Title: “Little Green Book”
Author: Phil Gordon
Facts: “Little Green Book” includes 320 pages. At the moment it is available in 7 formats and editions on Amazon.com with the hardcover version costing $18.99.
About The Author
Phil Gordon is highly underestimated as a poker player because of the fact that most players and enthusiasts know him as the co-host of Celebrity Poker Showdown. While playing poker, he manages to achieve different great results like being fourth in the 2001 WSOP Main Event and third in the 2002 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha event. Gordon stands out as a combination of teacher and expert, which was clearly highlighted in Celebrity Poker Showdown. Read more about Phil Gordon here.
Review
Phil Gordon’s easy-going and patient teaching style is quite obvious in The Little Green Book, which is a book that many read as the first pick to learn more about poker. To put it simple, what you see on TV is exactly what you get when you talk to him live and when you read his books.
Overview
The book is devoted to No Limit cash games and it is actually among the first books that had such a focus. At first glance you will notice that the book seems small but do not let size fool you. It includes a lot of advice and insights into some effective winning strategies that appear in No Limit games.
The structure of The Little Green Book is precise and basic. You will find it really easy to go through the book but do not hurry. Dwell on the charts and hand examples that are presented. You rarely have random thoughts inserted and special mentions about tournament poker.
Advantages
The advice that you find inside The Little Green Book is practical and can help you beat live no limit cash games. The specific tactics and general insights will be well measured, authoritative and flexible.
Many appreciate the approach. Phil Gordon raises an idea, then supports it, then deconstructs it and then lets the reader draw the conclusion. This basically makes the reader dwell and actually learn what is presented. Gordon basically manages to recreate the classroom effect.
The writing is clear, clean and straight to the point. You will not find name dropping and self-glorifying anecdotes. The feeling that you get is personal and credibility is not sacrificed. Also, we do not have the Sklansky approach, which basically assumes that the reader does not know anything.
Disadvantages
The book will not give you answers. You will see questions. If this is not a method that helps you to learn, you will most likely not find this book as being great. Also, there are some situations in which you will feel like you wanted a better analysis and more depth. The last few chapters do offer you a feeling that they were just added without being finished.
Conclusions
If you want to play live no limit cash games, this is a must-have as the information you receive is valuable. The focus on tournaments is limited and advice quality is really high. You will not find as many examples as in other books but what is presented is clean, concise and clear.
We can say that the book is not aimed for the first-time poker player but even complete beginners can benefit from the book. You will want to buy this as a second option, one that you need.