and Badacey

Single Draw Game:

• No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw (40 BB Cap)

Each section has a brief introduction explaining the rules of the game being discussed before getting to the heart of the lessons. A short quiz with answers and explanations follows at the end of each section.

As mentioned, Linde’s teachings of each game are incredibly efficient and well-written. There are no skippable pages anywhere. Consistent lessons in each game include opening ranges by position, playing versus raises and three-bets, the importance of playing to scoop in split pot games, types of hands that play better heads-up versus multi-way, and strategies for every street of play within a hand, be it flop, turn, and river; 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd draw; or 3^rd-7^th streets.

Dylan Linde with his book

Something that is illustrated very effectively throughout Mastering Mixed Games is how close equities run in many spots, no matter the game. As such, equity comparisons are shown throughout, providing visual and mathematical examples including variations of hands showing how what may appear to be a slight difference in hand strength can have a notable impact on its value. In particular, I found the various equity comparisons included in the Stud and Draw games sections to be very helpful.

With each section clocking in at roughly 20-40 pages, readers can quickly navigate the book to study the specific game they want and get an intense yet easily understood lesson in a very reasonable amount of time. With the aforementioned breakdowns of street-by-street play clearly identified in each section as well, intricate and specific study modules can be easily found. Need to brush up on your 5^th street play in Stud 8 or your post-2nd draw play in Badugi? These specifics can easily be found.

If I must drop a bit of criticism on MMG, unfortunately, deep-stacked, non-cap play in big-bet games and tournament-specific strategies are areas not covered. Big-bet games are only taught with consideration for a 40 BB cap, as is quite common in mixed cash games. Pot-Limit variations of Triple Draw and Badugi are also not discussed. Strategies throughout are primarily based on a 6- or 7-handed mixed cash game format.

Those are small drawbacks though, considering the wealth of information throughout the rest of the book.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, MMG is a great resource for mixed game players, no matter their experience or skill level. As with most mixed game players, I consider myself more proficient in certain games than others, however, I was still able to boost my knowledge significantly with this poker strategy book.

As for the games that I don’t get a chance to practice regularly (shout out Badeucey and Badacey), MMG provides a great primer for when I do get to splash around in the split-pot triple draw streets, giving me the perspective for this review of both experienced and novice players.

I appreciated MMG’s efficiency and readability in teaching both types of players. What a reader may already understand is elaborated on effectively, while those with limited knowledge of a game also receive easily understandable instruction which will quickly get them acclimated to their new game of choice.

Mastering Mixed Games is truly the gold standard for mixed-game poker instruction for players of all skill levels. And if you’re crazy enough and really want to learn Pot-Limit Triple Draw, Linde is a super friendly and approachable person who I’m sure would be happy to personally pass along his knowledge in that insane game as well.

Lastly, Linde is a regular attendee at Cardplayer Lifestyle’s Mixed Game Festivals and will happily autograph your copy of his book as well as help you get your reps in in the low-limit mixed game streets.

Dara and Barry’s books always touch on current issues and they were the first to write about ICM and PKO tournaments. By reading them you will be able to not only improve your game but also be informed about the issues being debated and studied by players today.

The prolific writing duo launched their fourth strategy book in November called “GTO Poker Simplified” where they address a much debated topic among players: Game Theory Optimal (GTO) play.

Was there a need for another GTO book? According to the book’s introduction, they think that Michael Acevedo and Andrew Brokos wrote excellent books on the subject, but that many of their own students still have difficulties and doubts about GTO play. Thus the new book was born as a basic introduction to GTO concepts.

The authors’ objective is to “present the key lessons from GTO in actionable heuristics for players taking their first steps into game theory or those who have previously struggled to get their head around it. The purpose of this book is to present some of the most important and practical concepts found by solver technology, in as easy to digest a manner possible.”

#NowReading

“GTO Poker Simplified” by @daraokearney and @Barry_Carter.

Soon review for @PokerLifeMedia #PokerBooks #PokerStrategy pic.twitter.com/Sq6JRrH8zy

— Santi G-M (@santijota8) November 22, 2022

The Book’s Two Main Sections

The book is divided into two main parts. The first part explains concepts such as GTO and its differences with the exploitative game. It then covers value bets, range advantage, blockers and board coverage.

The second part of the book analyzes the game by Street and, as in their other books, they start with the river. It may be surprising that they start with the last street, but it makes sense since it is the easiest to play. Therefore, pre-flop is left for the end.

Is it necessary to know how to use solvers to understand the book? The answer is no, since the topics are explained in a clear and simple way. But those who know how to use solvers will be able to better understand the graphics O’Kearney and Carter present.

