Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time Volume I

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I was in the process of reading another poker book when this one arrived in today's mail. A quick glance made it clear that "One Hand at a Time" should be read first.

The book is organized in four sections, one written by each of the three authors and a fourth in which each gives his analysis of a hand that had been played by Matthew Hilger. I think this organization is great in that it lets the reader vicariously enter the mind of each player and experience thinking about hands with the style of that player, then the different playing styles are brought into (sometimes) stark contrast in the final section where each of the three gives his take on a Hilger hand.

It is tempting to compare this book with Gus Hansen's recent book, the "Hand by Hand" books of Neil Myers, Johnny Chan's (with Mark Karowe) account of the playing of various hands, or others of the same type. I have read several books of hand descriptions and have learned from them all.

However, "One Hand at a Time" stands out because of the collaboration, and the organization. Each hand description is organized in sections titled:
..Setup - giving the tourney type, buyin, info on other players, etc.
..Pre-Flop - Describes the preflop action and thinking.
..Flop - Describes the flop action and thinking.
..Turn - Describes the turn action and thinking.
..River - Describes the river action and thinking.
..Outcome - Describes in a single sentence the outcome of the hand.
....Actually this section does not exist -- BUT IT SHOULD!!!!

Immediately following the title of each hand section the pot size is given, making it much easier to follow the action than many books of this type in which you have to keep track of the pot size yourself. Others writing books of this sort - or those reprinting such existing books - would be well advised to adapt to this format. The graphic depicting the table is superior to those you'll see in most books, making it easier to focus on the logic rather than having to keep re-deciphering the table layout. Most of the hands described were successful for the author though some bad beats and questionable decisions are included. I didn't attempt to tabulate the win-loss ratio though I'd expect these players to win many more hands than they lose - my own record in successful vs. unsuccessful tournaments suggests that should be the case.

An index would have been helpful and I hope the authors and publisher will view this as a necessity for the upcoming Volume II. One index I would like to see would be based on the type of hands (i.e. "Top two pair with flush draw on the board").

I've come to believe that anything Matthew Hilger, the publisher, is involved in is to be respected. This volume only reinforces that belief.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone willing to take the time to read it carefully and think about the hands. Seeing the logic explained so coherently will certainly improve your tournament play. I'd also recommend for those who do purchase the book that they read it with notepad in hand and that as they progress through the book they create their own indexes of the type I mentioned above. Read it to learn, create the index to turn it into a valuable reference.

I just finished this book up last week...first thought is what an easy read. The book really moves through and organizes everything well.

Rizen and Pearljammer are a good contrast since Rizen is a looser player while Pearljammer seemingly makes some impossible laydowns. The best part of this book is that it goes through the thought processes that true pros go through during a hand. It really helps you out when you're thinking through a hand in a tournament.

I thoroughly enjoyed the organization of the breakdown on the thought processes. It shows you what they were thinking during the setup, pre-flop, flop, turn, and river individually. It also updates the pot size accordingly, which most books I have read in the past do not.

"One hand at a Time" was a great read, very informative, and actually has improved my tournament play already. I would highly recommend adding it to your collection as soon as possible.

Any online player is familiar with these 3 great players & has probably already ordered this excellent book. It is chock full of the thought processes that are used in almost all situations that might arrive in a poker tournament. You aren't just presented with theories and hand charts, but with the real "nuts and bolts" of how to think through the situations that most often occur and are puzzling to even advanced players. John "PearlJammer" Turner's section is the best part of this book, but you will learn plenty from all the authors.
If you are a brick and mortar player make sure you buy this book.
This is Required Reading & should be a part of any Poker Library.

{REVISE]I was spoiled by reading Every Hand Revealed right before this book. If I had not, this would have ranked as my favorite poker book of the year.

Considering that this covers online tourneys and EHR covers a live tourney, this is a necessary book if you play poker tournaments online.
However, to learn to play in a major live tournament against the pros, Gus Hansen's book stands in a class all by itself.[END REVISE]

The main part of the book presents each of three authors going over random hands they played. This is ok, but how much more fascinating would have been a Hansen-style replay an entire tourney! The authors display that special mix of aggression and caution (ie. "I don't what my opponent has here, but too many hands beat me.") that pro poker players have. In one hand, Rizen pushes allin on the river with one pair and top kicker. His opponent folds revealing a lesser hand. One small problem -- both straight and flush draws have hit. This sounds like my last hand of any tournament!

The book could have been better organized by starting from the overall themes and giving examples to illustrate correct play.

