Five of a Kind - Part II

In the first installment of this two-part series, we reviewed The Poker MBA, by Greg Dinkin and Jeffrey Gitomer; Middle Limit Holdem Poker, by Bob Ciaffone and Jim Brier; and Dan Kimberg's Serious Poker.

In this installment, we'll examine the latest offering from David Sklansky, as well as a major update to Wilson Software's "Turbo Texas Hold'em."

Tournament Poker,

by David Sklansky

(Two Plus Two Publishing)

Sklansky's 10th book on poker and gaming is a groundbreaking work. Not only is Tournament Poker new, it is groundbreaking in the sense that Sklansky introduces a number of concepts in it that have yet to be dealt with extensively in books about tournament poker. While everyone knows - or really should know - that tournament poker is so different from cash game poker that it might just be another game altogether, Sklansky conceptualizes a variety of skills required to play tournaments well - even if one is a top-notch cash game player.

Strategies to succeed in tournament poker can be very different from those required to ensure success in a ring game. In addition to discussing concepts such as how poker tournaments are different, the implication of prize structures, how chips change value in a tournament, adjustments in strategy necessitated because the stakes are rising, and all-in strategy, Sklansky introduces a concept he calls "The Gap." He's not talking about khaki pants and T-shirts here, either. The gap refers to the difference between the strength of a hand that one needs to call an opener and a weaker hand that you might open with yourself. "In tournaments," Sklansky tells us, "this gap is often extremely high."

He advises avoiding confrontations with those who have already shown strength, and taking advantage of those who are trying to preserve their chips. In a limit hold'em tournament, if three people fold, he suggests raising with hands as weak as Q-J or 5-5, but folding hands as strong as A-K or 10-10 if the player under the gun has already raised. That's quite a gap, but then again, tournament poker is very different from playing in a cash game.

Perhaps the most amazing part of this book is a relatively short, six-page section called "The System," in which the author describes a very simplified set of strategies that he used to teach a complete neophyte how to play tournament poker. And if you don't think this is possible, I'll leave it to you to read this book and see for yourself.

But I want more. At 221 pages, it's a pretty standard length for a poker book, but there is room for more to be written using the concepts Sklansky surfaced in Tournament Poker. Obviously, he's the guy to do it. I'd like to see a follow-up to this book that goes even deeper into tournament strategy. David's work is compelling, and as a reader, I'm screaming for more. This is "the best poker tournament book ever written," according to 2002 World Series of Poker winner Chris Ferguson, and Daniel Negreanu, who's won more than 20 major poker tournaments, describes it as "the first book that clearly explains exactly how and why your strategy changes in poker tournaments." And I'm not gonna argue with these guys. Are you?

Turbo Texas Hold'em, Version 5.0

(Wilson Software)

Whoopee! Version 5.0 of Wilson's Turbo Texas Hold'em is now available.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Wilson software, let me bring you up to speed. Turbo Texas Hold'em allows you to play poker against a lineup of various "profiles" that can be modified or tweaked if you're so inclined. Specify the number of opponents, the number of raises, and even whether the players will act more or less aggressively - make your choice. So sophisticated are some of these profiles that they are sensitive to pot odds for flush and straight draws, as well as to the action of other opponents - cyber as well as human - and will adjust their play based on their determination of whether an opponent seems to have gone "on tilt."

An on-screen advisor can be called up at any time to offer an opinion about the play of a hand. A variety of statistics are also available at the click of a mouse. In addition, Turbo provides the ability to run a multitude of high-speed simulations. It even has a "repeatable deal" feature that lets one run, for example, the same set of 5,000 random hands for each variable being tested. Results achieved this way are therefore independent of the luck of the draw, since each was tested against a given set of randomly preselected hands.

Sidewinder Sid is a component that provides a detailed hand-by-hand analysis of any errors in one's play. Using text-to-speech technology, a talking cartoon character named Sidewinder Sid comments on your play and reviews any errors while the hand in question is "replayed." While Sid acknowledges that you won't necessarily agree with his analysis all of the time, he does point out that if he continues to notice a relatively high number of errors, you can take it for granted that your game needs refinement.

Sid will comment on hands played too aggressively as well as those played too passively, and he'll also point out whether checking, calling, folding, betting, or raising was the preferred option. Sid is not at all shy about letting you know when your play was not aggressive enough, and he'll give you the benefit of his analysis on every betting round.

Version 5.0 offers significantly upgraded graphics that have been redesigned to look more realistic and are similar to those used for online play. The advisor function has been improved and upgraded, and some new statistical reports are available, as are new lineups for you to play against. Both the variety and quality of your computer opponents are improved, and the sophistication of the testing and analysis elements has been expanded and upgraded.

When Wilson Software first hit the market with Turbo Texas Hold'em way back in what can only be described as computerized poker's Pleistocene age, there were any number of competitors. One by one, they've dropped by the wayside. Wilson Software has assiduously worked to improve and upgrade its products' quality. Even though, in my opinion, it is the only real poker software worth buying, the company is still working to make it better - and it shows. If you don't own this software, you owe it to yourself to get ahold of it. If you already own it, you can upgrade for $22.95 - a bargain by anyone's standards. It's available online at www.wilsonsoftware.com.

Visit my web site at www.loukrieger.com. Poker for Dummies and my newest book, Gambling for Dummies, are available at major bookstores everywhere, and all of my books are available online at www.ConJelCo.com and www.Amazon.com.