2 days ago a nice young guy stopped me in corridor
“I don’t admire many poker players but I really admire you for the books, I just read GTO”
“Thank you. What’s your name?”
“Eliot. From Montreal”

Told Barry this story just now and penny finally dropped https://t.co/ZXMaBpCaiZ

— Dara O’Kearney (@daraokearney) December 21, 2022

Important and Interesting Chapters

In the first chapter the authors debunk several myths about GTO: is it the most profitable way to play? Is it only useful at higher stakes? Is it boring? Do you have to be a genius to use it? All is answered.

One of the latest debates in poker has been whether to play GTO or more exploitatively. Dara provides his answer to the issue: “I sit right in the middle between GTO and exploitative. If I am in a tough game I lean towards GTO, but if I am in a soft game I play exploitative. Most of the time I am somewhere in between”.

The most important chapter of the book is chapter 3 and the authors believe that the most important sentence is: “your value bets drive your actions”. They state that: “Your value bets are what you use to make money in poker and everything else you do should be in service of that. At every point in the hand you want to ask yourself what your strong value hands are in your range and how many of them you have? After that, what is the best strategy for your entire range that will allow your biggest hands to get paid off for the maximum in the long run?”

So you want to finally learn about GTO poker?

There are a lot of books out there but “GTO Poker Simplied” is great place to start.

Here’s an excerpt from @daraokearney & @Barry_Carter‘s latest book!

Link: https://t.co/chA2p7FcFf#PokerLifeMedia

— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) November 26, 2022

Many Valuable Poker Tips to Be Had

One of the tips provided by the authors is to balance your bluffs with your value bets. If you only bet with good hands you will become exploitable and will not be able to maximize profits. On this subject, they explain a Bluff To Value Ratio that can be extremely useful for players.

Many amateurs place bets without knowing the reasons why they place them. It is always important to know why we bet. Some reasons might be : for value, to bluff or semi bluff, for protection or equity denial, as a blocker or merge bet, and for balance. All the above reasons are explained in the book.

When the authors talk about ranges they explain four main types: linear, polarized, condensed, and capped. For clarity they provide examples of each type. They also analyze the concept of range advantage. The concept of range advantage will help you to shift away from thinking about specific hands and instead consider your whole range.

Congrats guys. When GTO became a widespread thing I had been a pro for 10 years, yet I still would have benefited from a book like this greatly. Can’t imagine a more valuable book for normies in 2022, especially known it’s written by you two.

— Miikka Anttonen (@chuckbasspoker) November 16, 2022

For the authors, blockers are the most important concept in poker strategy, but their use has changed drastically since the advent of solvers. In this section they talk about ranges, the point of indifference, and unblockers.

Chapter 7 begins the second part of the book where the four streets are analyzed in depth: pre-flop, flop, turn, and river. Each of the concepts explained is illustrated by hands. And each chapter ends with “Heuristics for real life” where the most important topics of the chapter are summarized and their application in real cases is described.

Finishing the book in Bariloche, in the south of Argentina

Conclusion

To summarize, O’Kearney and Carter present another excellent strategy book that is undoubtedly one of the best of 2022. We are already used to having a new O’Kearney and Carter book every year, and I hope that 2023 will not be the exception. There are still so many issues to analyze and they are the right people to do it.

You can purchase “GTO Poker Simplified” in its paperback or digital versions on Amazon.

Do you like Cardplayer Lifestyle’s book reviews? You can find lots more of them here.

First off, the book is a cosy 128 pages long, with sections covering virtually every aspect of Game Theory Optimal (GTO) play in bitesize format, so if you’re looking for a deep bible that will be something that takes you hours to read through, you’re in the wrong place – or the wrong bookshelf. What GTO Poker Gems does provide you with, however, is perhaps more encouraging to players. It is a guide to utilizing GTO plays and putting them into practice immediately.

With “12 insights from the solver that every player would use”, you can also correlate your learning from GTO Poker Gems with the GTO Ranges app, so working with the app and the book in tandem, you can see where the rubber meets the road, or the GTO theory evolves into GTO play.

READ MORE: Red Chip Poker GTO Ranges App Review

I didn’t come to GTO Poker Gems as any sort of expert with a deep knowledge of how to exploit players. I finished the book believing that at least two dozen notes I’d made will certainly improve my game on the back of my reading it. That’s the crucial appeal of GTO Poker Gems – it improves your gameplay no matter where you fit on the chart of understanding GTO.

Utilizing strong GTO play may seem like a daunting prospect; I’ll be honest it did to me before reading, but as the theories are laid out in front of you, you realize one key truth. Understanding GTO gives you the chance of winning pots on two levels.

Firstly, if you understand GTO, you can take advantage of those who don’t. Secondly, if you understand GTO then you’ll know the thought processes that others who use it are likely to take and can be exploitative. Exploiting a poker player’s patterns and predicted plays is a core skill of the game behind making profit.

GTO Poker Gems — Book Structure

Before the GTO theory starts, there’s a whole section on what to expect, so you can plan and plot your way through the knowledge you’re about to absorb, as well as getting ready to use the GTO Ranges app alongside the book.