There is a section of all three players analyzing the same hands. This is far better as it really highlights the differing approaches. They explain their strategy clearly and sometimes have opposite tactics for the same hand. This reminds me more of Harrington's discussion of key tournament plays. But Harrington's play is way more conservative than Rizen's, for example. In contrast, Pearljammer makes some spectacular laydowns. As this is not TV poker, I can't say if they were good reads or overly cautious folds.

A cornerstone book for your poker library. Though I don't love its structure, the book does give you valuable insight into the thinking of successful pros.

This is a good book. I guess it reaches a market of poker players who are not watching online training videos - because this really is just a written text version.

The three authors each explain their thinking pre-flop/ post-flop/ turn/ river, for real hands they played online (194 in total).

Essentially, the book is a demonstration in ABC poker - including continuation betting, the odd bit of stealing, and way less bluffing than most poker players think must be used.

This book would introduce a number of new concepts to less experienced players (like reads, puting your opposition on a range, playing the player, considering stack sizes/tourney stage, table image, etc..)

For me it was re-inforement of good solid poker play.

Each hand is laid-out well with logical explaination of their actions on each street - and also includes the result (which does not always go in favour of the hero).

Note that this book only covers hands up to near the bubble of a MTT. A planned 2nd issue will cover hands played during the money to final table stages of a MTT.

these guys are strong players no doubt but they dont offer much assistance to any players who are past the novice level.

I am relatively new to poker, but I've read the Harrington's and the Phil Gordon's etc. etc.

Those books teach you the basics and then go on to teach some strategy.

Winning One Hand at a Time is strictly strategy driven. You're shown a hand, and then Rizen, Pearljammer or Apestyles breaksdown how to play the hand. It sounds pretty simple, but it's cool to see how these internet greats play their hands.

It's well formated, and easy to read. The writing is clear and easy to follow. I think any fan of poker, or anyone learning or studying poker will enjoy this book.

I can't wait for Vol. II.

I really don't want any of my opponents to have read this book. Enough said

Didnt think it was that great, maybe I need to read again as my game evolves in the future......(wplaz)-PS/FT

Having read books by harrington, sklansky and malmuth it seems that the authors of this books offer an internet only approach to playing poker. The writing didnt hold my interest, the explanations were mundane, editing is awful, lots of typos...

The best books ive purchased are the Harrington volumes barnone.

Quite fascinating to see how an agressive player thinks. I dont think it helped my game though. I tried some of that stuff and got killed. Still, it is a great book. Maybe it will come to me.

For anyone who has spent any time in online poker forums (and if you haven't you really should, just for the hilarity) this book feels like any number of hand history conversations that are a staple of those communities, only much better organized. Oh yeah, and you know that the people who are expounding on a certain action know what the eff they're talking about.

After all, anyone can take you through their thinking during a particular hand. They can talk about their stack size, give you their reads on players and discuss what they always think about before making a play, but the numbers don't lie when it comes to winning at poker. At least not over the long-term. These are guys who know a winning play when they see it, and in this book do a pretty good job helping you see it too.

It may be one of the more useful books in helping you think like a professional poker player, which is no small feat. However, the really hardcore details are left to other, more in-depth books, and it's a little dangerous to start thinking that you can come to the same conclusions that these guys come to, just by reading through their ideas in a single book. As always, poker is a lot more complex than it looks.

So yes, I recommend the book. But it had better not be the only one on your shelf. Or if it is the only book on your shelf, let me know and I'd love to invite you to my regular home game. Bring hundreds.

Have you ever wondered how a top player plays a hand? I've been really interested lately in learning about how a real pro thinks, so I've been looking at every book I can find that tells me what goes on in their minds.

This one is pretty good. A lot of them just go on and on like they were having a drink with you but it's really not that interesting. But this one really has real information. I felt like by the time I finished it, I learned a lot.

I started playing poker intensively about a year ago, but I've been a professional games player and expert class at both bridge and backgammon. This book isn't for everyone, but for tournament players who are (really) advanced, it is the best written so far.

Harrington's books, in my view, set the pace - and while there are advanced concepts in those, this book is largely all advanced concepts.

First level thinking as a poker player is considering your own hand, is it strong enough to call, raise, fold. Super basic, lesson one, don't play AJo under the gun, but play it from the button or cutoff.

Second level thinking brings in more context, my table image, my opponents table image, stack sizes, etc.

Third level, in my view, begins to think about opponents and ranges, and how they'd play those ranges, how you fare against those ranges, and how you optimise given your view on your EV in a particular hand. It brings in game theory.

