Editor's note: Former Card Player Europe Bureau Chief Rolf Slotboom has read just about every poker book available, and in this series of columns, he analyzes one poker strategist at a time. He looks at the strengths and weaknesses of both the person and his products - whether it's books, DVDs, or just articles. Extensive reviews and ratings of individual books and DVDs can be found on Rolf's site, www.rolfslotboom.com.
Rating poker authors is not an easy task. Only a couple of authors are easy to rate, because they always come up with either high-quality products, mediocre products, or bad products. The vast majority sometimes produces a very good piece, only to have it followed by one or two fluff pieces - or the other way around. And those who always try to come up with in-depth advice or renewed material are sometimes faced with the awkward situation that not all of their advice may be correct. So, it is hard to come up with an "average" poker rating for authors.
For me, the overriding factor is always this: If an author produces a new book, is it automatically the first book on my "to-read" list or not? If it is, I know that this is an author who I believe truly "matters" - even when he may sometimes produce a bad piece or some flawed advice. Authors whom I include in this "must-read/highly anticipated" category are David Sklansky, Ed Miller, Dan Harrington, and Bob Ciaffone, to name but a few. Then there are some writers whom, quite frankly, I have stopped reading, because they rarely offer any strategic advice that I find worthwhile. And then there are some writers in the "in-between" category; they aren't necessarily bad, but are not all that interesting for those who want a bit more than just some ABC advice. When these writers produce a new book, it is almost always third or fourth on my to-read list, rather than number one.
Phil Gordon fits into this last category. I don't think his books are bad, because they are not. But, they do suffer from a few drawbacks. First and foremost, the level of Gordon's strategic thinking is not always very high. So, when he discusses some "advanced" situations or closes with a "key analysis," I always believe that it is just basic material, and only rarely do the recommendations go beyond the surface. Second, his books simply have too many little mistakes; not printing errors, but tiny
strategic errors that show either a lack of interest in the product or a lack of real
understanding when it comes to the analysis of the situation. (For a short summary of these errors, check out my reviews of the
Little Green Book and the
Little Blue Book on my site.) And, finally, I think that in Gordon's products, there's a bit too much plugging of his sponsors' and his own products, and in "serious" and expensive poker products, there should be no place for this.
Of course, there are some good things, as well. Because Gordon is such a well-known TV personality, he appeals to a very broad audience, especially those who (a) are not very experienced players or (b) have not read many poker books yet and will not be disappointed with his material. Also, his books look absolutely
superb: hardcover and well-designed. And, finally, he has a refreshing way of writing, resulting from his highly unusual (for poker authors) modesty when it comes to his poker abilities.
So, all in all, Phil Gordon is not among my favorite poker authors, and in all honesty, I tend to judge him in a way of "the glass is half empty." However, those who think in terms of "the glass is half full" will thoroughly enjoy his easy-to-digest works. And considering his excellent sales figures (Gordon is one of the best-selling poker authors who are not part of 2+2), there are
many people who appreciate his works a bit more than I do.
Next issue: Rolf Slotboom.