The book is very clear on declaring in its first section that ‘There Is A Solution to Poker’, which struck me as incredibly bold. While I wanted to sink my teeth into unexploitable bluffing – which had the appeal of a manual on how to eat chocolate and lose weight ! – as well as other chapters such as Equity Distributions, Big Blind Defense and GTO Simplifications, I headed right for the gold. A solution to poker? C’mon.

As the chapter breaks down, GTO is essentially a solve for poker if given enough time to play out. Poker may contain luck, but maximise your skill and over the long-term, you’re going to see results. The GTO Poker Gems chapters all end with a set of takeaways called ‘The Gems’ which you can take away and there’s a nice appeal to each of them. I felt like a lucky pirate wandering from treasure chest to buried bags of gold on my own private island, filling my knapsack with priceless nuggets of information.

One such nugget is dropped early, and that is the notion of mixed strategies, which is simply explained as that a certain hand might be a call 70% of the time and a check 30% of the time. That doesn’t mean that you should call because that’s the action with the highest chance of success. It means that you can mix up your game and take a different strategy to stay one step ahead of your opponent.

In essence, that’s the core takeaway (or ‘gem’) you can take for this book – that there is always a GTO answer for your query about whether you could have played your hand better.

That is almost always the case, of course, but rather than make you feel like a dummy for ‘not getting it’, Sweeney’s take on GTO is easy to grasp and genuinely feels beneficial with every passing chapter.

An Easily Digestible Guide to Understanding GTO

From playing +EV poker rather than -EV (actions that will either cost you or give you profit over time), to analysing the nuts and bolts of a perfect betting strategy, GTO Poker Gems is full of information that sticks in your mind. There are tables and charts, sure, but never too many and no chart is placed in the book without a lot of attention to the reasons why. There’s a point where the ‘break-even’ point is breached and you can rely on the GTO you’ve learned making a profit in the long term. Once you’ve reached this point, you can look at how to take advantage of your opponents’ lack of knowledge.

The style of writing is accessible, too. There’s no constant math to digest and the use of language is economical and clean; a little like reading Lou Kreiger in his pomp. Sweeney knows how to put across the tips and tricks and knows when you need a little bit more meat on the bone. Whenever I felt like I wanted a little more explanation of the GTO theory as it was going in, there it was. If I felt I knew what I needed to, the page seemed to come to an end in that paragraph. That’s a rare skill among any writers, let alone in poker, where an extra chapter will often be added for little reason.

Overall, the book is full of GTO poker gems and lives up to its name throughout. If you’re looking for a way into GTO thinking when it comes to improving your poker skills, then I’d heartily recommend James Sweeney’s GTO Poker Gems. I’m glad I’ve read it. And if I’m about to play you at the felt, I’m hoping you haven’t!

One of the common misconceptions about getting the better of small stakes cash games, for example a no-limit hold’em full ring table at blinds of $1/$2, is that experience guarantees results. Nothing in poker does that, so if at any stage of picking up the game recreationally you also pick up this book, then you’ll be doing your bottom line a big favor.

Mastering Small Stakes Cash Games — Overview

The book covers many of the aspects of beginner level cash games that you might expect, with tips on how to prepare for gameplay, the science of hand selection and how to use aggression correctly. It’s all about putting yourself in the optimum position to make a profit and Jarvis explains the fundamentals to take into consideration before you even begin really, really well.

Jarvis writes a lot in the early section of the book about a ‘Triple Threat’ tactic that has carried him through what is a highly successful poker career and its clear from his learnings that he is passing on what is really important to him and that has lasted to boot. As he puts it at the start of the book, the heart of poker is “a battle of wits between you and many varied opponents.” This comes through in his teachings and really gives you a competitive edge if you start using the tips he shows you work over time.

Jarvis sets out the terms for what he considered small cash games early; he’s talking about $0.50/$1 up to $2/$5, which some might say is the cusp of turning a hobby into a profession. That’s very handy, because Jarvis covers that too  later in the book, but we’ll come back to what he feels need to be achieved first, namely crushing the lower stakes cash games first.

The Importance of Turning a Profit

As Jarvis explains in the early stages, becoming a winning poker player is not about turning pro, only turning a profit. Winning more often than you lose in these games is all about maximising your edge at the right time and pressing home when you feel you have your opponent beat. Part of the reason we do anything as human beings is our focus and what we are aiming for. While poker cannot always be measured in terms of a bottom line, working to targets and focusing on what you need to do to get there can be highly motivational.

Let’s say for example that you deposit $20 and want to make money playing cash games. If you sit down with that mindset, a bad diet or exercise plan and no focus on how to get there other than trying, then you could be beat before you click ‘Take Seat’. But the polar opposite is true if you are feeling healthy and rested, plan to turn that $20 into $50 and have a structured method for how you aim to get there.