Fourth level, you could say, is concerned with future developments and how your hand will fare - which cards will be awful (either lose your market on a good hand, or lose your money if he improves) - this opens the door for 'bluff-outs' - it is more complex because you need to parse an opponents range, and then consider where various cards will put him psychologically and materially (EV).

Fifth level is thinking about his thinking. Which level is he? Is he capable of advanced thinking? If he is, they how do you use that to optimise? It brings in meta games, opponent history, and multi-hand considerations for how to play.
Sixth level - thinking about your thinking about his thinking? Too far?

The three authors provide a hand by hand illustration of how to THINK at all those levels during a tournament poker hand. While other books offer prescriptions: if you have such and such, you ought to do this and not that... The joy of this book is the nuance - some of the hands are straightforward, but many of them (in the hands of experts) will generate hot debate.

One reviewer objects that the author's hands sometimes hit miracle cards, but that happens all the time, and optimising (getting stacks) when that happens is key. Others object they don't say how hands turn out - well they shouldn't, or if they do, there should be a short appendix in the back laying it out. I'm curious whether the series of bubble-play hands offered resulted in a win, but (again) results don't matter, thinking does.

Advanced poker is not so much about having the right answer or being sure all the time (it is too hard), but it is about making sure you have the right thought process. This book is first rate at doing that.

As one pro said to me after I gave him a hand where I'd stacked off - "your play was probably correct, ONLY if you made it for the correct reasons and had the correct thought process...". In other words, (I had KK), if all my money went in because of level 1,2, or 3 thinking, then I was a fish. But if it all went in, having reasoned correctly, then I was learning and starting to play well.

I'm a profitable $100 buy-in tournament player but make many too many errors, but am confident that this book will add considerable $$$ to my account and I'm grateful for those 3 guys (who afterall don't need the money!) for taking the time to write it.

Cant wait for Volume II.

Paul Gibbons (paulgibbo online), [...]

I highly recommend this book for those who are playing a solid game of tournament poker, but want to take their game to a new level. The authors spell out how, and when, they use their position and perceptions of other players to amass chips when they don't necessarily have the best hand. I had to reread the book several times for everything to sink in.

I've got a lot of poker books, and this one is my favorite. I can open it to any page, study the hand scenario, and think how I would play that hand. Then, I can see how it was actually played by a professional player with their comments on what was going on in their mind.

I know of no better way to improve your game than with a book of this nature. Each poker hand shown is a test you can take, and then review the author's opinion of how the hand would be played by them. The book engages you, and tests your own competence. It reminds me of chess tactical puzzle books, which are also the most effective way of improving ones chess game up too around expert level.

The last section is my favorite. All three players give their own takes on how to play the same hands. They don't always agree.

It's about time for Volume 2 isn't it?

I think that every player will find something in this book, to take his game a step further. I have been discussing some hands from it with friends (all winning players at MTT's) and we all agreed that there are some very interesting concepts in the book. I loved when pearljammer actually "created" fold equity from the small blind out of nowhere, when he didn't have any! (besides that, Rizen is the man!).

However, some of the hands, don't need that much of a text. I think it could all be written in less words

Smart players/writers, original concepts, good read.

I really like this approach. I like to know what goes through a good player's mind when making tough decisions. You can't always do 14 calculations in your head and pull up three charts to figure out what the best play is.

Having the viewpoint of three different players is also an outstanding approach. Many hands, especially in online tournament poker play, have several 'proper' ways to play them.

Lastly, looking up these guys stats, I see they are more than qualified in giving advise. Excellent book, I would recomend it.

I liked this book much like Harrington's books on tournament poker. Please don't read, as I think they give too much good information, for so little.

Very good insight. I play often and considered a good player......and I took alot of new skills from this book.

PLEASE dont learn it and come to my table.

There is no actual instruction material in this book. It is simply poker hand after poker hand with a discussion of each hand. I find this appoach essentially useless.

This is a very good good book. I would recomend this book after reading Harrington volumns one, two and three.

I was really happy with the though process of each players thoughts during a hand. Keep in mind they know the results ahead of time (its their own hands), so there is the possibility of a results oriented remarks. For instance, if the hero calls with T6 and hits a straight, he can claim he had odds, and if he loses all-in with AK, he can argue that that player was tighter than he thought, etc.

Lastly, I bought the kindle version and regretted it. You will constantly want to keep going back and forth to see position and stack sizes, difficult to do on the kindle if the setup is 3 pages back. Take the extra day and $2 and get the actual book.

I bought volume 2 physical.

I like the format that has actual hand examples. Be careful as you read not to just focus on the cards; the information on opponents (reads, history, tournament type, etc) and stack sizes are also important parts of the analysis.

