Tournament Poker for Advanced Players

For years, a common complaint among poker players has been the lack of many good books on tournaments. Although several books have come on the market, most of them are either flawed or incomplete. Thus, it should come as great news to aspiring tournament players that David Sklansky's new book, Tournament Poker for Advanced Players, is now available. The book was produced by Two Plus Two Publishing LLC, and 2000 World Series of Poker Champion Chris Ferguson calls it "the best tournament poker book ever written." It is also the fourth book in the extraordinary for Advanced Players series that Two Plus Two has produced.

The text is divided into five major sections, along with some introductory material, a conclusion, and an index – 240 pages in all. The five sections are entitled "Getting Started," "Tournament Theory," "Other Topics," "Hand Quizzes," and something for which the for Advanced Players series is renowned, "Questions and Answers." The following is a brief overview of each of them.

"Getting Started" explains how a tournament works and how tournaments differ from side games. The effect of going broke and not being able to reach into your pocket to purchase more chips is discussed, and Sklansky demonstrates that this affects not only you, but your opponents, as well. This in turn impacts general tournament strategy by producing a wide "gap" in those hands with which you should bet vs. those with which you should call.

"Tournament Theory" continues with these ideas and brings into play other forces that impact tournament strategy. It includes an examination of how the prize structure changes play, what it means when your bets are called, how chips change value, how "limping in" affects the play of a hand, what should be done when the blinds are coming up and you are running out of chips, all-in strategy, how to play when you're just out of the money, how to play at the final table, rebuy tournaments, satellites, and more. Also, Sklansky discusses when it's right to play like a maniac, and when it's right to be "weak-tight."

"Other Topics" is just that. Subjects such as last-longer bets, freezeout calculations, and how to make deals are discussed. This section also features an 11-page chapter entitled "Some No-Limit Observations," which readers who are inexperienced in no-limit play will find essential. Sklansky also discusses "The System," a simple technique he created for the benefit of a first-time poker player playing in the World Series of Poker, which has the potential to make the "famous world champions" rip their hair out (especially damaging against Chris Ferguson).

Next is the "Hand Quizzes" section. This may well be the most important part of the book, for it is here that everything comes together. It is one thing to know and understand poker theory, and quite another to be able to apply it at the poker table. To address this issue, Sklansky examines 50 hands from all types of tournaments in which the concepts discussed earlier in the text are illustrated. I found this section to be invaluable, and the highlight of the book for me.

In the final section, "Questions and Answers," the more significant ideas are reiterated in a question-and-answer format. They should help keep your tournament poker sharp.

So, it looks like David Sklansky and Two Plus Two Publishing have done it again. Tournament Poker for Advanced Players achieves a new milestone in poker literature, and those who fail to read and study this book will be left behind by those who do.