Many of poker’s greatest lessons come from those who have already walked the path we ourselves want to tread, and Jarvis’ journey should be an inspiration to those who push for poker profit in small cash games. Working out your odds of winning hands is one thing, but Jarvis teaches you how to objectify your chances of winning based on that ‘Triple Threat’ theory of position, selection and then aggression.

Seeing your chance to make a profit in poker is everything, but after reading this book, I saw how it’s about a whole lot more to the consistent winning player. Winning the hand isn’t enough, and nor does losing the hand matter. What really matters most is putting yourself in the best possible position not only to win as often as you can, but to make the most money while you do it. One of the biggest takeaways from this book for me was how well communicated this obvious yet marginal difference between ambitions is explored by the author.

Takeaways from Mastering Small Stakes Cash Games

Inside the book, there are charts, diagrams and examples that are used sparingly but wisely in illustrating each theory as the author shows you how to put each tip into practice. Should you work your way through the book and take the lessons on board, it is the belief of the author – and this reader! – that the competent reader can utilise these pieces of advice to turn a consistent profit in playing the game.

From that baseline, there’s every chance that the useful, informative and entertaining knowledge that is revealed in Mastering Small Stakes Cash Games will make you want to read much, much more of Evan Jarvis’ work. It certainly did that for me, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to work on leaks in their cash game play, or is starting out with the ambition of turning profit into a professional career, too.

There is a lot to learn in Mastering Small Stakes Cash Games and across over 350 pages, Evan Jarvis does a superb job in helping any reader take it all in and, most importantly, put it to practical use.

While almost every player out there has heard about ICM and knows at least a little bit about it, the number of those with deep understanding of the concept and all of its different concepts and nuances is relatively small.

That’s why Dara O’Kearney, together with his co-author Barry Carter, felt there was a need for the resource that explains everything there is about ICM.

Endgame Poker Strategy – The ICM Book consists of almost 180 pages of text, charts, and examples, starting with the Independent Chip Model foundations and building on it, adding new concepts and ideas.

While the book isn’t intended for complete poker beginners, as you’re expected to understand some basic notions like poker equity, tournament bubble, deal making, etc., it explains ICM in such a fashion that even if you’d never heard about it before, you’ll be able to fully understand and use it at the tables by the time you’re done reading.

I myself am in the category of those who “know a bit about ICM,” but I’ve never taken the serious approach to studying the concept. Thus, I was really interested to see what this book had to offer, especially since the authors have already published a couple of highly regarded works on tournament poker (specifically satellites and PKOs), and I had pretty big expectations. And, I’m happy to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

ICM from the Ground Up

The first few chapters of O’Kearney’s Endgame Poker Strategy – The ICM Book explain fundamentals of ICM. If you’ve been in the poker streets for a while, you’ll probably have a solid understanding of these already, but I still suggest not skipping them.

Instead of just explaining the common ideas of why thinking in terms of ChipEV doesn’t work in tournaments, O’Kearney goes several levels deeper, approaching the subject from a number of different angles.

He dispels the myth of how ICM is designed just for “poker nits” and takes the time to explain how varying stack sizes have different values in a tournament, introducing some (mathematically backed) concepts that seem counter-intuitive at first.

One idea that I found particularly interesting is the discussion on the diminishing value of chips and the importance of short-stack play in MTTs. Leaning on this idea, O’Kearney explains how registering late for tournaments is, in most situations, a profitable proposition and the one that many players don’t take enough advantage of.

The great thing is that author doesn’t just present his argument and move on. Instead, there are numerous examples and calculations to back these claims, and it all just makes sense.

Of course, this is just one small part of the entire book. There is a lot of discussion covering the “bubble factor” and how to adjust your ranges in terms of ICM. When talking about the latter, the author doesn’t just present a bunch of charts (although there are plenty of those, don’t worry), but tries to help players develop an understanding of underlying principles so that they could intuitively structure their ranges on the spot.

READ MORE: Here’s our exclusive excerpt of Endgame Poker Strategy – The ICM Book

Wheeling and Dealing

As anyone who’s ever played more than a couple of tournaments in their life knows, not all tournaments are played down to the winner. Making a deal at the final table is quite common and deal-making skills are important for any serious MTT grinder.

The author explains different types of deals you’ll come across and emphasizes the importance of understanding ICM in these situations. He also touches upon the idea of the skill gap and how to adjust numbers based on that factor.

What I particularly liked about this part is that O’Kearney doesn’t just stick to math and numbers in this section. Being an experienced player himself, he understands that players will often find themselves in uncomfortable situations when playing live tournaments.

He offers some great advice on how to deal with pressure situations and avoid being strong-armed into making a bad deal, but also presents the case for giving up on some equity in certain situations to build a good image that could easily translate into higher equity later down the line.

