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Server Time: 12/2/2008 6:14:23 PM PACIFIC |
 The Tao of Poker / Review (long), Nathaniel Brous, 4. Apr 2003 18:20 | ||
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| Sum-up of post (for the superlazy). Buy it. The Tao of Poker Author: L.W.Phillips Price: US $ 9.95 This is my first book review so bear with me. The Tao of Poker is touted as a companion volume for the (highly recommended by me) "Zen and the Art of Poker," by the same author (and beloved r.g.p. poster). I have three questions that I ask myself before recommending a poker book. One: Is it worth the price? Two: Does it contain valuable information? Three: Are there purported ideas that are misleading or flat out wrong that could be detrimental to the game of the reader. I will address these quickly before giving my "take" on the book. One: Yep. A virtual steal. Of course this can be said about almost all poker books. If you glean something from them you will make more and lose less, thereby covering the cost of the book easily. Two: Yep. This is not a "strategy" book. This is more of a self-help poker book, something that helps you recognize your weaknesses or even certain things you have wondered about but were unable to express. Althought there is an emphasis on lower limits, there are many truisms that will carry over through poker in its entirety. Three: Not in my opinion. There may be people who will argue semantics, but for the most part I believe the "gist" to be true. I don't think any of his borderline ideas as "detrimental or flat out wrong." As I stated above, this is more of a self-help book. Many of the ideas expressed by Phillips will not be new to the experienced player. This does not make them less valuable. The first time I read this book purely for enjoyment. The second time, I went through it with a highlighter. I highlighted sentence by sentence for; things I thought I needed to recognize and work on, things I thought were profound, and things I would like to think more about. Although there were times I went several pages without a highlight, when finished, I was suprised by the sheer quantity of things that I did highlight. The book is broken down into 27 chapters with 280+ "rules" within them. Most of these rules seem like common sense, but Phillips attacks them in ways that (I believe) many of us would not think to. There is also a great deal of miscellaneous information tucked in here and there. In the beginning he talks about the "ah-ha" factor that "a sentence or thought that provokes a feeling of common experience with the reader." I believe that he does this successfully and that this book can help the majority of poker players. But... I think the people who stand to gain the most from this book are those who lean towards... "Rule 220: It's possible to know all the strategies probabilities and expert plays, yet sit down and play a different game entirely - unconnected to this knowledge." In conclusion, I view this book as an easy call (a good buy). - Nathaniel Brous | ||
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