Most of the examples are for higher-buy-in online tournaments, so don't try to apply your new knowledge at the $3 tourneys. Otherwise, great buy from 3 great minds. One of my favorite poker books.

This book is easy to read. I really appreciate the time that the authors took to articulate their thought process and why they took the actions that they did. It's hard to remember everything but I know that in a few tournaments that I was in where a similar situation came up, I recalled the hand analysis and I felt that the book has helped me to make better decisions on how to play a hand. I would definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to reading Volume II.

This is one of those hand-by-hand books. A little boring to read and not much to learn from it. If I had the opportunity to buy it again I would pass. Harrington on hold 'em books are a much better investment.

Overall, I find this tome both interesting and informative. Though there is not as much theory in this book as is presented in 2+2 books or Kill Everyone, the ideas mentioned are thought-provoking and sometimes intriguing. The ability of a poker author to make one think about aspects of a hand is critically important since, particularly in NLHE, the answers are not usually automatic or obvious. The authors of this book understand that, and merely offer the reader some insights as to the how and why of their winning play in tournament scenarios. They do not indicate that another play could not be better, but instead guide you down a path of reasoning that winning players use to arrive at conclusions. They express their viewpoints articulately and their career earnings tell the rest of story.

One minor detail with which I was not entirely elated: in general, they did not delve into post-hand analysis, and several imbroglios they encountered seem to warrant such an examination. Nonetheless, a very good book which is both quite entertaining and immensely informative.

All this said, it is a good book full of advanced-level reasoning, though much of it can be found for free at the many poker forums online.

In some ways, this book is a bit of a joke. I have only read the part by "Rizen" Lynch so far, and hope that the parts by pearljammer and van fleet are better.

I've played with the latter two, but only watched rizen play on TV. From watching him, he is a little loose, but intelligently aggressive, and seems to have good poker judgment. I think he also benefits from a lot of live players who are playing actual poker, folding, whereas rizen is used to online poker where drawing to gut shot straights against "good" opponents pays off -- since such draws hit so much.

The hands that Rizen describes, playing largely in larger buy in tournaments, are seemingly largely against donks. And reading the book reminded me why I stopped playing online. Almost every other hand Lynch describes (at least that I've read so far) he happens to hit his miracle card, and he acts run of the mill about it.

A variation on a classic online situation where in my own online mtt and satellite experience I was running at about a 65 percent win rate (which over the 100 or so occurrences renders this an exceptionallty low probability -- if online poker were truly random, but that is not even the tip of the iceberg) is the AA v Ax pre flop all in.

In Rizen's hand, its not a pre flop shove, but a small raise from Rizen in the small blind with A7 of clubs after it's folded around, and the bb re raises 3x, with still about 80 - 90% of the effective stacks behind. The flop is 689 with two clubs, a fantastic flop for him, giving him the nut flush draw with the open straight draw. His opponent has AA, and of course they get it all in, and he hits his 10 on the turn. Shocker, that. Pretty worthless hand description. The others are better for the thought involved, but the cards Rizen hits are often similarly ridiculous -- albeit post flop rather than on the flop, or he has no real draw just a semi weak but not horrible hand, and his opponents play like donks.

I know lynch knows percentages, but his description of hands seems to intuitively rely upon a much higher probability of cards hitting for him than sheer randomness would dictate. And in most of the hands he describes, it is exactly that, again, which happens.

Combine that with what is often seemingly very poor play by his opponents, and his section is in some ways a testament to the absurdity of online poker. And the fact that players who do well have an extremely strong vested psychological interest in believing that it is truly random (when most have no clue as to whether this really is or is not the case, as every single "study" I have ever seen cited does not fully or correctly address the issue) and that it is all their skill gaining them the rewards they reap online, and nothing else.

On the flip side, I would still mildly recommend this book just off Lynch's section. The reason is three fold. First, knowing that the other two authors will provide similar type of "here's the hand, here is what I was thinking and why" type of analyses, and likely differing points of view. Second, Lynch is a good player, and reading his analysis of specific hands that he has actually played is revealing, if sometimes fairly basic. And third, the hand by hand layout makes it interesting and easy to read, and provokes thought about how to play certain situations, which is particularly helpful in combination with Lynch's decent enough analyses of the hands.

This book quite simply took my poker game(and my decision making) to a new level! I feel that it really showed me( in real tourrnament situations) the power of position. Helped push me into higher levels of thinking as I play, whether it be a 1-table sit-n-go or a tournament with thousands of players.

Can't wait for Vol. 2!