I’d say that this is where Dara’s experience really comes through as he understands that, as much as poker is the game of numbers, it’s also a people’s game. Sometimes, you have to consider both factors and compromise a bit.

Game Selection, ICM Mistakes, and Ranges

The second part of the book is more “technical,” as authors go into more serious analysis of charts and numbers. First, there is the discussion on the importance of game selection and how it ties in with ICM. Good understanding of ICM concepts will probably be more important for players playing smaller-field tournaments, as they’ll constantly find themselves in important ICM spots.

On the other hand, in massive fields, these spots don’t come nearly as often, but mistakes made can be very costly in terms of money on the line.

In the light of game selection, the book also talks about tournament overlays and how you can accurately factor these in to calculate the value of your stack at any given point in the tournament.

The final few chapters of Endgame Poker Strategy – The ICM Book cover actual ICM ranges at different stack depths. Using a number of relatable examples, the book brings many interesting charts and explanations on why certain moves work or don’t work in different spots.

The last chapter actually addresses the postflop play and provides some PIOSolver examples, but O’Kearney admits that this is a very complicated area that probably requires a book of its own. He also puts forth the argument that the higher the impact of the ICM, the less postflop play there is, which is true for most tournaments.

So, How Good Is Endgame Poker Strategy – The ICM Book?

Understanding ICM is essential for any serious tournament player who wants to stay around for a long haul. There is simply no way around it. And, as far as resources go, I dare say this book is the best one out there.

Of course, using various tools available, you could come up with many ideas and solutions on your own, but even so, you’d still lack an understanding of why. Endgame Poker Strategy – The ICM Book looks into every aspect of ICM and explains it in a way that every poker player can understand. After reading through examples and explanations, there will be no doubt in your mind that you understanding ICM will give you a leg up towards being a winning tournament player.

Even better, credit to Carter and O’Kearney for managing to keep the writing interesting and engaging. You’ll find yourself actually wanting to get to the next page and keep on reading, which, given the somewhat dry topic, is really a compliment to the authors’ writing abilities!

A thoroughly modern marvel, Little’s book takes each player through playing poker tournaments with a number of sections dedicated to each stage, from the fundamentals of tournament play, through the early deep-stacked levels and right through to final table. Maximising your advantage at each stage, the book not only makes you want to play better poker, it makes you yearn to play more and improve at a rate of knots to do so.

Jonathan Little is the perfect author for this sort of book, where a lot of work is required to achieve maximum results. After all, he’s the quiet man who fostered a playing career that has taken poker by storm. It’s not only that, however. Little’s ethos is one of the most patient of teachers; that teacher you had at school who you actually didn’t mind listening to. The book is one of several Little has published in his career and we think this book may well stack up as the best he’s ever produced, with sections on so many key areas of the tournament game.

READ MORE: Interview with Jonathan Little

One of the core fundamentals of becoming a professional poker player closes the book and it’s spoiling nothing by offering this pearl of wisdom to you now as it also applies to the book itself. Little writes:

“If you make the difficult decisions now, like going to sleep instead of partying all night, you will have an easy life later. If you make the easy decisions now, you will have a difficult life later.”

Never has a truer word been written about poker, but perhaps life, too. The same applies to reading the book. Skim through and while you may pick up a few nuggets of information, you’ll miss out on the complete picture. Buy the book and make it your bible however, and the lessons you learn will stand you in great stead to make a huge profit based on the knowledge you acquire.

The book is broken down into several sections of what is a terrific value, 463-page tome. From explaining how poker tournaments work to what do through each level of play, before the flop, after the flop and of course, the latter stages, Little makes you look at poker differently. It’s as if you can have an approach to poker that is flawed and rather than tell you to rip it up and start again, he will walk you through the structure of tournaments and allow you to see clearer which parts of your own game are strong or weak.

READ MORE: Jonathan Little’s Cash Game Master Class — A Thorough Review

If you enjoy the book and make it to the end of the training, then Little doesn’t stop there and presume that you know everything about turning these new-found skills into an instant bill-paying job or enjoyable money-making hobby. Indeed, such is his systematic approach to helping you, Little describes how and why you should make important choices about what to do in the game as a neat conclusion to the book.

Becoming a profitable player in poker tournaments is an ambition that still drives the majority of players, but the natural ability for people to achieve this goal has changed drastically over the years. There was a time, for example, where knowing to c-bet even if you hadn’t hit the flop was advanced strategy; today it is the most standard of moves.

The best thing about Jonathan Little’s Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker: The Essential Guide is that while poker will undoubtedly change over the course of the next two or three decades, it’s impossible to conceive of someone not benefitting for the advice within these pages. Little’s book could and should become definitive to tournament players over the coming years and if you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, we’d recommend that you do.

With multiple facets of every tournament twist and turn explained, you’ll enjoy poker far more than you already do as you play it while reading this book. If you apply the knowledge therein to your own game, you’re bound to be a lot more successful at the felt, whether its live or online.

The poker world was ready for an age-defining poker book in a period of global flux; it has found it in Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker: The Essential Guide by Jonathan Little.

The book opens with our character on a high (which I initially thought was strange for a poker novel… aren’t the characters supposed to start down on their luck and head towards an upwards trajectory?) and it’s fair to say this book is fittingly unpredictable. It’s hard to know exactly what’s coming next. Again, like life.

Alson weaves in scenes from various poker clubs in New York with everyday home life. One of my favorite points of reflection in the book was this: “In a weird dislocating way, everything seemed to carry the same weight—Facebook feeds that juxtaposed someone’s vacation in Boca with an earthquake in Haiti, or a celebrity’s plastic surgery with mass rape in Congo.”

Absolutely. Poker changes your relationship with money ($12 for a latte? Ridiculous! But let’s double straddle to $20), thereby changing your relationship with perspective. Alson takes this one step further into the world of priorities.

This book is truly made for people who live and breathe the game

He paces the book well and it’s a fair balance between card clubs and the real world. If you like poker stories but shy away from strategy books, The Only Way to Play It may just be a winner. It’s definitely relatable in terms of “pokerbrain” — what it feels like to be winning, praying for playable cards, thinking about life expenses secretly as you place that c-bet. He doesn’t dumb down the poker talk either — this book is truly made for people who live and breathe the game.

My favorite parts were the moments of analysis. Like this thought point here: “I rarely had these thoughts when I was winning. But during a prolonged downswing like the one I’d been going through, it was all too possible to believe that my assumptions were wrong, that I had merely developed elaborate rationales and constructs surrounding my skill and mastery and level of control over my destiny. Maybe poker was my drug, my way to avoid confronting my inability to truly connect or commit, to live passionately or feel deeply, to be open to hurt and pain.”

Or, even simpler, “I worried constantly about how to make this crazy world a better place for Hannah, but I couldn’t even seem to get a handle on my own small problems.”

Haven’t we all felt that way? How are we supposed to do X when we can’t accomplish Y?

What makes poker an even greater medium for exploring life’s questions is that all of our decision-making is amplified.

As the author writes, “We liked to think we were in control. Certainly, we wanted to be. Sometimes we were. You could look back through your life and replay things a thousand times, trying to figure out what might have happened if you had done one thing differently. Poker players always did that, especially after a loss. It might not change the outcome, but it did provide a way to think about the future.”

Alson really nails that poker and life are simply a series of decision-making. Then the rest is up to the deck.

For professionals, satellites are perhaps even more important, frequently saving the canny pro player a huge amount of their regular buy-in bankroll. It’s no surprise, then, that several professionals have put together some terrific literature to help the aspiring player tread their well-forged path through these satellites in order to be successful.

Bernard Lee’s recent book Poker Satellite Success! walks you through all the stages you’ll need to conquer in order to make money by playing poker satellites. As we found out by reading it, it’s not just about the destination when it comes to satellite success, it’s about making the most of the journey.

What’s the Premise of the Book?

If there’s a consistent path to maximizing your returns as a poker player at any level, it’s playing satellites. Satellite tournaments may not have a top prize, paying a specific number of places an equal value ticket to an event with a bigger buy-in, but because of their nature they are extremely lucrative to those who know how to play them. Many players simply don’t, and this is explored in brilliant detail in the book.

The notion of Poker Satellite Success! is that by breaking down the intricacies of satellite tournaments, Bernard Lee can transform the skills you already have into those of a winning poker satellite player.

Lee’s inspiration from the book came from Chris Moneymaker’s legendary spin-up in 2003, when the former accountant turned a satellite tournament entry on PokerStars worth $86 into entry into the $10,000 WSOP Main Event. Moneymaker, of course, went on to win that year’s Main Event for a massive return of $2.5 million, changing poker forever and kickstarting the first poker ‘boom’.

What’s Bernard Lee’s Background?

Lee, a Harvard University graduate, completely revolutionized his satellite game after this seminal moment in poker history, so much so that in 2005, Lee himself qualified for the Main Event, eventually finishing 13th for $400,000.

This achievement, not far off the luminous arrival of Moneymaker two years previously, showed the world that Bernard Lee knew exactly what he was doing. As his poker career took off and he went pro, he never forgot those lessons that he learned on his way to Las Vegas, and he passes on those lessons in this book.

Lee’s mastery of poker satellites is evident in the well-written and engaging recollections he structures the book around. After turning pro, Lee became a well-known face and voice in poker, contributing to such outlets as ESPN.com, the Boston Herald, PokerNews.com, Card Player Magazine, Metrowest Daily News and right here at Cardplayer Lifestyle. Of course, he has also hosted his own radio program The Bernard Lee Poker Show for 14 years (and counting).

Lee’s credentials are far-ranging, but he never comes across as knowing it all and we found his book one of humility and patient teaching. Lee would be the teacher you want to keep talking when the bell rings. His lessons in the early phase are neatly structured to introduce the concepts that you’ll need to master without ever feeling like you’re taking on too much information.

We went for the digital copy, which allows you to highlight and collate the most relevant points to impact our poker game, but in physical form, the book would be just as useful and playing live satellites would be a lot of fun with this book in your satchel.

The Master of Observation

Lee’s gift isn’t just that he’s great at playing satellites, as in itself that wouldn’t help at all if you couldn’t replicate exactly what he does. We all know that the most impossible thing to do in poker is to ape another’s game exactly as we all have strengths and weaknesses, and this is where we found Poker Satellite Success! really came into its own.

Bernard Lee’s book gives you the opening information you’ll need then base a series of calculations on. That then becomes knowledge you have in the bank, such as working out the blind levels and how they impact your strategy and range-finding, when to play premium hands and how to identify other players’ tells.

Lee would be a great player to chat with at the table, but most of us would leave without chips because you can read all about his ‘particular set of skills’ and they’re formidable. The best thing about Poker Satellite Success! is that adapting his lessons to your own game couldn’t be simpler. From moving through the early, middle and late levels of a poker satellite to negotiating that all-important bubble, Lee has it cracked and he’s determined to teach you how to do it to, by adapting your own poker game.

Advanced Extras that are Included

There are, as we’ve already described, multiple books available on playing poker satellites. Where many of them end, however, is how to succeed in them over the short-term. Lee goes further; there is a whole section on how to be creative and develop that key ability in satellite play of timing. Whether a deal needs to be made or what your opponents’ strategies and objectives might be – points overlooked in many similar books – are both key skills that Lee presses home.

Many poker strategy books hand you a shield they’ve crafted and expect you to be able to defend with it instantly. Poker Satellite Success! feels like having chainmail meticulously fitted to your form. From knowing exactly when you should fold or push all in to making sure you don’t make mistakes when you’re nursing a chip stack through high pressure levels — something Lee did on Day 3 of the WSOP Main Event 16 years ago — everything you need to succeed is here.

If you want to succeed playing poker satellites – and we’re assuming that you don’t own a tree from which money grows – then Bernard Lee’s Poker Satellite Success can be the book that gives you confidence to make this format pay… literally.

Despite these setbacks, I was and still am determined to improve my game to climb up the proverbial ladder, so when I found out D&B publishing were releasing Mastering Small Stakes Pot-Limit Omaha by Fernando ‘JNandez’ Habeggar, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy.

If you’re familiar with the game of PLO and PLO content in general, then you’ve likely heard the name ‘JNandez’. One of the bigger names in this sphere, the PLO specialist is one of the most recognised and sought-after coaches for those transitioning to game of four cards. The information you’ll be getting from this book is gospel and if you are still sceptical about JNandez’ credentials then his results ought to do the trick.

READ MORE: Interview with Fernando “JNandez” Habeggar

Making the move from No Limit Hold’em to PLO in the latter stages of 2010, JNandez has won $150,000 – $400,000 each year since then. His coaching has also benefitted hundreds of students thanks to his PLO training platform, PLOMastermind.com and now with this latest release, you too now have the chance to establish the fundamental framework to master small stakes PLO.

The book is split into three sections and is packed with everything you need to know.

Preflop Play

This section looks at preflop concepts, ranges and hand categories. Did you know there nine of them?! Before reading this book, I thought I had a decent grasp of basic preflop play and it was my actions postflop that were my biggest downfall. In reality, my understanding was just extremely poor in both areas.

Like with No Limit Hold’em, having sound preflop fundamentals in PLO is the first step towards developing a positive win rate. However, in PLO it isn’t as simple as remembering preflop charts. In PLO there are other factors you need to take into account when you decide you want to commit chips to the pot. Mastering Small Stakes Pot-Limit Omaha is great in explaining these nuances in an easy-to-follow matter and gives you all the tools to make correct decisions preflop.

Postflop Play

For many others and I, The Four Pillars of Postflop Analysis has been identified as one of, if not the most important chapter in this book. Once you have a full understanding of what JNandez is telling you, you’ll be in great shape to make the correct decision when the flop is dealt. Recognising spots where you need raise, call or fold will help you when you are playing later streets and you’ll find yourself in stronger positions more often in these situations.

The postflop play chapters also look at concepts like c-betting, blockers and bluffing. As well as this, you’ll have all the information necessary to navigate single raised, 3-bet and multiway pots. There’s no stone left unturned and when looking back it is extremely embarrassing how little I knew and how much of an misunderstanding I had when playing PLO.

Miscellaneous

Whilst the meat and bones of this book is made up in the first two parts, this section is not to be skipped over, especially if you are new to studying poker. There’s little point in consuming this content if you don’t have an effective study plan. Luckily for you, JNandez has got you covered here as well.

There’s also a great chapter on what to do when playing PLO in a live setting. Reading it and internalizing its lessons will allow you to identify the different types of live players that exist and how to make the correct adjustments against each player type – an integral part of maximising wins when playing at the casino.

Final Thoughts

It can be argued that progression in PLO could be a more realistic avenue in achieving ‘the poker dream’ than No Limit Hold’em. Once you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals and approaches that JNandez explains to you, you are going to be ahead of much of the player pool at the lower stakes and you could potentially see some fantastic scores.

So, if you’re thinking of making the switch to PLO as your main poker game of choice, this book is without doubt required for you in order to have a smooth transition. Like with most D&B books, Mastering Small Stakes Pot-Limit Omaha is well paced, and the concepts discussed are done so in a manner where anyone can understand the lessons being taught. You may have to read the odd paragraph a few times to fully understand certain theoretical aspects, but that’s to be expected so don’t be disheartened if you have to go over the same page multiple times.

Excelling At Tough No-Limit Hold ‘Em Games has everything I have come to love from D&B poker books. It includes practical tools that can be implemented to exploit recreational players and more advanced GTO fundamentals when playing against seasoned regulars. Jonathan Little and the Pocarr team drive home the GTO and exploitative principles using hundreds of real-world examples. For instance, Richard Hoadley, Main Coach at Pocarr, has an entire chapter filled with hands from his personal hand history. Have you ever watched a poker tournament on PokerGO and wondered what the pro was thinking as they choose their line from betting round to betting round? Wonder no more!

Jonathan Little has all of his bases covered in this one. He hits on all the aspects of the game that can take you to the next level. When we first start out playing poker, we develop tendencies that can be exploited by other vigilante players. We may still be winning at our current level overall, causing us to overlook these leaks. Think you know everything there is to know about continuation betting and defending against a continuation bet from OOP? Jon Van Fleet, with over $15 million in online cashes, would bet that you don’t! His insights into c-betting are so extensive and profound they couldn’t all fit into one chapter but instead needed two.

We can take for granted lines we have developed since we first started playing without knowing why we do it or if it is even optimal. Yeah, sure, you can be a winning player at the lower stakes but have unknown leaks that, if sealed, could propel you to a whole other level. The only way to do that is to accept that you don’t know as much as Jon Van Fleet and other Pocarr coaches about almost every aspect of the game.

It is actually a hard thing to acknowledge. In our heads, we are big shots cause we are crushing the low stakes. The truth is, if we concede that we may have shortcomings, we can then look to overcome them. Even professional poker players haven’t arrived. They continue to fight for an even greater edge against their opponents, never settling. They hire coaches. Well, guess what? Excelling At Tough No-Limit Hold ‘Em Games is written by those coaches that the pros seek out. The bottom of the book cover says, “How To Succeed Beyond the Small Stakes.” You want that, and Jonathan Little and the Pocarr crew can get you there! The ROI purchasing this book can’t be overstated.

One example I overlooked was how I played from the big blind in tournaments when I was shallow stacked. I had my default ranges that I called or folded along with a mix of premium and marginal hands I would check-raise. Pretty standard. Or so I thought. Pocarr coach Alexandre Mantovani to the rescue! He blew my mind when he suggested defending the UTG min-raise open with 77% of my range from the BB when nobody else ahead of me calls. This range seems incredibly wide! He points out that I can check-raise bluff with my OOP range when UTG’s range misses the flop, and it often does. Of course, this is an oversimplification, but you’ll get all the details in the book. Jonathan Van Fleet‘s hand history database shows that he is -68bb/100 when defending from the BB against a raise in non-all-in situations. He admits it seems like a bad result, but it is a fantastic win rate when compared to -113bb/100 when folding. This stat is a game changer!

Besides continuation betting strategies and c-bet defense from OOP tactics, the book covers a range of topics from mastering ICM to Progressive Knock Out Tournament strategies to basics such as passive exploits to crush the small stakes to adjusting your pre-flop game. All aspects of the game that I don’t want to take for granted. Even as a winning small stakes player, I can have tendency and frequency leaks that need to be plugged. There is always room for improvement, and the only way to increase my edge is to continue to study and research. The game changes; it is not the same game today as it was in the 2003 poker boom. D&B Poker keeps me up-to-date with the current cutting edge poker trends. This book is a must if you want to stay on top of the ever-changing game and move up the stakes and crush it.

Also, if you know someone who is an aspiring up-and-coming poker player themselves, this book makes for a perfect gift for the holidays! I know if I ripped into a present Santa left under the Christmas tree, and it was this book, I would be like a little kid who just got their first bike! So don’t be a Grinch; hook the poker player in your life up with Excelling At Tough No-Limit Hold ‘Em Games. Tis the season!